Definition

1. Verb:
   • To perform a Buddhist ritual for the peace and salvation of a deceased person's soul: "cầu siêu" refers to the act of conducting a religious ceremony, often involving prayers and chanting of sutras, with the intention of guiding the soul of the dead toward a peaceful and better rebirth, or liberating it from suffering.

Usage

• "Cầu siêu" is a specific religious term used in the context of Vietnamese Buddhism and related folk beliefs. It describes a compassionate act performed by the living for the benefit of the deceased.
• It is typically used with words related to ceremony, location, and the beneficiary.
  • Structure: cầu siêu + cho + [the deceased] (to pray for the peace of [the deceased]'s soul)
  • Structure: làm lễ cầu siêu (to hold/perform a requiem ceremony)

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Gia đình tổ chức cầu siêu cho cụ ông tại ngôi chùa làng. (The family held a requiem mass for the old man at the village pagoda.)
  • Theo phong tục, con cháu nên cầu siêu cho ông bà tổ tiên vào dịp rằm tháng bảy. (According to tradition, descendants should pray for the souls of their ancestors during the Vu Lan festival in the seventh lunar month.)
  • Nhà sư đang tụng kinh cầu siêu cho các vong linh. (The monk is chanting sutras to pray for the peace of the wandering souls.)

Advanced Usage

• "Lễ cầu siêu" (noun phrase): A requiem ceremony, a mass for the dead.
  • Lễ cầu siêu sẽ được cử hành vào sáng Chủ nhật. (The requiem mass will be held on Sunday morning.)
• "Kinh cầu siêu" (noun phrase): The sutras or prayers chanted during a requiem ceremony.
  • Các Phật tử thành tâm tụng kinh cầu siêu. (The Buddhists devoutly chant the requiem sutras.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cầu an (verb): To pray for peace and good health (for the living). Contrasts with "cầu siêu," which is for the deceased.
• Cúng (verb): To worship, to make offerings. This is a broader term that can include rituals for both ancestors and deities.
• Giỗ (noun/verb): Death anniversary ceremony, which may include elements of "cầu siêu" but focuses on commemorating the deceased.

Synonyms

• Làm lễ cầu siêu: To hold a requiem ceremony.
• Cầu nguyện cho linh hồn (được siêu thoát): To pray for the soul (to be liberated).

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "Cầu siêu giải oan": To perform requiem rites to resolve grievances (of the deceased soul). This implies the ceremony also aims to settle any unresolved bitterness the soul may carry.
  • Gia đình tổ chức lễ cầu siêu giải oan cho người quá cố. (The family organized a requiem ceremony to pray for resolution of grievances for the deceased.)
• "Siêu sinh tịnh độ": To be reborn in the Pure Land (the Buddhist paradise). This is the desired outcome of a "cầu siêu" ceremony.
  • Mong rằng lễ cầu siêu sẽ giúp hương linh siêu sinh tịnh độ. (May the requiem mass help the departed soul be reborn in the Pure Land.)

verb

1. To say a mass for the peace of someone's soul (in Buddhism)
   • làm lễ cầu siêu ở chùa
     to celebrate a mass for the peace of someone's soul at a pagoda