Secular Funeral – Memorial Service – Youth was still mine, beautiful, whole, only a tomorrow, there was no yesterday! Then death!

Funeral orator Abbot Reding from the Honora Zen monastery will lead through the secular funeral and memorial service according to your wishes.

Prayer and Meditation

Youth was still mine, beautiful, whole, only a tomorrow, there was no yesterday. Then death, in the brightest glare of the sun, touched my hair, looked me in the face. The world went out, the sky burned dull; I jumped up, terrified and impetuous. But he disappeared; the eternity of love lay before me and separated me from him. And now today – in the sunny room on the right and on the left my child slept.

Listening to the tender breath, I kept watch, and the summer wind blew at the windows. Then veils of mist fell thicker and thicker on me; the children's slumbering faces could hardly be seen. And her breath no longer reached my ears. I wanted to call; but the voice panted until fear cried out loud in my heart. but in vain; no cry of fear reached. No more sounds of love reached her. In the gray darkness I stood forlorn, motionless and trembling in bone. I felt a cold grip my beating heart, and a horrid eye sank into mine. fled no more.

I captivated the horror and laboriously summoned the strength of my eyes. Then foreboding trust in him who held my senses in prison came over me. And when I looked back firmly, the world suddenly lay low at my feet. I saw myself placed high and free before all life at your hand, terrible prince. I saw the steam of the earth striving and gathering into human and animal forms. Saw it shake, feel, saw it live and then stagger and then immediately vanish.

Secular Funeral - Memorial Service

I saw it lying in the pale light in the abyss and saw it raining in the smoke of the city. I saw it teeming, hurrying, fighting and saw myself among the figures too. And looking down from death's vantage point, the urge to endure life came to me. The desire to face the enemy waiting for me with full eyes. And with a cool breeze running through my veins I feel the strength to win myself firmly from life against pleasure and pain. If nothing else, at least a whole heart. I feel like waking up in the sunlight.

It dawned, floated and melted away. The children's laughter rang in my ears, and fresh blue eyes looked at me. O beautiful world! So let the new day of life begin with a serious sign! The forehead on which, O Death, lay your dark eyes, will not pale too much. I feel deeply that you do not begrudge everyone your face; they only look at you when they fall tumbling into your arms, fulfilling their lot like the creature. Let me, however, behold with my eyes unswerving how they, unaware of anything, brutally set about their futile work, unaware of your quiet majesty.