I was reflecting on how often there are difficulties with family relationships in life…and death.
I worked in a hospice for some time and so experienced first-hand how variable the attitudes of the dying and their family members can be… to the the process of dying…to death…and to each other.

Death and funerals are often far from easy times… and although there may be healing around these events, emotional turbulence is likely and feelings of disconnection and judgment often persist.

My mother died last year, in Thailand. I only learned of her final illness after her death… and to me the circumstances in which she died were heart-breaking.
For the second time in my life, like many during covid times…and others…with a similar sadness, hearing belatedly of this, I was not able to say goodbye… nor take part in or attend the funeral.

Although I didn’t recite this sutra until well after her death it felt helpful and good to do this.
James’ advice about this was:

‘…reciting the golden hand sutra should be useful…and indeed any sutra that emphasises concern for others…a quality often lacking between family members.’

Our ideas about who is family and who is not… can widen in scope to an infinite inclusivity…
and softening, moving towards healing these apparent rifts is possible at any time
as the dharma… with this practice and others, offers the opportunity to reduce ‘The hatred implicit in duality [which] seems to be more manifest in the world [J.L.]’…


with love…

Thanks to my brother Sean for the gorgeous photo…