Soka Funeral Services are often seen as a simplified modernised form of the traditional Japanese Buddhist funeral ceremony, stripped of many of its over formalised and elaborate rituals and customs. Many Soka Gakkai members, believe that Buddhist teachings centres around how to live as well as the attainment of enlightenment, rather than on rich, elaborate and often over formalised customs and rituals.

To Soka Gakkai members, the main purpose of the funeral ceremony is to help:

• The deceased member attain enlightenment
• Offer support, sympathy and condolences to the family of the deceased; and
• Share in their grief and loss

As such, the settings of Soka Funerals are often very much more serene and simple when compared to other forms of Buddhist Funerals.

Settings of a Soka Funeral

Unlike other Buddhist funerals, Soka funeral services are conducted by a Soka Gakkai leader rather than a Buddhist priest. This member leads the recital of the Sutra and chanting. Soka members believe that having a leader conduct the funeral with whole hearted and sincere chanting of the Sutra is more meaningful and heart rendering than having a Priest perform mere rituals. Soka Gakkai members also believe that it is not rituals or priest sermons that will help the deceased member achieve enlightenment but rather, the sincere and wholehearted recital of the Sutra and chanting of the Daimoku by the leader and members during the ceremony.

In the funeral ceremony and on memorial tablets, the deceased member’s secular name is used as Soka Gakkai members do not practice bestowing kaimyo posthumous Buddhist names.

In all, the modernized, minimalistic feel of the Soka Funeral is very much line with Soka members’ firm believe that attaining enlightenment is very much the result of their faith and cultivation, the Buddhist way, rather than through funeral rituals, bestowing of posthumous Buddhist names or sermons given by and intercession of Buddhist priest.

Role of a Funeral Director at a Soka Funeral

Before 1991, the Soka Gakkai was still considered a lay Buddhist movement within the Nichiren Shōshū branch of Buddhism; it is thus a relatively new religious movement. Furthermore, with Soka (meaning Value Creation in Chinese) teachings focused more on guiding practitioners towards maximising their full potential in life, living a worthy life and being a useful contributing member of society, funerals and death become less of an emphasis than living the current life well. Hence, not much is written about Soka Funeral ceremonies on new media platforms such as the Internet.

While the Singapore Soka Association will be able to offer advise to members on funeral matters, having a Funeral Director experienced in handling Soka Funerals close by to guide and offer advice to the deceased family is useful as well.