A beautiful ending

Just last Friday, my left eyelid was twitching badly. Master told me to pull my eyelid skin hard and to damp it with water to stop the twitching which supposedly does not convey any impending good news.

True enough, on Saturday, I heard from my good friend, Boon Eng that her grandmother had passed away. She was 104. The grand old lady was admitted to the hospital the week before and had struggled with chest pains. Towards the end, between unconsciousness and a weak state of being unable to speak, she could still recognise her more than a hundred of family members who visited her. When Boon Eng and her mom told grandmother that she would get well and go home soon, her grandmother shook her head. On Friday, unbearable to see her grandmother endured the painful jabs which had swell her arms and at the risk of further infection, Boon Eng and her mom whispered to her grandmother gently, asking her not to worry about the family as they can take care of themselves, asking her to go in peace if she was suffering much pain. On Saturday morning, she passed away peacefully.

The press had come to interview the family because grandmother was 104! They learnt that grandmother was a buddhist who lives simply, not fussy about food, turned vegetarian during the 1st and 15th of each lunar month. She also drank a bottle of chicken essence everyday.

The monk who presided the prayer chanting session for grandmother told the family that the night before, Buddha had appeared in his dream, and had asked him to come and offer 3 lotus flowers on grandmother's altar. This was a very auspicious sign. I also chanted my own prayers for grandmother, praying that the Buddha and all the tataghatas are with her during this time and to guide her to Amitabha Buddha Pureland or to have a good rebirth. I told Boon Eng to do the same prayer. During this period for 49 days, grandmother's spirit remains in the Bardo state (where the soul left the body and is in the ethereal state of awareness) before heading towards Pureland.

During the last night of prayers before the funeral, strangely 2 flies were seen flying around her family throughout the session and eventually landed on the palm of Boon Eng's mom, before flying off. Grandmother's own daughter in law had also passed away a few days back. They believed that the flies were grandmother and her daughter in law, both in the ethereal state, saying good bye to the family. They were hugely relieved and happy that the Buddha was with them. Grandmother looked peaceful. She was indeed blessed. Om ami dewa hrih.