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is no set wedding service in the Buddhist faith, as the Buddha (founder
of the religion) did not consider marriage to be a sacred ceremony. Instead,
marriage is considered to be a social rather than a religious occasion.
The Buddha stated only that marriage should be based on deep mutual respect
between partners and that it should be a partnership of equals (a remarkably
progressive standpoint, bearing in mind the low status of women in India
at the time). Buddhists can marry anyone from any religion and their union
should be a harmonious blend of the differing strengths and abilities
of the man and woman. |
- A Buddhist marriage ceremony is secular in nature
and takes place in a register office or one of the few Buddhist temples
licensed as a legal marriage venue. or take a look at their website
for more details or other venues.
- As there is no set format, the wedding is usually
influenced by the customs of the country in which it is taking place.
- Some couples choose to have a Buddhist blessing
in a temple after their civil ceremony.
- Buddhists can get married at
any time, depending on the hours of the chosen register office or temple.
- There are no days on which it is forbidden for
Buddhists to marry. However, all Buddhists should know the Buddha’s
teachings on the mutual obligations and duties of a husband and a wife.
- There are no forms to fill in either – these will
be dealt with at the register office.
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- The blessing ceremony in the temple can take place
at any time, at the convenience of the individual venue. No notice is
required for your blessing, other than to ask the temple if the proposed
time is convenient.
- You do not need to attend any meetings with the
monks prior to your blessing.
- There is no blessing rehearsal.
- People of all religions are welcome to attend a
Buddhist blessing service, as long as each guest respects the traditions
of the Buddhist faith.
- The bride, groom and guests are free to wear whatever
they like, as long as it is not too revealing. The bride usually wears
a dress and the groom a suit.
- Guests should be aware that they must behave respectfully
towards the Buddhist monks in the temple and should remove their shoes
before entering the shrine room.
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- The blessing ceremony takes place in the shrine
room of the Buddhist temple.
- The ceremony lasts about half an hour, during which
time ordained monks chant from Buddhist sacred texts in the Pali language.
- The style of chanting has been handed down since
the time of the Buddha. The guests and wedding couple listen and observe,
but do not participate. For this reason there are no service sheets.
- Confetti would not be thrown as it has no place
in Buddhist culture.
- There is no organist or choir, other than the monks
themselves.
- Photographs and videotapes of the ceremony are
allowed.
After the blessing, the couple and guests would usually
go to a reception. As there are no hard-and-fast marriage traditions in
the Buddhist faith, what happens next is entirely up to the couple!
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