spirit of the deceased
Buddhist term for the soul or spirit of a dead person, especially during memorial services and Obon.
During Obon, we prepare to welcome the spirits of the deceased.
During Obon, it is believed that the spirits of ancestors return.
Shouryou nagashi is a ceremony to send off the spirits of the deceased.
We light the send-off fires to see the spirits off.
We venerate the spirit of the deceased at the household altar.
亡霊 refers to a ghost or apparition of the dead, often with an eerie, haunting connotation, whereas 精霊 is the neutral term used for the departed soul during Buddhist memorial services.
魂 refers to the soul or life force of a person, living or dead, while 精霊 is specifically the departed soul venerated in Buddhist Obon rites.
精霊 read せいれい means a nature or elemental spirit (as in animism or fantasy), while 精霊 read しょうりょう specifically means the spirit of a deceased person in Buddhist Obon rites.
Standard kanji spelling for the Buddhist sense of a spirit of the deceased.
Alternate kanji spelling; less common and may be confused with 聖霊 (せいれい, the Holy Spirit).
From Middle Chinese 精靈 (tsjeng leng), meaning 'spirit' or 'soul'. The kanji 精 (refined, spirit) and 霊 (spirit, soul) combine to convey the idea of a refined or pure spirit.