fromThe Roman Missal:The Order of Mass, Holy SaturdayInternational Commission on English in the Liturgy The Easter candle is set up on its stand. All take their places and remain standing with lighted candles during the solemn Easter Proclamation which is sung by the deacon, or, if there is no deacon by a cantor, or even by the priest. Rejoice heavenly powers! Sing, choir of angels! Exult all creation around God,s throne! Jesus Christ, our King is risen! Sound the trumpet of salvation! Rejoice, O earth in shining splendor, radiant in the brightness of your King! Christ has conquered! Glory fills you! Darkness vanishes for ever! Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory! The risen Savior shines upon you! Let this place resound with joy echoing the mighty song of all God,s people!My dearest friends, standing with me in this holy light, join me in asking God for mercy, that he may give his unworthy minister grace to sing his Easter praises.V The Lord be with you. R And also with you. V Lift up your hearts. R We lift them up to the Lord V Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. R It is right to give him thanks and praise. It is truly right that with full hearts and minds and voices we should praise the unseen God, the all-powerful Father, and his only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. For Christ has ransomed us with his blood and paid the price of Adam,s sin to our eternal Father!This is our passover feast, when Christ the true Lamb, is slain, whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers. This is the night when first you saved our fathers: you freed the people of Israel from their slavery and led them dry-shod through the sea. This is the night when the pillar of fire destroyed the darkness of sin! This is the night when Christians everywhere, washed clean of sin and freed from all defilement, are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.This is the night when Jesus Christ broke the chains of death and rose triumphant from the grave. What good would life have been for us, had Christ not come as our Redeemer? Father, how wonderful your care for us! How boundless your merciful love! To ransom a slave you gave away your Son.O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a Redeemer!Most blessed of all nights chosen by God to see Christ rising from the dead! Of this night scripture says: "The night will be as clear as day: it will become my light, my joy. The power of this holy night dispels all evil, washes guilt away, restores lost innocence, brings mourners joy; it casts out hatred, brings us peace, and humbles earthly pride. Night truly blessed when heaven is wedded to earth and man is reconciled with God!Therefore, heavenly Father, in the joy of this night, receive our evening sacrifice of praise, your Church,s solemn offering.Accept this Easter candle, a flame divided but undimmed, a pillar of fire that glows to the honor of God! Let it mingle with the lights of heaven and continue bravely burning to dispel the darkness of this night! May the Morning Star which never sets find this flame still burning: Christ, that Morning Star, who came back from the dead, and shed his peaceful light on all mankind, your Son who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.On Joy and Sorrow fromThe Prophetby Khalil GibranKnopfThen a woman said, Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.And he answered:Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.And how else can it be?The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potters oven?And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.Some of you say, Joy is greater than sorrow, and others say, Nay, sorrow is the greater.But I say unto you, they are inseparable.Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy. Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced. When the reassure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall.

fromRites of MourninginEntering Jewish Prayer: A Guide to Personal Devotion and the Worship Serviceby Reuven HammerSchocken Books Milton Steinberg, a brilliant rabbi who died at the age of forty-six, wrote of the way in which belief in the existence of God can enable one who is to die to take comfort:Given God, everything becomes more precious, more to be loved and clung to, more embraceable; and yet at the same time easier to give up. For these belong to the universe and the God who stands behind it, I let go of them the more easily because I know that as parts of the divine economy they will not be lost. When they slip from my hands they will pass to hands better, stronger, and wiser than mine. For only when He is given, can we hold life at once infinitely precious and yet as a thing lightly to be surrendered.This same belief can invest the recitation of the mourning blessing with the power to help us bear our grief.The words recited at the burial are an elaboration on the same theme. Known as tziduk ha-din (the Justification of Judgment), they represent the willingness of the mourner to accept what has happened and not to challenge God,s justice. The roots of this ceremony are to be found in the stories of Jewish martyrs who, at the hour of death, would recite verses indicating their belief in God despite what was happening to them.The Rock!"His deeds are perfect, yea, all His ways are just (Deut. 32:4). When they apprehended Rabbi Hanina ben Teradion, he was condemned to be burned, together with his Torah scroll. When he was old of this, he recited this verse: The Rock!"His deeds are perfect.This same verse is also interpreted to mean that Moses told Israel, "I do not tell you merely that He does not justify the guilty or punish the innocent, but that He does not even exchange one for the other. i.e., merit and guilt are not exchanged, but each deed is rewarded or punished appropriately. God,s judgments are perfect. In view of these interpretations, it is no wonder that this same verse is the first to be recited in the burial service, which consists entirely of similar verses and verse fragments, together with explanations and poetic expansions, written in rhyming stanzas.The Rock!"His deeds are perfect,Yeah, all His ways are just;A faithful God, never false,True and upright is He (Deut. 32:4).The Rock!" Perfect in all His deeds.Who can say to Him, "What are You doing?He rules what is below and what is above.The Lord deals death and gives life,Casts down into Sheol and raises up (1 Sam. 2:6).The Rock! Perfect in all actions,Who can say to Him, "What are You doing? (Eccles. 8:4).He decrees and acts, freely acting faithfully toward us.Because of the merit of him who was bound as a lamb, listen and act! (Dan. 9:19).Righteous in all His ways (Ps. 145:17).The Rock! Perfect, long suffering, filled with mercy.Have pity and mercy upon fathers and sons,For forgiveness and mercy belong to You, O Master.The piyyut continues in this vein, repeating the key words "righteous, "judge, and "true, and then concludes with two well-known verses.The Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away;Blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21)But He, being merciful, forgave iniquityand would not destroy;He restrained His wrath time and againand did not give full vent to His fury (Ps. 78:38)The sum total of this burial prayer is an affirmation of God,s quality of mercy. Even though we have experienced His quality of justice, or harshness, we accept this and reaffirm our belief in His essential love. The reality of death is not to be allowed to annul our ability to believe in goodness as a divine quality.The piyyut is not couched in the form of a blessing. It never uses the terminology "Blessed are You, O Lord. It was composed at a time when the basic blessing had already come into being and nothing of that sort was being added to the liturgy. Strangely enough, there is such a thing as a "Blessing of the Mourners, which is mentioned often in the Mishna and the Talmud but which eventually ceased to be used. This was a series of blessings that was recited first in the synagogue or in the town square and then in the house of the mourners. It was recited not by the mourners themselves but by others in the mourners, presence. Its main purpose was to strengthen and comfort the mourners. This was not done prior to the burial, when it was considered improper to try to comfort a person, the grief being still too intense. Rather, it was recited after the burial had taken place. These blessings are unusual in that they do not address God but speak directly to the mourners and then to those who comfort them.Although these blessings are not in current use, it is worth looking at them in order to understand Judaisms approach to mourning. The first blessing spoke of the greatness of God and concluded with Blessed are You, O Lord, who revives the dead, the same blessing that appears in the gevorot, the blessing in the Amida that stresses Gods might and wonders. Thus the process of healing begins by reaffirming the belief that in some way human existence continues after death. Our brothers who are worn out and crushed by this mourning, let you hearts consider this: this is the path that has existed from the time of creation and will exist forever. Many have drunk from it and many will yet drink. As was the first meal, so shall be the last. Our brothersmay the master of comfort comfort you. Blessed is He who comforts the mourners. The act of comforting is performed through helping the mourners realize that what they are undergoing, terrible and personal as it is, is part of a universal process. To know and experience sorrow and loss is part of the human condition. Death has been part of life since the beginning and will continue to be part of life until the end of the world as we know it. To quote Shakespeare: Thou knowst tis common; all that lives must die,Passing through nature to eternity.But you must know, your father lost a father;That father lost, lost his.From the first corse till he that dies today,This must me so.This same sentiment is voiced today when the mourners follow the practice of walking between two rows of friends upon leaving the grave and again when they enter the synagogue for the first time. We say to them, May God comfort you among the mourners for Zion and Jerusalem. This is also said whenever one departs from a mourner during the week of mourning. On the one hand, there is an inclination to say, What does it matter who else has suffered a loss? Mine is unique to me. On the other hand, it may help to place ones sorrow into proper perspective. Certainly the very fact that others come to offer words of comfort is helpful. The very stylized words have a value in placing what is happening into a ritual framework that elevates it from the everyday. Yes, it happens to everyone, but that does not mean that it is to be passed over and has no significance. The third of the ancient blessings addresses itself to those who have come to comfort: Our brothers who perform act of loving-kindness, children of those who perform acts of loving-kindness who follow the way of our father Abraham. Our brothersmay He who reward goodness reward you. Blessed are You who rewards deeds of goodness. One of the basic concepts of rabbinic Judaism is gemilut hasadim, the performance of acts of loving-kindness. That which characterizes the Jew is an attitude of active mercy, of care for other human beings. Loving-kindness, the willingness to help others not only through charity but through personal concern, is the mark of a descendant of Abraham. Such acts as visiting the sick, burying the dead, and comforting the mourner are classified as gemilut hasadim. This blessing stresses that value concept and takes the opportunity to emphasize the importance of the help that the community is offering to the mourner. Thus people are encouraged to go and comfort the mourner so that this important practice will not be abandoned. Judaism is not a solitary religion. It places the experiences of life within a context of living in a community. These blessings are evidence of that. The community comes together at this time of personal loss in order to affirm its belief, and to speak words of consolation to the bereaved, putting the sorrow into a universal context, demonstrating the concern of all for the suffering of each one, and praising those who fulfill this act of kindness. from The True SoulinThe Jvaro: People of the Sacred Waterfallsby Michael J. HarnerUniversity of California PressThe "true or "ordinary soul, the neks wakan, is born at the same moment as the person and is possessed by every living Jvaro, male or female. The true soul is present in the living individual primarily in the form of one,s blood. Bleeding is therefore viewed as a process of soul-loss. This soul is passive during a person,s real life and apparently is of relatively little interest to the Jvaro in terms of their total native belief systems.When a person dies, this true soul leaves his body and, in invisible form, eventually returns to the site of the house where the deceased individual was born. There the soul lives in a spirit house identical to the one in which the deceased was born, except for the fact that the spirit house is invisible to the living. The true souls of other deceased members of the family are likewise dwelling in this house. Similarly, the true souls of former neighbors return to their original house sites as well. It is believed that the true souls conduct their household activities and visit each other just as they did when their possessors were alive. As the years pass, these souls move from house site to house site in the same order, and over the same span of time as they did when incorporated in living individuals.One significant difference should be noted between this hereafter of the true soul and the real life of its former possessor: these souls are always hungry. Although they engage in subsistence activities and eat what appears to be food to them, it never satisfies them, because it is really just air. The "animals which these souls hunt in the forest are only the souls of the birds, fish, and mammals which they killed in their former lives. Such an existence of perpetual hunger is the fate of the true souls of all persons without regard to the kind of life they led while in living individuals. Needless to say, the true soul,s fate of persistent starvation is dreaded by the Jvaro.One can often see deer and owls lingering in the vicinity of abandoned garden and house sites. The Jvaro interpret the presence of such creatures at these old living places as evidence that the animals are temporarily visible embodiments of true souls. The true souls, when they are in these visible forms, are referred to as "human demons (uar iwanC). There is a moderate fear of them, particularly by woman, and the Jvaro taboo on the eating of deer meat is based on the fear that eating such an animal might result in a deceased person,s soul entering the body of the living person, with the result that he may subsequently die. These "human demon animals are often seen in pairs, a fact the Jvaro interpret as indicating that the two creatures are temporarily visible forms of the souls of a man and his wife.When a true soul has thus repeated the entire life history of its deceased owner, it ceases its existence as a "human demon and changes into a "true demon. As a true demon its form is permanently visible and more or less human, although a good deal uglier. The true demon roams the forest hungry, solitary, and lonely, feeling greatly the loss of the company of its former family. When a Jvaro child wanders into the forest and is not found immediately, it is said that a true demon carried off the child because it was so lonely for human companionship. Although it may take the Jvaro two of three days to find the lost child, they almost always succeed, and therefore say that the true demon never harms children, but only wants to play with them.Then the true demon, after existing for a span of years equivalent to a human lifetime, dies and changes into a certain species of giant butterfly or moth called wampan. This creature has markings on its wings which lend it the appearance of an owl,s face. All the wampan are believed to be souls and are said to be always hungry, as is the case with any of the forms that the true soul takes. When a wampan flies inside a house, one of the persons there tosses a small piece of manioc or a few drops of manioc beer in its direction. The Jvaro believe that since the wampan might be the soul of a dead relative or friend it would be wrong to neglect its hunger. They do not fear the creature, however.After a length of time about which the Jvaro are uncertain, the wampan finally has its wings damaged by raindrops as it flutters through a rainstorm, and falls to die on the ground. The true soul then changes into water vapor amidst the falling rain. All fog and clouds are believed to be the last form taken by true souls. The true soul undergoes no more transformations and persists eternally in the form of mist.Prayerattributed to Bede JarrettWe seem to give them back to thee, O God, who gavest them first to us. Yet a thou didst not lose them in giving, so do we not lose them by their return. Not as the world giveth, givest thou, O Lover of souls. What thou givest, thou takest not away, for what is thine is ours also if we are thine. And life is eternal and love is immortal, and death is only a horizon, and a horizon is nothing, save the limit of our sight. Lift us up, strong Son of God, that we may see further; cleanse our eyes that we may see more clearly; draw us closer to thyself that we may know ourselves to be nearer to our loved ones who are with thee. And while thou dost prepare a place for us, prepare us also for that happy place, that where thou are we may be also for evermore.Mourners Kaddish traditional Jewish prayer Magnified and sanctified be Your name, O God, throughout the world, which You have created according to Your will. May Your sovereignty be accepted in our own days, in our lives, and in the life of all the House of Israel, speedily and soon, and let us say, Amen. May Your great name be blessed for ever and ever. Exalted and honored, adored and acclaimed be Your name, O Holy One, blessed are You, whose glory transcends all praises, songs, and blessings voiced in the world, and let us say, Amen. Grant abundant peace and life to us and to all Israel, and let us say, Amen. May You who establish peace in the heavens, grant peace to us, to Israel, and to all the earth, and let us say, Amen. May God comfort you among the other mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

from Ministration at the Time of DeathinThe Book of Common PrayerAccording to the use of The Episcopal ChurchWhen a person is near death, the Minister of the Congregation should be notified, in order that the ministrations of the Church may be provided. A Prayer for a Person near DeathAlmighty God, look on this your servant, lying in great weakness, and comfort him with the promise of life everlasting, given in the resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Litany at the Time of Death When possible, it is desirable that members of the family and friends come together to join in the Litany God the Father,Have mercy on your servant. God the Son,Have mercy on your servant. God the Holy Spirit,Have mercy on your servant. Holy Trinity, one God,Have mercy on your servant. From all evil, from all sin, from all tribulation, Good Lord, deliver him. By your holy Incarnation, by your Cross and Passion, by your precious Death and Burial, Good Lord, deliver him. By your glorious Resurrection and Ascension, and by the Coming of the Holy Spirit, Good Lord, deliver him. We sinners beseech you to hear us, Lord Christ: That it may please you to deliver the soul of your servant from the power of evil, and from eternal death, We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. That it may please you mercifully to pardon all his sins. We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. That it may please you to grant him a place of refreshment and everlasting blessedness, We beseech you to hear us, good Lord. Jesus, Lamb of God: Have mercy on him. Jesus, bearer of our sins: Have mercy on him. Jesus, redeemer of the world: Give him your peace. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.Officiant and People Our Father, who art in heaven,hallowed be thy Name,thy kingdom come,thy will be done,on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread.And forgive us our trespasses,as we forgive thosewho trespass against us.And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil.The Officiant says this Collect Let us pray. Deliver your servant, N., O Sovereign Lord Christ, from all evil, and set him free from every bond; that he may rest with all your saints in the eternal habitations; where with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, or ever and ever. Amen. A Commendation at the Time of Death Depart, O Christian soul, out of this world;In the name of God the Father Almighty who created you;In the name of Jesus Christ who redeemed you;In the name of the Holy Spirit who sanctifies you.May your rest be this day in peace,and your dwelling place in the Paradise of God.A Commendatory Prayer Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant N. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen. May his soul and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.from Death and Burial of a MusliminTaleemulhaq(The Teaching of the Truth)A person on whom the signs of death are clearly seen is called a Muhtadhar. THE TALQEEN Talqeen is to remind the dying person of the two Shahadats. (i.e., Ashhadu Alls ilaha illal-lahu wa ashhadu anna Muhammaden abduhu wa rasuluh.) When the end nears the dying persons breath quickens, the knees become so weak that they cannot move, the nose becomes bent and temples subside. By these signs understand that the person is nearing the end. The Talqeen must be read before the dying person takes his last breaths. The Muhtadhar must not be asked or ordered to read the Kalimah, but must be helped to recall it. This can easily be done by reciting the Kalimah aloud while being present in the room. Once the departing person utters the Kalimah all who are present must remain silent. The dying person must not be drawn into any worldly discussions, but if he discusses any worldly affairs then the Talqeen should be repeated. After the Muhtadhar passes away, his mouth should be kept closed by fastening a piece of Paak material around his chin and over his head, his eyes must be closed. Both feet should be tied together with a similar piece of cloth, and the body covered with a Paak sheet. The one who does this should read:

Translation: In the name of Allah and on the creed, religion and faith of Rasulullah He may further read:

Translation: O! Allah, ease upon him his matters, and make light for him whatever comes hereafter, and honor him with Your meeting and make that which he has gone to better than that which he came out from. All the individuals of the deceaseds family may read:

Translation: O! Allah, forgive me and him and grant me a good reward after him. And those who are grieved by this demise may read:

Translation: To Allah do we belong, and to him shall we return.

Translation: O! Allah, reward me in my affliction, and requite me with (something) better than this. GHUSL REQUIREMENTS: 1. Clean lukewarm water.2. A broad bench, stand or platform.3. Two large buckets for warm water, one small bucket or utensils, this is for the water to be mixed with a little camphor for use at the end of the Guhsl.4. Two jugs or mugs for pouring water over corpse.5. Leaves of Ber tree (Zizyphus Jujuba) if easily available, to be mixed with the lukewarm warm water, and a cake of soap.6. 250g. cotton wool.7. Two Tehbands and two bag like mittens with strips.8. A scissor for removing the dead persons clothing.9. Lobaan (Frankincense aromatic gum resin obtained from trees) or any other Paak incense for smoking the bench, stand or platform.10. One clean bed sheet for covering the body after Ghusl.11. One clean towel or piece of material for drying corpse.WHO SHOULD PERFORM THE GHUSL The Ghusl is the bath for the body of the dead person. An adult male should be bathed by his father, son or brother. An adult female by her mother, daughter or sister. If none of these persons are present then any near relative could carry out this duty (male for male, and female for female). If any of these are not in a position to perform the Ghusl, the most pious person present should be requested to carry out this rite. The person giving Ghusl should be assisted by others. The person performing the Ghusl must himself or herself be Paak and be in a state of Wudhu. It is Makrooh for a woman who is menstruating or in a state of Nifaas (period after birth of a child) to perform the Ghusl. THE GHUSL 1. A bench, stand or platform on which the Ghusl will be carried out must be washed cleaned and fumigated with Lobaan or any other Paak aromatic, three, five or seven times.2. If possible, it is desirable that the body would be made to face the Qiblah during Ghusl.3. No hair of the Head, beard or any other part of the body must be cut, shaved, trimmed or combed. The nails too should not be cut. Circumcision is also not permissible. All rings, jewelry, wigs, etc. should be removed. Where the false teeth of the dead person can easily be removed, these should preferably be taken out.4. Thereafter the body must be put on the stand, the Sare Awrat covered (for males from the navel to below the knees, and for females from above the breast to the ankles.)5. The stomach must gently be massaged, then both of the Istinja places must be washed with mittens on, without looking at the private parts.6. The nostrils, ears, and mouth should be closed with cotton wool to prevent water entering the body during Ghusl.7. If the deceased has reached the age of puberty, and was one on whom Namaaz was Fardh, he must be given Wudhu. This Wudhu is similar to that of Namaa, with the exception of gargling and putting water into the nostrils. The proper sequence should be to wash: (1) The face (2) arms to the elbows (3) Masah of the head and (4) feet up to the ankles.8. If the dead person is in a state of Janaabat, Haiz, Nifaas where Ghusl is Waajib on him/her the mouth has to be gargled and nostrils wetted. This can be done with a little wet cotton wool with which the mouth and nostrils be wetted and cleaned.9. After the Wudhu the head and beard should first be washed with soap, or any other cleaning agent. If these are not readily available pure clean water will suffice. The temperature of the water must be that which a living person normally uses when bathing.10. Thereafter the body should be tilted onto its left side to allow the right side to be washed first. Warm water must now be poured over the body from head to toes once, and the body must be washed with soap until the water has reached the bottom (left side). The body must now be washed again twice by pouring water from head to toe. Now the body must be turned onto its right side and the left side bathed similarly.11. Thereafter the body must be lifted slightly to a sitting position, and the stomach be gently massaged with a downward stroke. Whatever comes out of the body by this must be washed away. The Wudhu and Ghusl need not be repeated in case any impurity does come out.12. The body must once again be turned onto is left side and camphor water poured over it from head to toe three times.13. Now all the cotton wool should be removed from the mouth, ears and nose.14. With this, the Ghusl is complete and the body could be wiped with a towel or piece of material. The Satre Awart must be kept covered. The first Tehband will be wet due to the Ghusl so it must be changed for a second one. Care should be taken that while doing this the Satre Awart is not exposed.15. The body must then be wrapped in a sheet, and carried carefully onto the Kafn. In Paradisum inThe Gregorian MissalNotated in Gregorian Chantby the Monks of SolesmesAbbaye Saint-Pierre SolesmesMasses for the DeadCHANTS FOR THE LAST FAREWELLAs the body is being carried from the church to the cemetery, and during the burial, the following can be sung:

May the Angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs greet you at your arrival and lead you into the holy city, Jerusalem.

May the choir of Angels greet you and like Lazarus, who once was a poor man, may you have eternal rest.from The Essential Phowa PracticeinThe Tibetan Book of Living and Dyingby Sogyal RinpocheHarperCollins The most valuable and powerful of all practices I have found in caring for the dying, one which I have seen an astonishing number of people take to with enthusiasm, is a practice from the Tibetan tradition called phowa (pronounced po-wa), which means the transference of consciousness. Phowa for dying people has been performed by friends, relatives, or masters, quite simply and naturally, all over the modern worldin Australia, America, and Europe. Thousands of people have been given the chance to die serenely because of its power. It gives me joy to make the heart of the phowa practice now available to anyone who wishes to use it. I want to emphasize that this is a practice that anyone at all can do. It is simple, but it is also the most essential practice we can do to prepare for own death, and it is the main practice I teach my students for helping their dying friends and relatives, and their loved ones who have already died. Practice OneFirst make sure you are comfortable, and assume the meditative posture. If you are doing this practice as you are coming close to death, just sit as comfortably as you are able, or practice lying down. Then bring your mind home, release, and relax completely. 1. In the sky in front of you, invoke the embodiment of whatever truth you believe in, in the form of radiant light. Choose whichever divine being or saint you feel close to. If you are a Buddhist, invoke a buddha with whom you feel an intimate connection. If you are a practicing Christian, feel with all your heart the vivid, immediate presence of God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, or the Virgin Mary. If you dont feel linked with any particular spiritual figure, simply imagine a form of pure golden light in the sky before you. The important point is that you consider the being you are visualizing or whose presence you feel is the embodiment of the truth, wisdom, and compassion of all the buddhas, saints, masters, and enlightened beings. Dont worry if you cannot visualize them very clearly, just fill your heart with their presence and trust that they are there.2. Then focus your mind, heart, and soul on the presence you have invoked, and pray: Through your blessing, grace, and guidance, through the power of the light that streams from you:May all my negative karma, destructive emotions, obscurations, and blockages be purified and removed,May I know myself forgiven for all the harm I may have thought and done,May I accomplish this profound practice of phowa, and die a good and peaceful death,And through the triumph of my death, may I be able to benefit all other beings, living or dead.3. Now imagine that the presence of light you have invoked is so moved by your sincere and heartfelt prayer that he or she responds with a loving smile and sends out love and compassion in a stream of rays of light from his or her heart. As these touch and penetrate you, they cleanse and purify all your negative karma, destructive emotions, and obscurations, which are the causes of suffering. You see and feel that you are totally immersed in light. 4. You are now completely purified and completely healed by the light streaming from the presence. Consider that your very body, itself created by karma, now dissolves completely into light. 5. The body of light you are now soars up into the sky and merges, inseparably, with the blissful presence of light. 6. Remain in that state of oneness with the presence for as long as possible. Practice Two1. To do this practice even more simply, begin as before by resting quietly, and then invoke the presence of the embodiments of truth. 2. Imagine your consciousness as a sphere of light at your heart, which flashes out from you like a shooting star, and flies into the heart of the presence in front of you. 3. It dissolves and merges with the presence. Through this practice you are investing your mind in the wisdom mind of the Buddha or enlightened being, which is the same as surrendering your soul to the nature of God. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche says this is like casting a pebble into a lake; think of it plummeting down into the water, deeper and deeper. Imagine that through the blessing your mind is transformed into the wisdom mind of this enlightened presence. Practice ThreeThe most essential way to do the practice is this: Simply merge your mind with the wisdom mind of the pure presence. Consider: My mind and the mind of the Buddha are one. Choose whichever of these versions of the phowa feels more comfortable, or has most appeal for you at any particular moment. Sometimes the most powerful practices can be the most simple. But whichever you choose, remember that it is essential to take the time now to become familiar with this practice. How else will you have the confidence to do it for yourself or others at the moment of death? My master Jamyang Khyentse wrote, If you meditate and practice in this manner always, at the moment of death it will come easier.

Gathering in the Presence of the Body fromThe Roman Ritual:The Order of Christian Funeralsrevised by decree of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Councilpublished by authority of Pope Paul VI

GATHERING IN THE PRESENCE OF THE BODY If we have died with Christ, we believe we shall also live with him 109 This rite provides a model of prayer that may be used when the family first gathers in the presence of the body, when the body is to be prepared for burial, or after it has been prepared. The family members, in assembling in the presence of the body, confront in the most immediate way the fact of their loss and the mystery of death. Because cultural attitudes and practices on such occasions may vary, the minister should adapt the rite. 110 Through the presence of the minister and others and through the celebration of this brief rite, the community seeks to be with the mourners in their need and to provide an atmosphere of sensitive concern and confident faith. In prayer and gesture those present show reverence for the body of the deceased as a temple of the life-giving Spirit and ask, in that same Spirit, for the eternal life promised to the faithful. 111 The minister should try to be as attentive as possible to the particular needs of the mourners. The minister begins the rite at an opportune moment and, as much as possible, in an atmosphere of calm and recollection. The pause for silent prayer after the Scripture verse can be especially helpful in this regard. SIGN OF THE CROSS 112 The minister and those present sign themselves with the sign of the cross and the minister says: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. R: Amen. SCRIPTURE VERSE 113 One of the following or another brief Scripture verse is read. A Matthew 11:28-30 My brothers and sisters, Jesus says: Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light. B John 14:1-3 My brothers and sisters, Jesus says: Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Fathers house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Pause for silent prayer. SPRINKLING WITH HOLY WATER 114 Using one of the following formularies, the minister may sprinkle the body with holy water. A The Lord is our shepherdand leads us to streams of living water. B Let this water call to mind our baptism into Christwho by his death and resurrection has redeemed us. C The Lord God lives in his holy temple yet abides in our midst. Since in baptism N. became Gods temple and the Spirit of God lived in him/her, with reverence we bless his/her mortal body. PSALM 115 One of the following psalms is sung or said A Psalm 130 R: I hope in the Lord, I trust in his word. Out of the depths I cry to you, O LordLord, hear my voice!O let your ears be attentiveto the voice of my pleading. R:If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt,Lord, who would survive?But with you is found forgiveness:for this we revere you. R:My soul is waiting for the Lord,I count on his word.My soul is longing for the Lordmore than watchman for daybreak. R:Because with the Lord there is mercyand fullness of redemption,Israel indeed he will redeemfrom all its iniquity. R:B Psalm 115 and 116 R: I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living. How gracious is the Lord, and just;our God has compassion.The Lord protects the simple hearts;I was helpless so he saved me. R:I trusted, even when I said:I am sorely afflicted,and when I said in my alarm:No man can be trusted. R:O precious in the eyes of the Lordis the death of his faithful.Your servant, Lord, your servant am I;you have loosened my bondsTHE LORDS PRAYER 116 Using one of the following invitations, or in similar words, the minister invites those present to pray the Lords Prayer. A With God there is mercy and fullness of redemption; let us pray as Jesus taught us: B Let us pray for the coming of the kingdom as Jesus taught us: All:Our Father CONCLUDING PRAYER 117 The minister says one of the following prayers A God of faithfulness,in your wisdom you have called your servant N. out of this world;release him/her from the bonds of sin,and welcome him/her into your presence,so that he/she may enjoy eternal light and peaceand be raised up in glory with all your saints.We ask this through Christ our Lord.R: Amen. B Into your hands, O Lord,we humbly entrust our brother/sister N. In this life you embraced him/her with your tender love;deliver him/her now from every eviland bid him/her enter eternal rest.The old order has passed away:welcome him/her then into paradise,where there will be no sorrow, no weeping nor pain,but the fullness of peace and joywith your Son and the Holy Spiritfor ever and ever.R: Amen. BLESSING 118 The minister says: Blessed are those who have died in the Lord;let them rest from their labors for their good deedsgo with them. A gesture, for example, signing the forehead of the deceased with the sign of the cross, may accompany the following words. Eternal rest grant unto him/her, O Lord. R: And let perpetual light shine upon him/her. May he/she rest in peace. R: Amen. May his/her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. R: Amen. A A minister who is a priest or a deacon says: May the peace of God,which is beyond understanding,keep your hearts and mindsin the knowledge and love of Godand his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.R: Amen. May almighty God bless you,The Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit R: Amen. B A lay minister invokes Gods blessing and signs himself or herself with the sign of the cross, saying. May the love of God and the peace of the Lord Jesus Christbless and console usand gently wipe every tear from our eyes:in the name of the Father,and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.R: Amen. from Rumi: Daylight A Daybook of Spiritual Guidancetranslated from the Mathnawi of Jelaluddin Rumiby Camille and Kabir HelminskiThreshold Books

Everyone is so afraid of death,but the real sufis just laugh:nothing tyrannizes their hearts.What strikes the oyster shell doesnt damage the pearl.

from Gitanjaliby Rabindranath TagoreMacmillanIn desperate hope I go and search for her in all the corners of my room; I find her not.My house is small and what once has gone fromit can never be regained.But infinite is thy mansion, my lord, and seekingher I have come to thy door.I stand under the golden canopy of thine eveningsky and I lift my eager eyes to thy face.I have come to the brink of eternity from whichnothing can vanish no hope, no happiness, no vision of a face seen through tears.Oh, dip my emptied life into that ocean, plunge it into the deepest fullness. Let me for once feel that lost sweet touch in the allness of the universefrom The Gospel of LukeChapter 7:11-17

Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. 12 As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mothers only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. 13 When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, Do not weep. 14 Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, Young man, I say to you, rise! 15 The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, A great prophet has risen among us! and God has looked favorably on his people! 17 This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.

ELEGY FOR THE MONASTERY BARNinThe Collected Poems of Thomas Mertonby Thomas MertonNew DirectionsAs though an aged person were to wearToo gay a dressAnd walk about the neighborhoodAnnouncing the hour of her death,So now, one summer day's end,At suppertime, when wheels are still,The long barn suddenly puts on the traitor, beauty,And hails us with a dangerous cry,For: "Look!" she calls to the country,"Look how fast I dress myself in fire!"Had we half guessed how long her spacious shadowsHarbored a woman's vanityWe would be less surprised to see her nowSo loved, and so attended, and so feared.She, in whose airless heartWe burst our veins to fill her full of hay,Now stands apart.She will not have us near her. Terribly,Sweet Christ, how terribly her beauty burns us now!And yet she has another legacy,More delicate, to leave us, and more rare.Who knew her solitude?Who heard the peace downstairsWhile flames ran whispering among the rafters?Who felt the silence, there,The long, hushed galleryClean and resigned and waiting for the fire?Look! They have all come back to speak theirsummary:Fifty invisible cattle, the past yearsAssume their solemn places one by one.This is the little minute of their destiny.Here is their meaning found. Here is their end.Laved in the flame as in a SacramentThe brilliant walls are holyIn their first-last hour of joy.Fly from within the barn! Fly from the silenceOf this creature sanctified by fire!Let no man stay inside to look upon the Lord!Let no man wait within and see the HolyOne sitting in the presence of disasterThinking upon this barn His gentle doom!

Dirge without MusicinThe Buck in the Snow and Other Poemsby Edna St. Vincent MillayHarper and Row Publishers I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground.So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind:Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. CrownedWith lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned.Lovers and thinkers, into the earth with you.Be one with the dull, the indiscriminate dust.A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew,A formula, a phrase remains, - but the rest is lost.The answer quick and keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love,-They are gone. They have gone to feed the roses. Elegant and curledIs the blossom. Fragrant is the blossom. I know. But I do not approve.More precious was the light in your eyes than all roses in the world.Down, down, down into the darkness of the graveGently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.

No GoodbyesinLove Alone: 18 Elegies For Rogby Paul MonetteSt. Martin's Pressfor hours at the end I kissed your temple strokedyour hair and sniffed it it smelled so clean we'dwashed it Saturday night when the fever brokeas if there was always the perfect thing to doto be alive for years I'd breathe your hairwhen I came to bed late it was such pure youwhy I nuzzle your brush every morning becauseyou're in there just like the dog the nightwe unpacked the hospital bag and he skippedand whimpered when Dad put on the redsweater Cover my bald spot will youyou'd say and tilt your head like a parrotso I could fix you up always alwaystill this one night when I was reduced toI love you little friend here I am mysweetest pea over and over spending all ourendearments like stray coins at a borderbut wouldn't cry then no choked it becausethey all said hearing was the last to gothe ear is like a wolf's till the very endstraining to hear a whole forest and Iwanted you loping off whatever you couldstill dream to the sound of me at 3 P.M.you were stable still our favorite wordat 4 you took the turn WAIT WAIT I AMTHE SENTRY HERE nothing passes as long asI'm where I am we go on death isa lonely hole two can leap it or elseor else there is nothing this man is minehe's an ancient Greek like me I doall the negotiating while he does battlewe are war and peace in a single bedwe wear the same size shirt it can't it can'tbe yet not this just let me brush his hairit's only Tuesday there's chicken in the fridgefrom Sunday night he ate he slept oh whydon't all these kisses rouse you I won't won'tsay it all I will say is goodnight pattinga few last strands in place you're covered nowmy darling one last graze in the meadowof you and please let your final dream be a man not quite your size losing the wholeworld but still here combing combingsinging your secret names till the night's gone

The DependenciesinThe Collected Poems of Howard Nemerovby Howard NemerovUniversity of Chicago Press Natura in reticulum sua genera connexit,non in catenam: homines non possunt nisicatenam sequi, cum non plura simulpossint sermone exponere.

Nature knits up her kinds in a network, notin a chain; but men can follow only bychains because their language can't handleseveral things at once.

-Albrecht van Haller

This morning, between two branches of a treeBeside the door, epeira once againHas spun and signed his tapestry and trap.I test his early-warning system andIt works, he scrambles forth in sable withThe yellow hieroglyph that no one knowsThe meaning of. And I remember nowHow yesterday at dusk the nighthawks cameBack as they do about this time each year,Grey squadrons with the slashes white on wingsCruising for bugs beneath the bellied cloud.Now soon the monarchs will be drifting south,And then the geese will go, and then one dayThe little garden birds will not be here.See how many leaves already haveWithered and turned; a few have fallen, too.Change is continuous on the seamless web,Yet moments come like this one, when you feelUpon your heart a signal to attendThe definite announcement of an endWhere one thing ceases and another starts;When like the spider waiting on the webYou know the intricate dependenciesSpreading in secret through the fabric vastOf heaven and earth, sending their messagesCiphered in chemistry to all the kinds,The whisper down the bloodstream: it is time.THE DYING BELT,DOUGLAS PASCHALL GONEinThe Collected Poemsby Reynolds PriceScribnerJust as I head into the Dying Belt,As my father called it-when friends and enemiesRoughly my age begin to wink outNaturally-I find myselfAssaulted still by the wrenching offOf far younger friends with stingier portionsAt this long feed than I (and I feeding yet). Now you, Douglas, ground to death In the monster claw of the crab in your vitals;And the poem I wrote you a year agoStill unpublished-well, you read itAnd hailed me back through the wide air between us(Tennessee, Carolina) with a Roman poise,A courtly gravity becoming our best daysA dozen years back when we trusted each otherThrough a dangerous night and walked out savedIn hot August dawn. Vale, fratre.Atque ave.

To One Shortly To DieinWalt Whitman: Complete Poetry and Collected Proseby Walt WhitmanLibrary of America From all the rest I single out you, having a message for you,You are to die-let others tell you what they please, I cannotprevaricate,I am exact and merciless, but I love you-there is no escapefor you.Softly I lay my right hand upon you, you just feel it,I do not argue, I bend my head close and half envelop it,I sit quietly by, I remain faithful,I am more than nurse, more than parent or neighbor,I absolve you from all except yourself spiritual bodily, that iseternal,you yourself will surely escape,The corpse you will leave will be but excrementitous.The sun burst through in unlooked for directions,Strong thoughts fill you and confidence, you smile,You forget you are sick, as I forget you are sick,You do not see the medicines, you do not mind the weepingfriends,I am with you,I exclude others from you, there is nothing to becommiserated,I do not commiserate, I congratulate you.

Sonnet XXXby William ShakespeareWhen to the sessions of sweet silent thoughtI summon up remembrance of things past,I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,And with old woes new wail my dear times' waste;Then can I drown an eye, unus'd to flow,For precious friends hid in death's dateless night,And weep afresh love's long since cancell'd woe,And moan the expense of many a vanish'd sight:Then can I grieve at grievances foregone,And heavily from woe to woe tell o'erThe sad account of fore-bemoand moan,Which I new pay as if not paid before. But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, All losses are restor'd and sorrows end.

Alliesby Akili TysonAll I have on the virusall the virus has on meall I have on youall you have on meis a head start

Another Dogs DeathinCollected Poems, 1953-1993by John UpdikeKnopfFor days the good old bitch had been dying, her backpinched down to the spine and arched to ease the pain,her kidneys dry, her muzzle white. At lastI took a shovel into the woods and dug her gravein preparation for the certain. She came along,which I had not expected. Still, the children gone,such expeditions were rare, and the dog,spayed early, knew no nonhuman word for love.She made her stiff legs trot and let her bent tail wag.We found a spot we liked, where the pines met the field.The sun warmed her fur as she dozed and I dug;I carved her a safe place while she protected me.I measured her length with the shovels long handle;she perked in amusement, and sniffed the heaped-up earth.Back down at the house, she seemed friskier,but gagged, eating. We called the vet a few days later.They were old friends. She held up a paw, and he injected a violet fluid. She swooned on the lawn;we watched her breathing quickly slow and cease.In a wheelbarrow up to the hole, her warm fur shone.

The Widow's Lament in SpringtimeinThe Collected Poemsof William Carlos Williams, Vol. I, 1909-1939by William Carlos WilliamsNew DirectionsSorrow is my own yardwhere the new grassflames as it has flamedoften before but notwith the cold firethat closes round me this year.Thirtyfive yearsI lived with my husband.The plumtree is white todaywith masses of flowers.Masses of flowersload the cherry branchesand color some bushesyellow and some redbut the grief in my heartis stronger than theyfor though they were my joyformerly, today I notice themand turn away forgetting.Today my son told methat in the meadows,at the edge of the heavy woodsin the distance, he sawtrees of white flowers.I feel that I would liketo go thereand fall into those flowersand sink into the marsh near them.

The Old Men Used to SinginRevolutionary Petunias and Other Poemsby Alice WalkerHarcourt Brace Jovanovich The old men used to singAnd lifted a brotherCarefullyOut the doorI used to think theyWere bornKnowing how toGently swingA casketThey shuffled softlyEyes dryMore awkwardWith the flowersThan with the widowAfter they'd put theBody inAnd stood around waitingIn theirBrown suits.

MEMORY OF MY FATHERinCollected Poemsby Patrick KavanaghW. W. NortonEvery old man I seeReminds me of my fatherWhen he had fallen in love with deathOne time when sheaves were gathered.That man I saw in Gardner StreetStumbled on the kerb was one,He stared at me half-eyed,I might have been his son.And I remember the musicianFaltering over his fiddleIn Bayswater, London,He too set me the riddle.Every old man I seeIn October-coloured weatherSeems to say to me:"I was once your father."

OtherwiseinOtherwise: New and Selected Poemsby Jane KenyonGraywolf PressI got out of bedon two strong legs.It might have beenotherwise. I atecereal, sweetmilk, ripe, flawlesspeach. It mighthave been otherwise.I took the dog uphillto the birch wood.All morning I didthe work I love.At noon I lay downwith my mate. It mighthave been otherwise.We ate dinner togetherat a table with silvercandlesticks. It mighthave been otherwise.I slept in a bedin a room with paintingson the walls, andplanned another dayjust like this day.But one day, I know,it will be otherwise.

From BlossomsinRoseby Li-Young LeeBoa Editions, Ltd. From blossoms comesthis brown paper bag of peacheswe bought from the boyat the bend in the road where we turned towardsigns painted Peaches.From laden boughs, from handsfrom sweet fellowship in the bins,comes nectar at the roadside, succulentpeaches we devour, dusty skin and all,comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat.O, to take what we love inside,to carry within us an orchard, to eatnot only the skin, but the shade,not only the sugar, but the days, to holdthe fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite intothe round jubilance of peach.There are days we liveas if death were nowherein the background; from joyto joy to joy, from wing to wing,from blossom to blossom toimpossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom.

Fare wellinSelected Poems of Federico Garca Lorcaby Federico Garca Lorcatranslated by W. S. MerwinNew Directions If I die,leave the balcony open.The little boy is eating oranges.(From my balcony I can see him.)The reaper is harvesting the wheat.(From my balcony I can hear him.)If I die,leave the balcony open!

TWO SONGS FOR HEDLI ANDERSONinSelected Poems of W.H. Auden by W. H. AudenVintageIStop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,Silence the pianos and with muffled drumBring out the coffin, let the mourners come.Let aeroplanes circle moaning overheadScribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,Put crpe bows round the white necks of the public doves, Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.For nothing now can ever come to any good.

IIO the valley in the summer where I and my JohnBeside the deep river would walk on and onWhile the flowers at our feet and the birds up aboveArgued so sweetly on reciprocal love,And I leaned on his shoulder; 'O Johnny, let's play':But he frowned like thunder and he went away.O that Friday near Christmas as I well recallWhen we went to the Charity Matinee Ball,The floor was so smooth and the band was so loudAnd Johnny so handsome I felt so proud;'Squeeze me tighter, dear Johnny, let's dance till it's day':But he frowned like thunder and he went away.Shall I ever forget at the Grand OperaWhen music poured out of each wonderful star?Diamonds and pearls they hung dazzling downOver each silver and golden silk gown;'O John I'm in heaven,' I whispered to say:But he frowned like thunder and he went away.O but he was fair as a garden in flower,As slender and tall as the great Eiffel Tower,When the waltz throbbed out on the long promenadeO his eyes and his smile they went straight to my heart;'O marry me, Johnny, I'll love and obey':But he frowned like thunder and he went away.O last night I dreamed of you, Johnny, my lover,You'd the sun on one arm and the moon on the other,The sea it was blue and the grass it was green,Every star rattled a round tambourine;Ten thousand miles deep in a pit there I lay:But you frowned like thunder and you went away

A MeetinginA Partby Wendell BerryNorth Point PressIn a dream I meetmy dead friend. He has,I know, gone long and far,and yet he is the samefor the dead are changeless.They grow no older.It is I who have changed,grown strange to what I was.Yet I, the changed one,ask: "How you been?"He grins and looks at me."I been eating peachesoff some mighty fine trees."

Poem 389inThe Complete Poems of Emily Dickinsonby Emily DickinsonLittle Brown and CompanyThere's been a Death, in the Opposite House,As lately as Today -I know it, by the numb lookSuch Houses have - alway -The Neighbors rustle in and out -The Doctor - drives away -A Window opens like a Pod -Abrupt - mechanically -Somebody flings a Mattress out -The Children hurry by -They wonder if it died - on that -I used to - when a BoyThe Minister - goes stiffly in -As if the House were His -And He owned all the Mourners - nowAnd little Boys - besides -And then the Milliner - and the ManOf the Appalling Trade -To take the measure of the House -There'll be that Dark Parade -Of Tassels - and of Coaches - soon -It's easy as a Sign -The Intuition of the News -In just a Country Town -