Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘In a Japanese Buddhist context, mortuary rituals help one learn about death, making the prospect of dying less frightening. These rituals are not done with the aim to bring “closure” for the living. This concept does not fit the Buddhist worldview where everything is interrelated. Everything transforms, articulated as reincarnation. “Closure” is more suitable for an individualistic concept of self that also sees death as more of an ending, not a transition. A Western psychiatrist explains his approach to helping people who are grieving: “Mourners must emancipate themselves from the lost person.” In a Buddhist context, this is not a logical aim. “Emancipation” in Buddhist teachings comes from awakening to interrelatedness, not accepting separation. Ontologically, the deceased cannot be lost. Rather, the deceased has undergone a radical change.’ (Bringing Zen Home)