Shandling Will Be Made Buddhist Monk Posthumously

Sources give TMZ details of comedian's funeral
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 31, 2016 10:38 AM CDT
Shandling Will Be Made Buddhist Monk Posthumously
In this April 10, 2007, file photo, actor Garry Shandling arrives at the wrap party and DVD release for "The Larry Sanders Show" in Beverly Hills, Calif.   (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)

Garry Shandling didn't speak much about it publicly, but he was Buddhist, and he had planned what TMZ calls an "elaborate" Buddhist funeral before his death. Sources tell the gossip site Shandling's head will be shaved by a monk, a symbolic gesture that ordains Shandling as a monk posthumously. He'll be laid to rest with a card that contains the "Five Precepts of Buddha," and a monk will lead a chant as incense is lit to help guide his spirit to the next life. The ceremony for Shandling, who has Jewish roots, is planned for next month.

As Page Six points out, Shandling talked about his spirituality to GQ in 2011, revealing that he meditated and kept journals to stay on his "path." Lion's Roar calls Shandling's comedy "mindful" and notes that the comedian considered himself "a serious student of dharma." He also introduced Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh before he spoke at the Library of Congress in 2004, joking, "humor is a wonderful way to deal with our suffering, because if we can laugh at our troubles, we can feel better. Thich Nhat Hanh is a special man who has helped millions with their suffering with incredible technique. But he doesn’t know real suffering, because he has not dated as much as I have." (More Garry Shandling stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X