I was brave. I read Buddhist sayings at a xtian funeral.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

In a very conservative town near Tulsa, home or Oral Roberts University.

Hubby's first wife died a couple of weeks ago. He was driven away by the fundy xtians who can't understand anyone who is different from them.
I met him at a large urban Unitarian church.

She got a xtian funeral as she wanted. However, hubby, me, his two sons and their wives, are atheist/agnostic and one daughter-in-law's mom is Buddhist.

I got on the net, printed some stuff and sorted it, and added two readings from The Buddha is Still Teaching: Contemporary Buddhist Wisdom, which was a book I had brought with me.

I read this stuff at the graveside.

I started with 1) a Buddhist prayer for the deceased; 2)sayings of the Dalai Lama, 3) sayings of The Buddha; 4)ON DEATH,by Kahlil Gibran; 5)Sometimes being Alive is enough (from the book) 6)No Death, No Fear (from the book) "my mother lives in me".

One person came up to me and thanked me. All the xtians ignored me but that was fine with me. Two people in the immediate family told me I upstaged the preacher! I was told there were several wrinkled brows of consternation amongst the xtians. I was told that when I read "O Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, Enlightened Ones" the preacher looked startled.

I guess I was gutsy. I thought I really needed to do it to help the close family. Hubby said he had never been prouder of me before.

[YankeyMCC]

1. At my mother's funeral service

- a catholic service - I gave the eulogy.

I didn't quote specific Buddhist scripture or teachers.

I did however speak from the heart and what came out was very much influenced by what I've learned in practice. What came out was a talk full of pointers to the sacredness of real moments, interconnectedness, death as its own thing not just an ending of life.

And no mention of gods or life after death etc...

And the priest, who we know fairly well, certainly could not miss the fact that I do not kneel or pray during the service and my wrist mala, came up to me afterwards to thank me for my talk. He called it spiritual, more meaningful than most eulogies and asked if he could use it as an example for others.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

2. At least you got affirmation from the priest.

All I got was raised eyebrows, according to the people watching, and a quick disappearance of the xtians because they found out about my heathen cooties.