Help me learn about ancestor worship
September 15, 2010 2:23 PM Subscribe
I want to learn about ancestor worship, particularly as practiced in China and by Buddhists.
My interest is research-based and not personal, and pretty open-ended at this point. But I'm curious how those heavily into these practices view their dead relatives -- do they see them as still alive in some form? Do folks pray to specific relatives, as some Christians do? Are there special rites and incantations involved? Are the worshiped ancestors seen as literal entities who are watching and listening? Do they have special powers? Should we be afraid of them?
There are a couple of good articles on Wikipedia, but I'd love some book pointers or advice on where to look for more information.
My interest is research-based and not personal, and pretty open-ended at this point. But I'm curious how those heavily into these practices view their dead relatives -- do they see them as still alive in some form? Do folks pray to specific relatives, as some Christians do? Are there special rites and incantations involved? Are the worshiped ancestors seen as literal entities who are watching and listening? Do they have special powers? Should we be afraid of them?
There are a couple of good articles on Wikipedia, but I'd love some book pointers or advice on where to look for more information.
Response by poster: Fascinating stuff here -- thanks.
posted by swift at 7:53 AM on September 16, 2010
posted by swift at 7:53 AM on September 16, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Weng at 8:44 PM on September 15, 2010