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30     EASTERN HORIZON  |  FACE TO FACE




































           Diana and former Sakyadhita International President, Christie Chang (7th from the left), with nuns and volunteers at the Sakyadhita conference in
           Seoul in June 2023.


           compassionate, experienced and seeking to benefit the   of prayers, ritual and other things and in the case of
           student. I have not been a chaplain but I think a good   a funeral, to support people at a very difficult time.
           candidate for chaplaincy would be open to different   I am still learning but perhaps the most important
           kinds of people with different kinds of beliefs and life   lesson is to listen deeply to the stories you are told.
           experiences. It will help if the trainee is familiar with   The story might be how a couple met and how they
           a range of religious beliefs and practices and is the   decided to make a commitment to each other, or how
           type who is open to asking for assistance when they   a grandmother’s greatest joy was spending time with
           don’t know what to do. From a Buddhist perspective   her grandchildren, even if it meant watching children’s
           the dying process is a preparation for the next life so   TV! The stories are the stories of our lives and through
           it is important to create a sacred atmosphere and to   ceremony, we share those stories and realize their value.
           encourage the dying person to let go of regret.
                                                              Links:
           You have witnessed the most joyful part of one’s life   Buddhist Care for the Dying
           during a marriage as well as the saddest when death   https://bcv.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/
           takes place. For you personally, what is the biggest   buddhist_care_for_dying_booklet-1.pdf
           lesson you learnt from your career as a marriage and
           funeral celebrant?                                 Disability Access to Temples
                                                              https://www.buddhistcouncil.org.au/images/pdf_files/
           It is a great privilege to be invited into peoples’ lives   fabcdisabilityaccessbooklet.pdf
           at these special times. You have a big responsibility
           to create a ceremony that will bring joy, when it is a   Academia.edu
           wedding, and will tell the story of a person’s life and   https://swin.academia.edu/DianaCousens
           enable the beginning of healing, if it is a funeral. As a
           civil celebrant you work with the couple or the family   UN Vesak Melbourne Keynote Speech
           and friends to create the ceremony together, it is a   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn4X6S49W8I
           horizontal relationship, not a vertical one. At the same   EH
           time, it is your role to bring some special knowledge
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