RIP Uncle Crazy

I feel very saddened to hear about the death of our fellow villager- the hermit most of us knew as our ‘crazy uncle’. Many years ago, I did know this man. He was one of the most fascinating people I have ever known. He taught so much without ever being my formal teacher. It was as though his presence and being radiated enlightenment. As a fellow studier under the Buddhist Tantric tradition, we crossed paths many times earlier in my day. He has inspired me in more ways than I think I even realize. At this time I do not feel saddened by his actual passing but that we have lost such an influential Buddhist figure within our community.

I think this may be a great opportunity for our community to now only grow closer during this time of tradition and grieving but to further understand the depths of life and Buddhist theories surrounding reincarnation. I do believe that this man has passed and that the highest level of his consciousness- his storehouse consciousness- will pass on, be reborn into our world and flourish again in a new life. The seeds he planted in this life will carry on into his next. His actions and deeds performed in the past are still awaiting fruition in future experiences.

I do not have many concerns regarding what our village decides to do with the body. Within the Buddhist tradition one may be both an organ donor and be cremated. Their bodies after death should not be deseed up but rather dressed in ordinary clothes. I believe much of this has to do with the Buddhist tradition of aestheticism. There is no need within the tradition and abiding by beliefs to formally drone the body with jewels, etc. All of this is only an illusion- possibility a distraction from the true lesson to be contemplated upon and understood: death and reincarnation. I make mention that I do not have desires regarding what is done with the body because I am trying to hold strong to my Buddhist beliefs and theories of emptiness and non-attachment. One may view that body to be the sacred physical remnants of a holy man- worthy of admiration and restoration. On the other hand, through a Buddhist perspective one may view this body to be nothing apart from oneself- or anything else. Barriers separating what is ‘the body’ and what is ‘my self’ is all an illusion. I would never wish upon our community for us to mis-perform the ritual in anyway to cause us further dismay but I think we do have to keep our Buddhist ideals in mind.

I believe there are many things we can do to honour this special life. I have considered the construction of a shrine in his honour that we will chant before at the anniversary of his passing and other commemorative moments. We may decide to decorate the shine with flowers, stones, and other ordinates of natures gift. I think it would be a really interesting idea to place a relic inside the shine as a symbol of his life and a way to honour his spirit- keeping in mind what we may learn through this process of understanding death and reincarnation.

We may also take this passing of our friend as a remembrance and realization of Samsara. We are trapped in this cycle of birth and death until we are able to liberate ourselves and attain Nirvana. What I think we must recognize here is the spiritual intelligence reached by this man and his perpetual existence within our world- seemingly Samsara. Being as that Nirvana and Samsara exist within one realm- we must recognize that we must not assume we can recognize the level of spiritual attainment achieved by this man. We must recognize that if he had attained enlightenment and reached Nirvana he would not disappear from our realm. Nirvana and Samsara exist within one realm and it is dependent upon our perception whether we experience one or the other. This may be an opportunity to heighten our awareness to help us reach this enlightenment.

I also plan to take this time as an opportunity to reevaluate my knowledge and all that I have learned under the Buddhist tantric tradition. It has been a while since I have revisit my notes and teachings. I find myself scattered, studying under many different schools of Buddhism- only trying to understand the true meaning of what the Buddha taught and what may be the most authentic. So far I truly resonate with the tradition of the Mahayana and Zen traditions. I am fascinated by theories of emptiness, no-self, impermanence, and karma. Theories of no-self and impermanence come to mind here with the situation before us. In this life, the passing of our ‘selves’- what we believe to be our selves may be viewed as the ultimate moment- the moment we prepare for our entire lives. Within the Buddhist tradition, we prepare by remembering and contemplating the impermanence of not only our selves but of all things we perceive. I plan to use this thinking to also further prepare my ‘self’ for passing.

The passing of my friend has hit me especially hard because of the similarity in our age and life-experience. As the days go on I am struck by my own mortality. But at the same time I also use this for motivation in my studies within the Buddhist tradition. Each time someone I know passes I feel like I am hit with the same harsh realization. This realization is one that I believe brings us all closer to Enlightenment- the focus on our own mortality and the realization of all things being impermanent. Sometimes it is hard to imagine all that is around us to be only an illusion. To have it all made up of the same ‘suchness’ and have it be our own deluded perception that distorts how we perceive this information of reality. I think that when our attention is focused on these Buddhist principles we see/perceive our reality that much clearer. I think that this is a glimpse into what one may experience when they attain Nirvana.

The passing of my friend has also lead me to reinterpret what it means to attain this final state of liberation. This unfortunate situation has brought me to believe in another side of Nirvana- a Nirvana in which we are at perfect peace when we die. I wonder if this is what frees us from Samsara and the perpetual cycle of birth and death. If our state of mind at our time of death- our ability to be completely comfortable leaving everything behind- frees our soul from our next reincarnation because it is not what we desire. When individuals leave this world full of regret, desire and attachment- all perpetuating an unstable grasp on reality- they are brought back in order to seed and bring to fruition their own karma that they have gathered from life to life. When our mind is free from all thought and we truly perceive our selves to be completely holistic with all that exists- where is there for our ‘self’ to go? Where is there for our karmic seeds to be brought to fruition? According to the school of Yogacara under the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, one who has attained enlightenment does not gather karmic seeds therefore there is no need for further lives for these seeds to be reborn.

I hope this to be the case of my dear friend and I hope to reach this attainment by the time of my own passing. I believe that everything happens for a reason and having this man be my teacher during the time of his life, I am choosing to approach this situation with an open heart and an open mind. Hoping that the situation of his death will be that which leads me to a point where I am comfortable leaving this world and all I believe myself to be, own, desire and love, behind.