Recently, the number of people who think, "I don't need a funeral!" seems to be increasing.
Funerals usually cost at least 1 to 2 million yen. The cost of a complete funeral includes the coffin, funeral supplies, altar, hearse/bed car, venue, service fees, and flowers. Food and beverage entertainment costs include the wake, food and beverages for the end of abstinence, funeral return gifts, and condolence money. Remuneration for religious figures includes offerings (for sutra chanting and posthumous name recognition), carriage fare, and meal fees. According to the "Fourth Nationwide Funeral Survey" (Kamakura Shinsho, March 2020), the average cost of a complete funeral is 1,191,900 yen, food and beverage entertainment costs are 651,400 yen, and religious figures' remuneration is 236,900 yen. If you're a little extravagant, you can easily spend more than 2 million yen. Furthermore, purchasing a gravestone adds to the costs. According to a 2020 nationwide gravestone purchase survey published by the National Association of Excellent Stonemasons (Zen-Yuseki), the national average cost of purchasing a gravestone was 1.57 million yen. Broken down, 46.9% of respondents spent between 1 million and 2 million yen, with 6.1% purchasing gravestones worth over 3 million yen. Frankly, it's expensive. That much money disappears in an instant.
It's unbearable to burden your children with such a large expense. More and more people are starting to think this way. We're also hearing voices saying they don't want others to see their face after they die. I completely understand how they feel. There's a saying, "The monk makes a killing," and sometimes I even feel a little resentful, thinking, "Why is it so expensive?" or, "The money will probably be used to buy a luxury car, anyway."
But I'm a little concerned: "Will the deceased not rest in peace if we don't have a funeral?"
Will misfortune or curses befall us if we don't hold a funeral or perform ancestral memorial services?
Will the deceased be sad if we don't hold a proper funeral?
Isn't the best way to honor the deceased's wishes?
Would the deceased want the financial hardship of building a fine grave?
Wouldn't the deceased's greatest joy be the happiness of their surviving children and grandchildren?
Wouldn't it be enough to express our gratitude without spending as much money as possible?
Times are rapidly changing. There are many different ways of thinking. Perhaps it's time for each of us to reconsider whether the common sense of the past is still relevant and whether it will continue to apply in the future.
Reference: "Learning about Happiness from Buddhism by Ryuta Kikutani"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_2fWjwCN6M |
