Soka Gakkai International Expresses Condolences on Passing of Pope John Paul II

TOKYO: April 4. Soka Gakkai International (SGI) has today issued the following statement regarding the death of Pope John Paul II:

“The passing of Pope John Paul II is an occasion of great sadness for all who have admired and been inspired by his profound commitment to peace. In a world torn by violence and mistrust, his courageous endeavors to promote dialogue, tirelessly reaching out to people of different faith traditions and building bridges of understanding, are of profound and enduring value. His contributions to the cause of peace will live on as a precious legacy to all humankind. We join people of goodwill throughout the world in mourning the loss of this great man.”

Soka Gakkai President Einosuke Akiya visited the Vatican Embassy in Tokyo today to formally express his condolences.

Soka Gakkai International is a lay Buddhist association with 12 million members in 190 countries and territories. Its activities to promote peace, culture, education and interfaith dialogue are based on the longstanding traditions of Buddhist humanism.

Source: Soka Gakkai International

Funerals are always an interesting affair. It is an event to celebrate death. Yes, I said celebrate. But why do I sound funny when I said that?

I believe it is because celebrations evoke images of joy and happiness while death describes pain and suffering. Hence, celebrating death is a contradictory statement. Yet, funerals are exactly that. And we, humans hold funerals all the time. That is one of the main achievements of our evolution when we advanced from beasts to civilizations. We start to take care of the dead.

Dying is inevitably for the loved ones of the decease. However, the truth is that all man will have to die some day. What is important is to die knowing that a life had been well-spent.

To hold a funeral is to confront the pain by taking accounts of the life. In the minds of everyone who ever knew the decease, calculations are made to determined if the life is worthy indeed. And upon learning that the person lived well, we celebrate.

To all the dead people who had lived well, I raise my glass to you. Cheers!

"It doesn't matter who you are, or where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always." - Oprah Winfrey