30 Apr 2010 Tornesch, Germany
Category: Death
Today we went to the funeral of Regina’s grandfather, Celina’s great-grandfather. He died at the age of 89 years after some illness and a life full of adventures and events. He has seen three generations after him.
Yesterday Jens said that with the mind you can find 100 reasons why it was good for him to leave now, but the feelings will always say: we miss him. Of course it is the loss of a family member and no matter how many reasons you can logically find to be able to say that it was good for the person who left, for those who are still here, the grief and sadness will come.
We attended the funeral and for Yashendu and me it was the first Christian funeral, the first funeral here in Germany. I was once in London, a few years back, and attended the funeral of an old Indian man and of course it was a ceremony according to Hindu religion, so just a westernized version of what I know. But today was a Christian ceremony.
If I compare the ceremony and the rituals, I have to say that the ways of saying good-bye are very similar. There are some differences: in India people wear white whereas here they wear black. The ashes today were put into earth while in India we give them to the river. The body was burnt before while in India the actual ceremony is the burning.
When the urn was already in the earth, the priest spoke some words and although I do not understand much German I understood that he is putting earth to earth, ashes to ashes and dust to dust. This reminded me of how in India we talk about the five elements that the body is made of and to which it returns: earth, water, fire, wind and space. We say the same thing: the body returns to what it is made of. And the soul returns to that one big soul. And what is left here are many good memories of the time with the deceased and loved person.
Tags:: Body, Mind, Religion, Sadness, Rituals, Death, Feelings, Christianity, Hinduism
5 Comments
Posted By Swami Balendu
Apra’s German Grandparents in Vrindavan - 28...
It is Saturday, the weekend has started and for ou...
Sometimes it is strange for me to see how much fea...
A whole lot is going on, as always, and we are bus...
I have always been a believer in open communicatio...
So yesterday was my 45th birthday and definitely a...
Until now, I have not told you yet about a program...
Today I woke up in the morning, as usual next to m...
I yesterday wrote about parents who want to suppor...
I yesterday wrote that you should enjoy your work,...
Yesterday I shortly mentioned that we did not perf...
Recently in Germany one of my friends told me a tr...
Yesterday I told you how this old woman died in my...
There was another woman for a healing session yest...
I talked about the situation in western hospitals ...
On one of the last days, a woman came for a healin...
Some time ago I wrote about the inhumane situation...
Yesterday I was writing about the journey of life ...
I would like to write down the rest of the lecture...
A few days ago I told you that a woman was here fo...
Of course after Ammaji’s death I was contemp...
I am without mother now.
Roger sent a poem which he wrote in the night of h...
Yesterday I wrote about panic attacks that are con...
Today I have to give you sad news: one of our chef...
Yesterday I talked about the situation when there ...
Today we went to the funeral of Regina’s gra...
First of all I want to thank everybody for sending...
Today people from Chile came to the Ashram. They v...
In India you will often find people who call each ...
While obviously there is a large amount of grief for the departed, Christian funerals, often called thanksgiving ceremonies, are as much a celebration for their life, and the fact that they are on their way to heaven. Obviously its a subject little understood, but we Christians understand that death is simply a gateway to greater things, and so usually a air of jubilance surrounds these occasions.
Reply By Hamish on April 26, 2013 04:13
I think that the act of cremation after a death is a beautiful process. It really allows the elements of the body to be returned back to the elements of the earth. It is a releasing and letting go process that opens up space for new life. I personally disagree with burials in coffins. It traps the body in a hard, enclosed space. It takes much longer for the body to actually be recycled back into the earth. And now there are mass amounts of land reserved for cemeteries that hold a very sad energy and resonance. This land could be used for nurturing and loving rebirth, such as a garden or park. I, personally, will want to be cremated after I leave my body behind.
Reply By Emily on October 10, 2011 05:55
It is so comforting when the priest speaks. Makes it seem really final, like it's actually over.
Reply By Sally on January 24, 2011 02:56
89 years is a good long life. Can't imagine all the things he'd seen.
Reply By Hilary on January 24, 2011 02:55
"with the mind you can find 100 reasons why it was good for him to leave now, but the feelings will always say: we miss him" This really says it all, doesn't it?
Reply By Tony on October 20, 2010 05:25
Today was the last day of the school year 11/12. The children got their report cards, the olde...
Read All News
You cannot tell someone to love but you can be proud of your own love. Love your feelings, love and celebrate your love. You have to love yourself and be proud of the love that you can give to others. Never stop loving yourself in this frustration. At the right time you will meet the right person, there is nothing wrong with you and you don’t need to try stopping your love. Don’t create any guilt. Your love is great.
SourceDoes a mother need a rosary to remember her child? Does a wife need to sit in a certain pose or condition to think of her husband? If love is there, you don’t need to do any effort for meditation, it takes place itself. You won’t find God, who is love, with rituals, ceremonies and donations but with love.
SourceLove is the soul of our soul. Without it, you can be alive, but your soul is dead. We need love, it is the essence of our essence.
SourceI will be happy to feel myself always as being a good student. But I see here many times that this desire of being a master comes. People want to be in charge. They want to be a master and it actually is their unfulfilled wish that shows in this way.
SourceLove your body also in the process of getting older. Just as a child has its beauty, age also has its own beauty!
SourceReligious scriptures are only pieces of literature that have been noted down by people in the past and should not have any relevance or importance today. Read them word by word and you will get to know their crazy and cruel content.
SourceMany people of older generations go to church not because of their belief. They go because if they don’t, the neighbours will talk bad or the priest will think they are not religious.
SourceSuperstitious people lose a big part of their freedom! They cannot take any decision on their own but have kept their minds a prison of their superstition! They have sold their intelligence to this nonsense! They could be so much happier in their lives without superstition!
SourceIf nobody can know anyway what will happen on the next day, why should we worry about it? There will never be an answer! We will see what will happen and we will deal with whatever comes. The past is past and tomorrow will come. Live in the presence, today, now!
SourceYour decision of not feeling guilty also shows your forgiveness. When you are feeling guilty it means you cannot forgive yourself. Accept your mistake, say sorry and leave the guilt.
SourceIf you see a friend being pulled into a sect or a group that has bad practices, tell him what you think about it but in the end you have to let him believe what he wants to believe.
SourceLet your ego dissolve in love. Do not show with ego how much you did for the other person not while doing and not after having done.
SourceMeditation has become a sign of being spiritual or religious. Don't do it regularly however simply because your religion tells you to. Such a ritual often becomes a habit and loses its benefit.
SourceIn India people believe chicken pox is the anger of a goddess and you cannot do anything against it with medicine – you can only pray and do rituals to appease the goddess.
SourceYou can communicate in silence, looking into each other’s eyes and just feeling the energy. This also works as healing, it is silence therapy. Silence can cure, just try it.
SourceYou belong to god, you belong to love. You don’t need to belong to anyone or anything which manipulates your mind and where you lose your freedom of being yourself.
SourceIt is impossible to be ‘religious but not superstitious’ because religious scriptures are full of superstition. You cannot separate superstition from religion, its origin. It as a positive sign though, if you think this much - you have taken the first step!
SourceSomeone tried justifying all gender differences by saying ‘god made women different’, not realizing that it could mean that men are the ones who are different as well.
SourceYou are not done once you have felt you found yourself. This is you today but who will you be tomorrow?
SourceAll Gurus like to say ‘Money is bad and you should not keep it. Give it to me.’ That is how they are rich. Is that their wisdom?
Source
Have something to say? Post your comment
Comments are moderated and will be allowed if they are about the topic and not abusive.