Bury Dinghy with my grandmother. The Japanese tradition of burial of Pets shocking

If you say in Japanese, the phrase "buried like a dog", then it is likely you will misunderstand. The fact that the Country of the rising sun for the burial of Pets are very sensitive, and this is especially true for dogs and cats.

All of us, unfortunately, had to endure the death of a beloved pet goldfish, hamster, cat or dog. After that usually wondered what to do with the remains of the pet. If fish can quietly pull the toilet, the remains of the four-legged friend require special respect and they decided to bury. In such cases, more often, take a shovel and sad dropwise hairy friend in the nearest forest or in the Park.

Japanese Buddhists this option burial of the animal is unacceptable, according to this religion, the pet can be reborn and become human, and this requires a special reverence to the remains. To turn into a person in the afterlife dog or cat needs to spend some time in the "World of beasts" — the third from the bottom of the six worlds of rokudo, or suffering.

After this, the animal appears in the "World of people", where he has access to important Ordinance uttering aloud the name of the Buddha Amida. After the former dog or cat will proclaim "namu Amida butsu!", that is, "Followed by the Buddha Amida!", he is born first in the Buddhist Paradise Pure land, and then on the ground again, but man.

This explains the attitude of the Japanese to dogs and cats, which may seem absurd. Deeply religious, the owner will try to facilitate and accelerate the afterlife the way your dog and be sure to order a memorial service. Buddhism provides for posthumous performing good deeds of the deceased — in the case of a dead person or dog's good deeds to replace the service by monks.

Also becoming a popular ritual burial of the remains of Pets with people, sometimes even in the same grave or tomb.

Such requests are temples of Japan almost every day. If services over a dead dog, cat or rabbit monks are calm enough, then the funeral rite for the human they are often confused. Disputes about the correctness of such burials are raging among scholars for many years and to a common denominator, they will likely come very soon.

To obtain permission for the funeral of man and animal in the same grave very difficult, so the Japanese do otherwise. In the major cities of the country has many special funeral offices for Pets, most of them have their small cemetery. Given the cost of land in the country Nippon, burial in the churchyard such a pet can be quite expensive, even by Japanese standards.

Pet cemetery in Tokushima

Grave will cost from 4000 to $ 6000, and local traditions of the animals, unlike people, there's always buried in separate pits. But to buy the right to land for a little grave, as every year will have to pay additional rent, or the burial destroyed, and the earth will be resold. The rent of land varies within very wide limits, as it depends on the prestige of the cemetery for animals and the location of the grave.

The Japanese, who cannot afford to bury the Ball as oligarch, offer cremation services. Burn four-legged friend can be for $ 50-200, depending on body size. After cremation, the owner can pick up the capsule with the ashes of the home, and can be placed in a columbarium for animals. The cell here, as well as grave for rent. Usually in a year with the grieving master take 50 dollars, which is three times cheaper than in a columbarium for the people.

The owners cremated dogs and cats can also order the installation of a memorial in the form of a column. It's called sotoba and costs a mere trifle — $ 1,500 for 50 years. Bonus for the money the client receives the care and annual commemorative services held by monks.

The crematorium for Pets

So, as you say, "bury it like a dog."