According to the Tibetan School of Buddhism, when a person dies he is not reborn immediately. There is an intermediate flux state (Bardo) between death and rebirth. The Bardo Thodol (Tibetan Book of the Death) describes the various transitional stages of Bardos the dead person has to go through before his reincarnation on the 49th day. The Bardo Thodol is normally read (chanted) aloud to the dead as guidance to enlightenment and for the liberation to occur in the cycle of rebirth.
I don’t know whether Dad has ever professed himself a Buddhist or Taoist. However, in recent years he had come to terms with the issue of death and had decided on a Buddhist Memorial Park as his final resting place. Mom is a devout Buddhist. She is anxious that the proper rites, rituals and prayers are followed to the letter. It will bring her much solace and peace of mind if all prescribed procedures are followed. As children and grandchildren, regardless of what our religious belief or lack of it, we should respect her wishes.
The 49th Day prayer at the temple is the final rite that marks the end of the funeral ceremonies. As it is such a religiously significant and important event, we should all try to be present, to show our support and at the same time to pay our final respect to dad.
Ample notice is hereby given so that you can reschedule your other appointments and keep the day free for the final 49th Day prayer session.
Venue: Quan Ying Ting (Temple)
Date: Wednesday 27th January 2010
Time: 2:30P.M.
simon - 18 January 2010
No comments:
Post a Comment