What can I be doing for my husband`s spirit?.

by Elizabeth Kikuchi

(Lexington, Ky. USA)

The Question:

When my husband passed away in a hospital, an autopsy was done on his body. I had his body cremated. Did this autopsy compromise his status in the afterlife? Very concerned

My answer:

First of all, I’m sorry for your loss. Life is suffering but death brings suffering to the living.

Your husband’s spirit is in no way affected by what happens to the body. You could read the answer I gave to someone wondering what happens to the soul of the people who disappeared in the big tsunami of March 2011 here: https://www.japanese-buddhism.com/what-happens-to-the-soul-of-the-victims-of-the-tsunami.html

But, basically, it is thought that cremating the body actually speeds up the separation of the soul and the body, thus making it easier to journey to the afterlife.

In Japan, cremating is the norm but as I say in that other answer, it is mostly for economical reasons and not religious.

I believe that even people who die, never to be found and forgotten by all will eventually find their way to the afterlife. Praying for the soul of the deceased will only give it more strength and making the journey easier.

So, your husband is in a better place now and possibly even reborn, here or in the Western paradise of the Pure Land.
You can pray for his soul, it will help him, where ever he is.

In compassion,

Hugo