today is All Souls’ Day, a day in which all those who have past are remembered.
strictly speaking it is a day of remembrance within the Catholic and some other Christian traditions for the faithful who have departed.
however, the spirit of this day and the benefit of honoring those who have past, who have transitioned, who are beyond this particular time and place, is one that can be practiced by any of us and can help us to still feel connected to our ancestors and loved ones.
in that spirit, i thought i’d share this quote from the BARDO THODOL: Liberation Through Hearing During the Intermediate State by Padmasambhāva, also commonly known as the Tibetan Book of The Dead. i recently came upon this quote from the text and found it really beautiful. so much so, i’ve begun to regularly incorporate it into my practice for those i remember and who have past. the words are a reminder for those who have past to remember and also for those who remain to share in thought and prayer for those who have past. in both cases, the practice is done to help guide oneself or another person who has past through their transition beyond.
of course, Christian and Buddhist traditions are quite distinct and have their own cosmology, etc. but nearly all my teen through adult life, i’ve seen undercurrents, streams of thought, belief, and reflection that provide some common threads in various spiritual traditions. i think these commonalities speak to our shared humanity, our shared story and also speak to a greater truth that no one tradition holds on its own. as is often said in the Zen tradition, they are all fingers pointing to the moon, not the moon itself. so we point, all of us in our various ways, reflecting the light of the moon, the light within our own hearts, where that primordial and absolute love resides.
may all be well, may all be free and at ease.
~j
The Metta Garden 