Death and life

There are many reminders of death in the area where we live. The large graveyard is right opposite our house. There are several buildings used for funerals. The crematorium was once here (it's now a swimming pool!) And there are Buddhist temples. Death in Japan and the various rites and ceremonies associated with dying and the afterlife are invariably Buddhist. Most funerals are conducted according to Buddhist rites with the Buddhist priest chanting the sutras and incense being passed round during the funeral ceremony. The same priest would visit the home of the deceased regularly afterwards to carry out certain rites which are prescribed for the dead spirits. And they charge high fees into the bargain. The temples nearby us are Buddhist. One smaller one belongs to a sect of Zen Buddhism. Another much larger one belongs to a different sect. The priests who work from these temples are generally involved in conducting funerals, rites in connection with the deceased spirits, and ceremonies which take place at different times in front of the family grave. Where we live we often see signs pointing to the place where Buddhist funerals are taking place. And in the summer especially we see and smell (incense!) all the activity in the graveyard as people travel from great distances to the family grave to join with the spirits of the deceased which are said to return at that time. We have been to Buddhist funerals and so often they appear to be all ceremony and ritual with none of the hope which can be found in a Christian funeral. The signs of death are all around us here. All the more reason for there being a church which offers not just empty ceremony, but life and indeed hope beyond the grave.