Hi.
Death is a natural part of
life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force.
Mourn them do not. Miss them do not.
-Master
Yoda, star wars
For
many, a funeral is a day of mourning. Many are sorry for the person
in question who is dead and gone, which is understandable, but do not
forget to rejoice in life and what that person has done.
In the Bible, pred 7, speaks
of the joy of going to a house of mourning.
We gather to celebrate a
person's behavior and deeds. We gather to celebrate life.
Funerals, for me, is
never a sad event, it is only a step along the way. And like every
step of the way, it is an important step. Going to a house of
mourning can make you think more on the days you have, and the desire
to make the best of them.
The funeral ceremony itself has
several purposes, but one of the most important is for those
present.
It is an opportunity for reflection and honoring of the
dead, each other and life.
When asked what the ceremony would be
for, it was, for me, obvious.
For everyone.
In my take on the
ZenBuddhistfuneralceremony, i chose to strip away as much esoteric as
possible to put the emphasis on the gathered and the deceased.
The
ritual consists of three parts, the ordination, life history and
messages, and leave-taking from the gathered. The ordinations are a
standard feature of the Zen Buddhist funeralceremony and is a
modified shukke Tokkudo, priest / monk ordination, and contains the
same elements as if she were alive, albeit slightly modified.
The
Lifestory makes the person more alive in the ceremony. The
leave-taking may look different. Usually it's an individual or
several people who go to the coffin and make their own ceremony,
whether it is reading a poem or just stand there in silence.
Yesterday is a memory, tomorrow is
a mystery and today is a gift,
which is why it is called the
present.
What the caterpillar perceives is the end;
to the
butterfly is just the beginning.
Everything that has a beginning
has an ending.
Make your peace with that and all will be well
-
Master
oogway, kung fu panda
In Buddhism we talk about
grasping, wanting to hold on to something, but also that everything
is in a state of constant change. As master Oogway says in kung fu
panda "Everything That has a beginning has an ending. Make your
peace with that and all will be well."
If you have something, it
will disappear and you'll miss it, cause and effect. It's fine, it's
part of the process, and if you see that, everything will be
well.
In the Christian faith they talk about that the deceased
is again with God. In Buddhism, the parallel is that of the the wave
returning to the ocean.
Both analogies demonstrate the same, you
return to the source, who never left you and is always with you. In a
sense, You turn your face to the face that is always turned towards
you. And as much as the face is turned to the you, the face is turned
to the deceased, and the deceased's face is turned to you. Always.
Although the person may seem gone, he never is. So let us rejoice,
for the person is always here.
