House of mourning part 1 &2
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, ecc 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 ok, 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 occassionally used 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 always is 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 with us.
Reply With Quote
