Visiting Nirvana

My wife and 14 month old son went to Malaysia on Saturday morning and left both my daughter and me at home last weekend. There were several places I thought of bringing her- Buddhist temples, my office playground, shopping mall, my friend's home to play X-Box Kinetic and another friend of mine's workplace in a Buddhist columbarium.

After fetching her from her abacus class, we had a quick lunch- packet of chicken rice which mummy bought, in nearby void deck as she told me that she was hungry. After lunch, we headed to Nirvana Memorial Garden to meet a secondary school friend who I had not met for many years. He showed me around together with my daughter. Although it is a columbarium, Nirvana Memorial Garden does not instill the feeling of departure of love ones with many statues, paintings and picture of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. My daughter actually told me that she like the environment there, which dispel my initial fear of bringing her to a columbarium. After my meeting with my long lost friend, I decided to join him in giving those people I will be reaching out to with a peace of mind when the departure of love on comes.

Death is a topic that many of us do not plan for nor even discuss about. Few of us conduct pre-planning about our death and matters like where and how our ashes are to be handled and stored.

I have heard of stories about siblings wanting their deceased parent to have funeral and choice of columbarium based on their own personal preference, instead of the deceased. In most cases, this occurs because the lack of pre-planning of the deceased when they were still around.

In Buddhist practices, I think of my death as a matter of "checking out" of my physical body which is full of filth and depending on my own personal karmic actions and practices, rebirth will occur. It is my vow and desire to be reborn in Western Paradise where Amitabha is teaching Dharma upon my departure from this samsara.

Namo Amitabha!