My good friend Rose just called. Her son-in-law, Curtis, just passed away from complications from hernia surgery. I ran down to her house and she cried so hard, she stuck a washcloth in her mouth so she could scream.
The bardo revisits. Tibetan Buddhists believe that the bardo state lasts for 49 days after a person dies. The bardo is this kind of no man's land where the soul/spirit goes to encounter challenges of all kind. The goal on the other side is positive rebirth.
Rose had prayed for years that Curty would find Jesus and convert away from that Buddhism stuff. Not too many African Americans are Buddhists, but when I met Curtis, I guessed it and we instantly struck up a friendship over pumpkin pie during Thanksgiving.
Now the family has plans about his burial. None of my business really. Church services and all that. I got a funny look when I suggested that maybe Monks come by to chant. It reminded me that I should write down somewhere that when I go, I want monks to chant.
I'm not Tibetan, but I do believe much of what the Buddhist Tradition has to offer. And listening to chanting brings comfort more than anything.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbE5HtqU7us
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