Happy funeral outing

I attended a funeral yesterday night. And for the first time in my short life, it was a funeral for a stranger, and one of those where I was sincerely happy to be present. Happy for the deceased. (No offense to the family of the deceased)

Why should we cry and feel sad at funerals? You never know if it was the wish of the deceased to leave this life. Or if the deceased had “moved” on to a better “life”, be it the heavens (for Christians) or Pureland (for Buddhist).

When I was young, I thought of dying, that death is the preferable choice instead of living in this world of suffering. I have often insisted that my friends be happy for me at my death, that it would have been my choice, even though I might have died of sickness or accident. Death is an easy way out for those who fail to come to terms with the laws of the universe.

Growing older, without death in my sight, I learnt of karma, of contentment, of Pureland.
If we live a life of contentment, there would be no regrets when we leave. No need for statements of “I will travel around the world when I retire and enjoy myself”… no need to be attached to what is going to happen in the future.

Whatever will happen has already happened. That is the law of karma.
The law of cause and effect. Proven by science.
What you get out of this life is what you have/had sowed. So if we sow only the positive, the good, and the kind, your returns would have been the same, and there is no fear of the future, of the unknown.

I attended the funeral because of a call for friends to chant the Amitabha Buddha’s name, in order to remind the deceased’s consciousness (on the hope that it is still around) to be mindful of the Buddha, and hopefully gain rebirth in the Western Pureland.
It was a big group of us that “volunteered” and I went with an open and happy heart. It truly felt like a happy outing. One of the best that I have been on. Because just one hour spent might change the path of a stranger. There are not many activities that would have been more worthy of my time.
Amituofo.