On Faith
By Alfred Bloom
Saturday, March 17, 2001
Among the cultural differences between Japanese and Americans that have been discussed in the context of the Ehime Maru tragedy, there is an interest in the Buddhist belief concerning the recovery of the bodies of the missing. Ehime Maru brings Asian
beliefs more awarenessIn many cultures, a spirit without
a body may never find restAccording to accounts, Buddhism holds that an individual cannot make a good transition to the afterlife without having a body. Without the body the individual will be in great anguish and may become a wandering spirit.
According to popular beliefs, persons who die an untimely death or without the proper funeral rites can become demons and haunt people. Improperly treated dead can be a threat to the living.
This is a long-standing belief not only in Japanese culture, but other Asian cultures influenced by Confucianism. Buddhism never tried to abolish native religious beliefs; rather, it absorbed them.
Services that are held for the 49-day period after a death reflect this combination, bringing in an Indian belief that the soul appears before Emma, the king of the dead, to be judged and assigned a rebirth.
When a person has an untimely death and there is no one to hold services, the deceased cannot immediately enter the afterworld. The body is needed for proper funeral services to ensure the transition through cremation.
Buddhism has become a major means to accomplish this, and it is often said that one goes to a Shinto shrine for dealing with life and to a Buddhist temple to deal with dying and death.
In addition to these ideas, in Japan it is believed that when a person dies, they become Buddha. They are said to become Hotoke, which means a Buddha and is a euphemism for death.
Generally, it is held that the deceased goes to the "Pure Land" or a paradise and rests peacefully. At Obon, beliefs converge as it is believed the ancestors return from the "Pure Land" to visit their families.
What has been lacking in recent discussion of this issue is the fact that Buddhism has rituals to resolve the anxiety, once the death is accepted.
Spirits of the deceased can be pacified and released from their worldly attachments through Buddhist services.
It is the whole point of Buddhism, in the face of horrendous possibilities facing the dead spirit, to offer means to relieve people of their suffering and to free them from their bondage to the world.
It must be remembered that in all societies, from the ancient times to the present, individuals have been lost in untold wars and disasters. Their bodies were never recovered.
Religious faith and ritual find a way to heal the breach that has been made and renew the solidarity of life.
Our hearts and sympathy go out to the families of the deceased in the hope that they will find comfort in their Buddhist faith as they face the reality of the loss of the dear loved ones. We may also hope that the bodies can be recovered so that they will have the consolation of returning them home where they can attain spiritual peace.
Alfred Bloom is a lecturer at the Buddhist Studies Center.
