Friday, April 11, 2014

2014.4.11

It was fine but cool in the evening.

There was a wake of the neighborhood in the evening.  The sutra sounded familiar to me, and when I got home I knew they also belong to the same sect, Jodo shinshu (浄土真宗).  However there was something new to me.  When we go to wake or funeral and come back home, we purify ourselves by salt.  Usually as a thanks gift for attending the ceremony, they give something to the visitors such as handkerchief or sugar with a card of gratitude and the small package of salt.  However today salt was not included.
Instead there was a memo saying "We do not use kiyomejio (清め塩), purifying salt.  In Jodo shinshu sect we do not scatter salt to purify foulness.  In Buddhism death is never accepted as foulness.  We accept as "death is also ourselves" and to live our best is the way of living as a human being. "  For me using purifying by salt before entering house is a custom.  So I did it with regular house salt. 
Are there any rituals in your culture at the wake or funeral?

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