Saying Goodbye with a Smile
Today, friends from the Malaysian Buddhist Co-operative Society Limited paid a visit to me. Tee Eng Kau my UPM alumni is an active member of MBCS who lead the rest to my home. Among the services MBCS provides are funeral assistance, birthday blessings, wedding services and other services that are designed to follow the Buddha's teachings.
We focussed on funeral services; as its booklet says; A Proper Buddhist Funeral. I am particularly interested in its promise to make it "solemn and dignified". Details are on their website.
I am very happy with the modus operandi of the funeral services, which will have rites in accordance to Buddha's teachings. It is up to me now to decide on the details of their package options such as number of days, ways to manage the body, chanting and a few other details.
I want my funeral service to be educational. Many of my friends especially those who professes to be Buddhist may not have attended a proper Buddhist funeral. What we usually see are Taoist ceremonies with lots of weird rituals; I remember participating in a Taoist funeral ritual where I had to jump over fires and run around in circles so that the deceased can have access to the Afterworld.
Anyway, that is one the variation of the numerous Taoist rituals and I have no complaints for those who prefer that way. Even some purported Buddhist ceremonies were mixed with Taoist and even Feng Shui principles. But if it brings comfort to the mourners, so be it I think.
The MBCS friends introduced me to a calm, solemn and dignified world of Buddhist funeral. I am excited to make my funeral as an introduction to what a Buddhist funeral can be; with Buddhist hymn singing, Dhamma talk and even an eulogy which I have never encountered in a Buddhist or Chinese funeral.
Another major decision is what to do with my remains. I know I want to be cremated. I would like my ashes to be in a columbarium but I heard the cost is prohibitive. I need to check this out. Other alternatives includes scattering the ashes onto the sea which is one option of the MBCS services. I am thinking if it is ok to just scatter them into a flower pot or base of a tree. Hej, that's the environmentalist and horticulturist in me thinking!!!
There will also be a booth to distribute Dhamma books and CDs. In my obituary I will ask people to refrain from getting funeral wreath or flowers. Better to contribute the money to a donation box for reprinting of Buddhist booklets and CDs.
As a sideline, I was even thinking of asking my family to play the CDs with the music I liked when there is no official ritual ceremony; music like jazz, blues, oldies, pop, music CDs from many countries which have I collected in my travels. I am thinking of including Trance music, but that may be too much...hahaha! ;)
There are quite a number of stuff that I need to decide. I will collect my thoughts and put them all down in writing. I will share them with you when I am done.
Wow...preparing to die ain't easy!
We focussed on funeral services; as its booklet says; A Proper Buddhist Funeral. I am particularly interested in its promise to make it "solemn and dignified". Details are on their website.
I am very happy with the modus operandi of the funeral services, which will have rites in accordance to Buddha's teachings. It is up to me now to decide on the details of their package options such as number of days, ways to manage the body, chanting and a few other details.
I want my funeral service to be educational. Many of my friends especially those who professes to be Buddhist may not have attended a proper Buddhist funeral. What we usually see are Taoist ceremonies with lots of weird rituals; I remember participating in a Taoist funeral ritual where I had to jump over fires and run around in circles so that the deceased can have access to the Afterworld.
Anyway, that is one the variation of the numerous Taoist rituals and I have no complaints for those who prefer that way. Even some purported Buddhist ceremonies were mixed with Taoist and even Feng Shui principles. But if it brings comfort to the mourners, so be it I think.
The MBCS friends introduced me to a calm, solemn and dignified world of Buddhist funeral. I am excited to make my funeral as an introduction to what a Buddhist funeral can be; with Buddhist hymn singing, Dhamma talk and even an eulogy which I have never encountered in a Buddhist or Chinese funeral.
Another major decision is what to do with my remains. I know I want to be cremated. I would like my ashes to be in a columbarium but I heard the cost is prohibitive. I need to check this out. Other alternatives includes scattering the ashes onto the sea which is one option of the MBCS services. I am thinking if it is ok to just scatter them into a flower pot or base of a tree. Hej, that's the environmentalist and horticulturist in me thinking!!!
There will also be a booth to distribute Dhamma books and CDs. In my obituary I will ask people to refrain from getting funeral wreath or flowers. Better to contribute the money to a donation box for reprinting of Buddhist booklets and CDs.
As a sideline, I was even thinking of asking my family to play the CDs with the music I liked when there is no official ritual ceremony; music like jazz, blues, oldies, pop, music CDs from many countries which have I collected in my travels. I am thinking of including Trance music, but that may be too much...hahaha! ;)
There are quite a number of stuff that I need to decide. I will collect my thoughts and put them all down in writing. I will share them with you when I am done.
Wow...preparing to die ain't easy!
posted by Hee Boon at 5:50 pm
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