A Buddhist Daughter Honoring a Catholic Father

We grieve how we can, when we can, for as long as we can....or cannot.

Hello Beloveds - Some of you have requested that I share here some of the recent posts I have made on FB about my father’s recent passing, and how we are choosing to honor his life through our various traditions. I’m a Buddhist practitioner, for instance. My father—who at one point entered seminary to become a Catholic priest—was a very liberal follower of Christian mysticism. We didn’t focus on the differences; we found the similarities. So here are a few of those posts (and the latter one, about the cremation, actually went semi-viral)—may they be of benefit to someone out there.

[POSTED ON FB 11/4/22] Once, when I was in India, a swami told me that “death occurs when the being is needed elsewhere.” I remember taking so much comfort in that view--it felt like an absolute truth. So, with love and sadness and a touch of awe, I announce that on Friday my beloved father Charles Francis Harrington (8/28/26 - 11/4/22) transitioned peacefully into the divine radiance. May his journey be gentle. May he recognize the luminosity without distraction. May he merge with the consciousness of his teacher, the Christ. And may all realms be brightened by this radiant soul.