The Funeral (or, Plans Interrupted, part II)

Okay, part II. We left Tainan and got back to Taibei around 630 or so, then went to visit with the rest of the family and pay our respects. There were already a lot of the family there, sitting around talking, eating, drinking tea, and folding paper money to burn. I have to say, it was (obviously) very different from funerals I'd attended in the US. It did feel as if there was a greater deal of fear of death involved in the process. Dad gave YT and I a leaf to hold that was supposed to help ward off, well, anything 'otherworldly' that might affect us negatively. We were supposed to wash our face from a bucket with some herbs in it before we went home for the evening, again, to ward off potentially bad things that might linger around us otherwise.

As I'm a Christian and most of YT's family follow Buddhist traditions, I also couldn't help but reflect on the differences in cultural practices. The preparations being made were to help YT's grandfather's soul make it safely into the afterworld, and to have a prosperous eternity after that. There were also a lot of prayers to beseech him to bless the rest of the family while he's there. Fundamentally, that seems to be (and as YT has said) a lot of what it's about. With these emphases, I feel I haven't had a chance to learn about YT's grandfather's life and who he was while he was here. I haven't seen much to recall the past, relive memories, and honor and cherish a father, grandfather, or friend, or to glorify the legacy of one who has been in this world for 98 years. I miss that aspect of funerals in my own tradition, and I know that YT does as well.

This is not to say that the family is not doing something special to commemorate YT's gradfather and his long life. Since he lived to the age of 98, the family wanted to hold a very traditional service, which is not as commonly performed as before. I can't quite figure out what is or is not often done now, but in this case, the period of mourning will last for about 1-2 months for a traditional funeral. The funeral will be conducted in cycles, the beginning of which I had the opportunity to observe. I was even invited (ok, ok, given advanced permission) to take pictures, some of which are posted here. The first of the cycles will take place this Saturday (the 22nd).

The point of the service was essentially to help YT's grandfather cross into the afterworld safely and not feel a desire to come back. The services have been held in the family's garage, since (as mentioned) he passed away at home (actually, the eldest son's home where he'd been in hospice care). There was the general chanting of scriptures and bowing, along with the banging of cymbals and drums and playing of reed instruments you'd associate with Chinese opera. In one part, one of the service-leaders hired for the occasion went person-to-person with a string tied loosely around his finger. Each person was to tug on the string to untie it, which symbolized a final release of unfulfilled desires. At another point, the monks ran around and around the altar in the middle of the room, with one of them carrying a scripture, one a paper horse, and one a paper figure. This was to represent a horse riding ahead to inform the necessary 'authorities' in the afterworld that YT's grandfather was coming. It did really look the the guys were having fun : )

One other aspect involved one of the monks taking a basic roll call, reading the names of the family, each of whom would say 'here' (if someone wasn't there, someone else would attest their presence on their behalf). There was also a ritual involving the family walking around the altar in a large circle. A basin of water had been placed underneath it, and the family stepped one-by-one onto a small platform nearby that represented a bridge. This was, of course, to help YT's grandfather make the trip successfully. The evening ended with the whole family sitting outside with two metal basins piled high with paper money, which was burnt to ensure that YT's grandfather would not want of anything.

I am glad to learn more about YT's culture and background, and to be part of the family in this fashion. I have really appreciated the way the family gets together to help each other out at this time. However, I couldn't help but think that, well, I'm glad to have a belief where my eternal rest does not depend on what my family does on my behalf after I'm gone. I appreciate the thought that some representation of Jesus (or Peter) will be there to help and comfort me. In a more cynical sense, I'd also prefer to keep representations of money and riches out of my conceptions of what comes next. Sometimes people here are known to burn effigies of BMWs or large houses in hopes that their loved-ones will have a better after-life. I'd rather think that heaven is devoid of brand-consciousness and affluence, and that there are no streets paved with gold. If Heaven means coming more fully into the presence of God, well, what could possibly compare with that?

A lot more could be said about comparative practices of faith systems in Taiwan and the US, and of YT and myself, but I think I will just leave it at that. It's probably long enough already, and well, I'm no expert. I will say, though, that I highly appreciate the view of God and heaven that C.S. Lewis implies in Till We Have Faces. It is part of why I am a deeply committed Christian but more agnostic toward other faiths. I can't know the answer, and in some ways, it's not really the right question to be asking. He writes, “I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice? Only words, words; to be led out to battle against other words.”

Peacefully, and respectfully, yours in Christ, BB

Plans Interrupted (part I)

Well, as I'd mentioned, last weekend was rather interesting. YT and I left last Friday for Tainan in the south to visit some friends and look aroud. We took the train, and it took us about four hours to get there. Our friend picked us up, then we went to the 17th century Confucian Temple, then another friend (and one of her friends) came to meet us for dinner. Tainan is famous for it's xiao chi [小吃] which is in essence similar (in size/function but not in taste) to Spanish tapas, and that's pretty much what we had to eat. Then we went to a night market to walk around (though it was packed), then drove out to the seashore to sit for a while. The next day we saw a lot of other things, including what had been Fort Zeelandia and Fort Provincia when Taiwan was a Dutch colony in the early and mid-17th century, and ate more xiao chi. This pic was taken at a place that makes tea out of dong gua [冬瓜], or winter melon. Not sure about the details : ) There are more pictures on my smugmug site here.

We had also received a phone call from Mom Friday evening that YT's mother's (biological) father was in deteriorating condition and was being taken to the hospital. He was 98, and had been ill for a very long time and was on a feeding tube, so this did not come as a great shock. Saturday morning we got another call that he was coming home from the hospital. This was actually foreboding news, because people here prefer their loved ones to pass away at home with family when possible. He did, in fact, pass away later that morning.

Although we had planned to go back to Taibei on Sunday, we decided to head back Saturday afternoon instead. We took the new high-speed railway back, which, as the name suggests, is pretty fast. It's elevated, based on a Japanese design, and was built to compete with cross-island air travel. It took us 1 1/2 hours to get back.

Well, there is more to say, obviously, which I believe I will leave to a future post for sake of thematics and length of posts. Till soon, BB

School called on a count of rain...

...and heavy winds. That's right, no classes tomorrow due to a typhoon about to grace the northern part of the island with it's torrential winds and rain. Yay for me, I guess, since I have a lot of things to do, one of which, incidentally, involves staying warm and dry. I already got soaked walking home from the bus stop this evening (despite my umbrella).

I also want to blog about this past weekend, which you might find of interest. So, keep your browsers tuned to this spot. Till then, hope your days are sunnier and warmer than my next one is likely to be. Cheers! : )

BB

You can also get good information on this weather pattern at the link below, if you are so inclined. http://www.tealit.com/article_categories.php?section=weather&article=typhoon

If you are one of the (apparently) many who aren't sure about the difference between a typhoon, a hurricane, and a monsoon, click, uh, on one of those links.

Addendum: The nephews and neices came over for the day and helped to bake cookies. Though it did rain pretty much all day, the storm didn't really hit that hard here. The news does indicate that it's going to hit China much harder, as this indicates. Just thought you might like to know.