After a pet passes away, is it necessary to conduct sacrificial burning? After a person passes away, relatives offer sacrifices by burning paper money, ingots, houses, and clothes. This is something we are accustomed to. But after a pet leaves, is it necessary to burn things for them? What are the differences in the burned items? Origin and significance of sacrificial burning. Sacrificial burning of paper money does not originate from Buddhism but from folk beliefs.
From burial objects in the Zhou Dynasty to using paper as a substitute for gold in the Tang Dynasty, it is all a remembrance of the deceased. The ‘Fayuan Zhulin’ records that Cen Wenben, the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, recorded the conversation between Mu Renxi and a ghost official in the underworld. Mu Renxi asked the ghost official, ‘What things can be exchanged between the underworld and the human world?’ The ghost official replied, ‘Gold, silver, and silk can be exchanged, but the fake ones are actually better than the real ones. You can stick tin foil on paper to turn it into gold, and make silk and satin out of paper, which can be used as clothes.’ Later, burning paper money and tin foil became a custom for sacrificing the deceased. Buddhist views on burning paper money and tin foil. The 13th patriarch of the Pure Land School of Buddhism, Master Yinguang, recorded two passages about burning tin foil in his collected letters to believers, reflecting Buddhism’s attitude towards burning paper money and tin foil. ‘Tin foil cannot be discarded either, and there is no need to burn a certain amount. One should know that this is used for helping the lonely souls. Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and those who have passed away have no use for it. It should also be multiplied from a small amount to a large amount by the power of Buddhas, Dharma, and the mind. If everyone gets one, even if there are tens of millions, it cannot be widespread because the lonely souls and ghosts are everywhere in the void. If one understands the meaning of turning a small amount into a large amount, then the intention to help the lonely souls is fulfilled, and there is no waste. It depends on everyone’s sincerity. When people are sincere, the power of the mind is all-pervading, and the offerings from the underworld also follow and are all-pervading.’ (See ‘Letter to Layman Li Huicheng on Burning Sutra Ashes and Money for Rebirth’ in the Continued Compilation of Master Yinguang’s Letters). Master Yinguang believes that tin foil cannot be wasted and has practical effects for sacrificing lonely souls and ghosts. But there is no need for a specific amount. Instead, it needs to be blessed by the Dharma to turn a small amount into a large amount and save more lonely souls and ghosts. ‘There are fools in the world who do not know how to express their hearts with things but only focus on burning a lot. This is also not right. It should be blessed by the power of Dharma and the mind to turn a small amount into a large amount and then be distributed to one’s own relatives and all lonely souls.’ (Letter to Layman Jin Zhenqing in Volume 1 of the Third Compilation). In the above two passages, Master Yinguang mentioned that when burning paper money and tin foil, it is not better to burn more blindly. Instead, it needs to be blessed by the Dharma to achieve better results. After a pet leaves, should we also burn paper money and ingots? Buddhism believes that all sentient beings are equal and reincarnate in the six realms. After death, they all have to answer for their good and evil deeds in front of the underworld authorities and decide which of the six realms to be reborn into.It is not the case that the animal realm has its own underworld officials, separate from those of the human realm, as they are all governed by Yanluo Wang. During the underworld’s review of one’s deeds, both past life and multiple past lives’ creditors and debtors gather to seek retribution, which greatly hinders the possibility of being reborn into a good path or being reborn in a pure land. If these creditors and debtors cannot be appeased, the individual will only sink into the evil path, suffering immeasurable pain.
Therefore, when a pet passes away, we burn items such as paper money to distribute to their creditors and debtors in the underworld, appeasing and resolving grudges, which can lead to a better rebirth for them in their next life. What should be burned for deceased pets? Currently, there are items specifically designed for pet memorials, such as pet food, toys, leashes, dog houses, cat shelters, and gourmet food, all printed on paper. Setting aside the printing technology, these items are the least suitable for burning. Since pets, after death, have left their animal bodies and become a ‘bardo body’ about one meter in height, burning dog houses, cat shelters, leashes, and toys for them is impractical. It is akin to sending dog food and cat litter to humans for use. Not only is it unreasonable, but it is also entirely a forced association by people. If pets fall into the ghost realm, burning dog houses and cat shelters for them is indeed impolite. Secondly, are ghost money notes usable? Many ghost money notes today are printed in excessively large denominations, and their effect after burning is almost like waste paper. If they were truly useful, there would have been ‘hyperinflation’ by now. Thirdly, traditionally, paper and aluminum foil are considered the best. Among them, the more valuable aluminum foil is considered the best.