Heavenly Departures

Glowing brightly in the moonless night sky like a launch pad is where a recently departed person was cremated; smoke and ashes rising up to the heavens. Seeing this reminds one of our own transitory journey through life arriving at the final stop. Each culture has their own way to celebrate the life of the deceased. Here at this temple in Thailand friends, family, and monks came together to remember and pay tribute to their beloved. The ceremony can last a few days as prayers along with blessings are bestowed upon the attendees. Offerings of alms along with meals to the community are shared to help the deceased attain a better life in reincarnation. These events can be simple to highly elaborate depending upon the class hierarchy embedded in Asian societies. The site constructed here took builders several days to assemble and a bevy of caters to cook, feed, serve, and clean after attendees. Interestingly, the builders travel around the country constructing and deconstructing these funeral pyres living a nomadic life and sleeping in temporary shelters or tents along with their families.