Graveside speech held by Prof. Schrom at Haller cemetery, 2. 10. 2001

Dear relatives,
dear friends of LEONORA!

Sometimes it can be heard or read, when a man died: "DO NOT GRIEVE AS WE WANT BECAUSE WE YOU HAVE LOST, BUT LOOK FORWARD BECAUSE WE WERE GATHERING WITH YOU!"

This, of course, seems to be easier said than done! So very hard has the death of our beloved Leonora taken us and very much has the impressions from the ordeal of her illness shaken us, from which she had experienced over one year ago.

In between, there were probably joyful phases. At one time it looked as if an inexplicable spontaneous healing had occurred. So we held a recovery party in June in the Schloss Amras.

Or the time when Leonora - after she had unfortunately experienced a relapse of her disease - ultimately still full of optimism and future plans could still spend seven beautiful summer days in Portugal with relatives.

But those days of joy and hope may be what has happened now, appear only in tragic contrast.

Therefore, first of all there is just an indescribable feeling of sadness ... And many of us may wonder: Why have you, dear Leonora, taken this difficult path?

Can there be a satisfactory answer to that at all? But perhaps it gives us the deeper meaning which lies hidden, at least in a little story. I have already talked about, three years ago, when Leonora attended my Buddhist religious instruction.

An old monk asked the Zen Master Yun-men "WHAT A TIME IT IS WHEN THE TREES ARE TURNING AND THE LEAVES FALL TO EARTH"

The Master said: "THEN REVEALS ITS ENTIRE BEING. THE GOLDEN WIND!"

What a wonderful answer!!

This went above and beyond what the questioner wanted to know. Namely: WHY IS EVERYTHING IMPERMANENT?! Why must we get OLD or SICK and finally DIE? Is there behind the world of appearances that constantly presents to us this cosmic dance of creation and decay, not something Reliable, Steady, which survived the so-called death?

Now, let's look at how the leaves fall to the ground in autumn. Every year turns the leaves golden. Then they leave with the first autumn storms, the trees dance with the wind. It is these swirling leaves in the air, the colour in the autumn sun of the WIND is GOLDEN. But not only in SHOWING THE GOLDEN WIND IN ALL ITS BEING. In each moment of existence, the GOLDEN WIND is at work!

Sometimes we look forward to a blossoming tree and sometimes we agree a tree that sheds its leaves is sad.

But either way, ALWAYS only one expresses itself - as IN EVERYTHING : the true essence of ONE SINGLE REALITY. It has different names in different religions.

Often this LAST REALITY is thought to be unattainable and far from us. But it reveals itself to us in every moment as FIRST REALITY.

However, we should not just stick to the outer appearances.
If we practice what is sincere, look deep into the things then something wonderful happens: that is, WE ARE ONE WITH ALL. We recognize that there are in fact NO SEPARATION, because everything is connected to everything.

"Outside - Inside", "Up - Down" ... in short, all opposites are experienced as the 2 sides of the same "coin", or one and the same reality. Then WE OWN ALL that there is. We are ourselves to the GOLDEN WIND HIS WHOLE BEING REVEALED.

And who is aware of his deepest being, learns that there is not an end, birth and death, which is the CORE EXPERIENCE EVERY TRUE SPIRITUAL PATH.

To DIE is accordingly ONLY a CHANGE OF FORM.

If a person changes his clothes, he remains the same. Yes?

If we change this form, so there is a further step, WHAT WE DEEPLY ARE,

namely: ETERNAL LIFE!

From this broader perspective, a spiritual master could say, just before he died and entered the Great Transformation:

"I COME FROM THE SHINE and return IN SHINE BACK"

Seen in this wider context probably your development path appears also, dear Leonora, in a different light. The great joy that you yourself have experienced and given to others, but also the pain that you have endured with incredible bravery, these were stops on a very special, unusual journey. And this trip is now probably in a different form ...

You are now leaving for us, in the superficial, visible phenomenal world, a huge gap. But in the world of the true, full reality from which nothing and nobody can fall out, because we know you salvaged and continue on the road ...

In this regard, it is only an apparent farewell. For indeed we feel with every loving thought with which we touch you in remembrance, deep togetherness. And in this sense, dear Leonora, I tell you, on behalf of all who have guided you this far and will continue to accompany: "FAREWELL and THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!"

(I would now like to invite everyone here to speak a silent prayer
or just keep a silent tribute.)