On 20 December, two police officers were killed in New York City by a mentally troubled man in a random act of revenge. One of the police officers was Wenjian Liu, a Chinese-American, who was a native of Guangzhou in China and immigrated to the United States at the age of 12. As Liu was a Buddhist, his family naturally wanted him to have a Chinese Buddhist funeral.
Wenjian Liu's widow, Peixia Chen, holding a portrait of her husband of only two months. From People
The funeral was held in Brooklyn on 4 January, a week later than that of his partner, in order to give his family time to fly over from China and to ensure that it was held on an auspicious day. Wenjian Liu was the first Chinese-American officer to be killed in the line of duty in New York. The funeral itself was a blend of his family’s Buddhist beliefs and the rituals traditionally afforded a slain officer by the heavily Roman Catholic police force of New York City. Thousands of New York City police officers attended the ceremony, which was led by Chinese Buddhist monks and also included eulogies led by the New York City police department chaplain, Robert Romano.
Wenjian Liu's coffin. From www.ottowacitizen.com
While the Buddhist part of the ceremony was private, it was thought to follow a traditional Chinese Buddhist theme. The monks were said to be chanting prayers to Buddha Amitabha so that Wenjian Liu could be reborn in the Pure Land in his next life. The ceremony involved mourners burning symbolic paper money, images of cars and houses, incense sticks, and candles in front of his photograph in order to provide riches for the afterlife, according to Chinese custom.
Liu was known for his courage and kindness, which had a great influence on many of the people he worked with and was often cited during the eulogies. As well as his kindness, New York mayor Bill de Blasio spoke of his generosity and dedication to family. As an example, he related a story he had heard from one of Liu’s partners. Responding to a call to take someone home, the officers discovered him to be an elderly Vietnam veteran. Officer Liu “poured the man a soda and they listened to the man’s war stories.” After they drove him home and laid him down on his bed, Liu caringly suggested that they wrap him in blankets.
Wenjian Liu's fellow officers in mourning. From Reuters
Mayor de Blasio referred to the “profound humanity” of that act. “That was Detective Liu’s way— lifting people up in every sense, wrapping them in kindness, and teaching others by his example,” he observed. He also quoted the Buddha, saying that Liu modeled the Buddha’s teachings to “resolutely train yourself to attain peace,” and adding, “That is how Detective Liu lived his life” (The New York Times).
Chaplain Robert Romano quoted a Buddhist proverb in his speech: “When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. When you die, you rejoice, and the world cries,” hinting at the release from suffering that one who follows the way of the Buddha can attain at death (The New York Times).
Candlelight vigil by New York's Chinese-American community. From Reuters
When New York City police commissioner William Bratton spoke, he, too, quoted the Buddha, saying, “Even when death comes, the lessons of goodness do not perish,” and closed his speech by bowing three times to Liu’s photograph (The New York Times).
After the ceremony, the police escorted Liu’s body first to his home, where the hearse parked and his wife got out and, holding a stick of incense, made three bows to the house. The hearse then proceeded to Cypress Hill Cemetery in Brooklyn for the burial.