Perhaps a bit late in the game, here's a quote from Gerald Locklin (from page 66 of his "CB: a Sure Bet") on the funeral:
"The religious rites are conducted by a trio of Buddhist monks, with a great deal of chanting and bowing. I figure this is Linda's preference, that Bukowski wouldn't have cared one way or the other, except that he would have wanted her to have things however she wanted them. Later, though, she will tell me that Bukowski actually became very interested in Buddhism near the end, even to the extent of receiving his own mantra and practicing meditation. Apparently the notion of purification held some appeal for him. [...]"
This is something from someone who was there ... much can be written/said about this sort of thing and the whole conversation will go around in circles ... it's one thing for someone to say (in general) that the deal person would want the survivor to do what she/he wants ... however, surely the flip side should also come into consideration: what would the dead person have wanted? Personally, I have heard of (or actually attended) a few too many ceremonies that were outright offenses to the beliefs of those who had died ...
Also, for many, the ceremony (in whatever form it takes) marking a person's death is the one time when she/he gets to be honoured (Bukowski was famous ... others are famous ... they have already been honoured and continue to be so) ... the rest of us don't often get the recognition of having "been here" ... while it clearly won't really matter to me, I would hope that whatever is done upon my death (at the moment I want no ceremony of any sort) will not dishonour my time on this planet in this life form ... to some extent, when I see the picture of the three Buddhists, I sense that all was not completely right ... I have a gut feeling that Linda did not really honour CB's overall views on this matter ... but I wasn't there (in the final days or otherwise). DaP
