Buddhist
Cremation is most common across Buddhist traditions, following the example of the Buddha. Practices vary widely between Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana lineages — your local sangha or temple can guide specifics.
Cremation with memorial
Fair total range nationally: $3,500–$6,000
This is the service type most families in this tradition choose. You can refine with the four-question decision guide if you want to weigh budget or other preferences.
Practice varies enormously across Theravada (Thai, Burmese, Sri Lankan), Mahayana (Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese Pure Land/Zen), and Vajrayana (Tibetan) lineages. Your sangha or temple can advise on specifics: how long the body should remain undisturbed, what scriptures are chanted, what kind of altar is set up, and the timing of memorial observances at 7, 49, and 100 days.
Cheat sheet for the arrangement meeting
Print this. Bring it. The questions and decline scripts at the top are tailored to buddhist practice; the rest is the standard FTC-rights guidance every family should know.
Arrangement meeting cheat sheet — Buddhist
honestfuneral.coBring this. Refer to it openly. The funeral director will see you brought it — that alone changes the meeting.
- Some traditions ask that the body remain undisturbed for 8–24 hours after death. Will you accommodate a delay before transfer?
- Do you have space for chanting and a service led by monks or a teacher before the cremation?
- Will you allow simple, unbleached cotton dressing rather than formal embalming and cosmetology?
Community: Practice varies enormously across Theravada (Thai, Burmese, Sri Lankan), Mahayana (Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese Pure Land/Zen), and Vajrayana (Tibetan) lineages. Your sangha or temple can advise on specifics: how long the body should remain undisturbed, what scriptures are chanted, what kind of altar is set up, and the timing of memorial observances at 7, 49, and 100 days.
- Embalming (in most US states)
- Buying their casket — bring your own from any vendor
- Buying a vault more expensive than the cemetery requires
- Paying a “handling fee” on a third-party casket
- Casket (300–500% markup)
- Embalming (often unnecessary)
- Burial vault / grave liner
| Basic services fee | $1,500–$2,500 |
| Embalming | $700–$900 |
| Transfer of remains | $200–$350 |
| Death certificates (each) | $10–$25 |
| Casket — 18-gauge metal | $900–$1,400 |
| Casket — wood | $1,200–$2,500 |
| Grave liner / burial vault | $700–$1,200 |
| Headstone / marker | $800–$2,000 |
| Flowers (through funeral home) | $300–$600 |
- Can I see your itemized General Price List before we begin?
- What is your basic services fee, and what exactly does it cover?
- Will you accept a casket I purchase from another vendor at no extra fee?
- Is embalming required for the type of service I want?
- What is the total all-in cost in writing, with every fee included?
- Embalming: “Our tradition asks that the body be undisturbed. Please refrigerate instead of embalming.”
- Heavy cosmetology / formal dressing: “Simple natural dressing is appropriate. No cosmetology needed.”
- Premium / 'protective' caskets: “We've decided on a simpler casket. We're not interested in the protective seal — we know it doesn't extend preservation in any meaningful way.”
- Embalming: “We're not having embalming. We understand it isn't legally required for the service we're planning.”
- Memorial package upgrades: “We're going to handle the programs, flowers, and obituary ourselves. Please leave those off the bill.”
These ranges are US national averages adjusted for your region. Your local funeral director may quote different numbers — push back politely and ask why. Faith-specific guidance comes from common American practice; consult your clergy for community-specific customs.