When many people hear the term “Buddha Columbarium,” they often think: Isn’t that just a cemetery or public graveyard?

This is actually a very limited view. A Buddha Columbarium refers to a place used during one’s lifetime for praying for blessings and averting disasters, and after passing away, for housing the ashes of the deceased. The biggest difference from a public cemetery is that a Columbarium is not a uniformly planned burial site for ancestors. Instead, it is a blessed space that embodies people’s aspirations for beauty and good fortune, and serves as a place to pray for blessings that transform one’s own fate as well as that of descendants.

The emergence of the Columbarium originates from the human journey from life to death, giving rise to traditional祈福文化 (prayer and blessing culture). This culture has early origins in China and is elaborated in detail in the Book of Documents·Hong Fan. Prayers for the “Five Blessings” — longevity, wealth, health, virtue, and a peaceful death — are made during one’s lifetime. Because the final blessing is a “peaceful death,” those who partake in these prayers can be interred in such blessed spaces after death, thereby extending blessings to their descendants.

Buddha Columbaria are often located in historically rich temples or imperial-style mausoleum buildings, where the ancestral tablets can be enshrined. Under the protection of Buddhist chants, these spaces become resting places for the deceased. The opening and consecration of these blessed sites also adhere to strict customary rules.

Why house ashes in a temple?
This practice stems from an ancient tradition regarding the interment of ashes: Emperors were laid in grand mausoleums, sages in pagodas, high officials in tombs, and commoners were simply buried in the ground.

Emperors treated selecting a mausoleum as a top priority, beginning their search for a spiritually auspicious site with excellent feng shui immediately upon ascending the throne, to ensure the stability of their dynasty. Sages, referring to individuals of high virtue and prestige, could have their ashes placed in temple pagodas after death, ensuring prosperity for their descendants. High officials  in ancient times, while unable to enter mausoleums or pagodas, could purchase burial plots in cemeteries. Common people, without power or influence, could only be buried in the ground.

It's not hard to see that interment in a pagoda (“entering the pagoda”) was a funeral treatment second only to that of an emperor. Temples have always had the tradition of housing Columbarium spaces. Accompanied by sacred relics of esteemed Buddhist monks, they bring peace and good fortune to the living and aid the deceased in ascending to paradise.

At places like Babaoshan, alongside the well-known public cemeteries, many notable figures have chosen Columbarium spaces for housing their remains. These include Puyi, the last emperor of China; Li Zongren, Acting President of the Nationalist Government; and Chen Mingren, a high-ranking general respected by both the Communist and Nationalist parties.

Nowadays, some temples with the necessary resources construct underground palace (地宫) prayer spaces, continuing China's traditional funeral practices which honor “returning to the earth for peace, entering the palace for honor.”

Within an underground palace Columbarium, families need not worry about exposure to wind and rain. Monks chant scriptures daily for the salvation of the deceased, offerings are made continuously, and the sound of Buddhist prayers perpetually surrounds the space. Embracing the philosophical idea of “harmony between heaven and humanity, returning to nature,” these places carry forward the most heartfelt blessings for both the departed and their descendants.

The prayer culture represented by the Buddha Columbarium comforts generations of people with devout beliefs. It blends religious faith with Chinese culture, where filial piety is paramount, representing the essence of the nation's cultural and spiritual beliefs.

Why Can a Buddha Columbarium Replace a Cemetery?

As urban land becomes increasingly scarce, the price of traditional cemeteries and public graveyards continues to soar. In first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, the price of a cemetery plot has even surpassed that of residential real estate. At the same time, traditional cemeteries often face criticism for environmental pollution.

Compared to cemeteries, the Columbarium aligns with the modern concept of “elaborate care in life, simple observance in death.” It saves land resources, is clean and environmentally friendly, and leads funeral trends with advanced management models. Against the backdrop of national funeral reforms, it is becoming an inevitable trend.

In regions like Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, as well as Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Guangdong in China, the practice of using Columbarium spaces has already become widespread.

Furthermore, the cost of acquiring a permanent Columbarium space is far less than purchasing a cemetery plot with a typical 20-year usage term.

Additionally, from a traditional feng shui perspective, the bustling activity and abundant incense at popular temples bring strong positive energy (人气), implying excellent feng shui auspices. This is especially true for temples with long histories, whereas the feng shui of a cemetery can be more uncertain.

Considering these aspects, the Buddha Columbarium will likely become a new form of interment, potentially replacing traditional cemeteries.