Venerable Suvanno’s booklet How A Theravadin Buddhist Chinese Funeral May Be Conducted, which is available as a downloadable pdf e-book, is an interesting read. In it, the Bhante advocated on keeping a Buddhist funeral simple, meaningful and dignified.
For example, many traditional Chinese practices and beliefs are a mixture of Taoism and Confucianism. Theravadin Buddhism considers them as superstitions and taboos that do not agree with the teachings of the Lord Buddha. If Chinese Buddhists wish to hold a purely Theravadin Buddhist funeral, such rituals should be discarded. But it is only through knowledge and understanding that these can be replaced by meaningful practices.
In a passage taken from this booklet, the Bhante wrote:
What remains of the body after death is but a shell, the person having taken a new rebirth.
Elsewhere, he taught:
An understanding Buddhist would not want his family members to incur unnecessary expense. He would instead prefer that dana or charity be done with the money that is saved through having a simple funeral.
In this booklet too, Ven Visuddhacara added these comments:
As for our own funeral, wouldn’t it be a good idea too, to give clear instructions when we are alive? We could delegate to someone we trust the responsibility of seeing that our instructions are carried out. Or better still we can put all our instructions down in writing, so that there would be no confusion or disputes after we had died.