Monthly Archives: October 2012

Comments by Dale Eng shared at Amin’s Memorial @ the Eastside Bahá’í Center on 10/28/12

Dearest Family and Friends of Amin,

This crowded room testifies to how greatly dear Amin is loved. How seldom it is that we have the blessing of knowing someone like Amin who inspires such universal affection!

I want to acknowledge up-front there is little, if anything, that can be said to lessen our sense of missing Amin — and we know his physical absence is all the more difficult for his family members, who are also so very dear to us.

Today’s Memorial is a special time for remembering Amin and to celebrate his life — to admire his wonderful qualities, his numerous accomplishments, his exemplary character, and his spiritual way of living that was dedicated to making this world a better place.

The passing of a loved one naturally makes us think about that person’s life. It also makes us think of life in general, and about our own lives — to ponder why are we in this world, and what are we doing about it?  As a devoted follower of that way of life known as the Bahá’í Faith–which is based on the beautiful teachings of Bahá’u’lláh–Amin had clear ideas about life’s purposes, and he was dedicated to realizing them. Amin knew why he was in this world, and what he needed to do while here.

Bahá’u’lláh says life has two fundamental purposes, one is collective and relates to every one of us as members of the human race; the other purpose is personal and involves each individual’s develop­ment and growth as a spiritual being.

Bahá’u’lláh  explains  that,  collectively, “All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization.” To support this process of advancing civilization, God has progressively sent a series of Divine Teachers Who revealed social and spiritual lessons for the periods and places in which Each appeared. Their teachings have enabled people everywhere to form ever-widening circles of unity. Now, when humanity stands at the threshold of its long-awaited collective maturity, Bahá’u’lláh teaches that: “The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind and of the fundamental oneness of religion.” He says, “The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.”  As a Bahá’í, Amin sought to contribute towards breaking down prejudices and promoting oneness and unity between peoples — these principles are what motivated his moving to China and learning its language and culture.

As for life’s individual purpose of growing as a spiritual being, the Bahá’í teachings liken this world to a classroom for our souls — it is a place to learn about, acquire, and practice spiritual qualities. This process of developing as a spiritual being was a daily endeavor for Amin, it was why he was so clean, loving, and righteous. Though he knew having a healthy physical body was important, as a Bahá’í Amin believed what was most important was giving time, effort, and attention to nurturing his soul, his true reality.

In one of His most well-known Writings, read at the beginning of our program this afternoon, Bahá’u’lláh says God has “… made death a messenger of joy”.   In trying to understand how death could bring joy, consider this response by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’u’lláh’s Son, when He was asked, “How should one look forward to death?” He replied: “How does one look forward to the goal of any journey? With hope and with expectation. It is even so with the end of this earthly journey.”   On another occasion ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explained: “To consider that after the death of the body the spirit perishes is like imagining that a bird in a cage will be destroyed if the cage is broken, though the bird has nothing to fear from the destruction of the cage. Our body is like the cage, and the spirit is like the bird.”

Bahá’ís view the next life, then, as a natural continuation of the life that begins in this world. Bahá’u’lláh explains that for humans death is not a state of termination but a process of transition; death is not an ending, but a new and wondrous beginning to a far greater existence. Bahá’u’lláh speaks of countless, glorious, spiritual realms created by God which exist beyond this mortal plane, worlds in which our souls “undergo a spiritual development that extends throughout eternity”.

In explaining the life to come, Bahá’u’lláh uses a fascinating analogy, saying: “The world beyond is as different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother.”  As we ponder this comparison, we know this world is certainly much greater than the world of the womb, and we’ve all experienced the joy of welcoming a child to this world after it leaves the womb! To think that the world beyond is likewise so very marvelously and positively different from this world, then we can begin to understand why transitioning onto God’s great realms beyond should indeed also be a cause for joy.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá further explained this comparison of worlds in this way:  “These human conditions may be likened to the matrix of the mother from which a child is to be born into the spacious outer world. At first the infant finds it very difficult to reconcile itself to its new existence. It cries as if not wishing to be separated from its narrow abode and imagining that life is restricted to that limited space. It is reluctant to leave its home, but nature forces it into this world. Having come into its new conditions, it finds that it has passed from darkness into a sphere of radiance; from gloomy and restricted surroundings it has been transferred to a spacious and delightful environment. Its nourishment was the blood of the mother; now it finds delicious food  to enjoy. Its new life is filled with brightness and beauty; it looks with wonder and delight upon the mountains, meadows and fields of green, the rivers and fountains, the wonderful stars; it breathes the life-quickening atmosphere; and then it praises God for its release from the confinement of its former condition and attainment to the freedom of a new realm. This analogy,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says, “expresses the relation of the temporal world to the life hereafter—the transition of the soul of man from darkness and uncertainty to the light and reality of the eternal Kingdom.”

Of course, if we could somehow explain to an embryo what this world outside the womb is like, and why that little one must prepare arms, legs, and sensory organs, it could never understand our explanations—because before birth it has no terms of reference to help it understand the benefits of limbs and senses. But after being born and using its facilities, their benefits would be clear and obvious. Likewise, the Bahá’í Writings tell us that while we are in this world we cannot even begin to “picture our state in the next world. All we know is that our consciousness, our personality, endures in some new state, and that that world is as much better than this one as this one is better than the dark womb of our mother…”.

And just as children in the womb develop whatever they need to properly function in this world, Bahá’u’lláh says in this existence we must prepare certain spiritual faculties needed for God’s realms hereafter—and these are those attributes which God’s Prophets have all stressed: spiritual qualities such as mercy, kindness, love, compassion, generosity, forgiveness, and every other Divine characteristic associated with our Creator.

As we grasp the concepts underlying Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings regarding the preparatory purpose of this life, and how living here is part of a natural process of becoming ready for the life to come, then death will not only “lose its sting”, but it can actually make us “welcome [death] as a gate-way to a realm immeasurably higher and nobler than this home of suffering we call our earth.”

To the parents of a young man who had passed on, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote: “O ye two patient souls! Your letter was received. The death of that beloved youth and his separation from you have caused the utmost sorrow and grief; for he winged his flight in the flower of his age and the bloom of his youth to the heavenly nest. But he hath been freed from this sorrow-stricken shelter and hath turned his face toward the everlasting nest of the Kingdom, and, being delivered from a dark and narrow world, hath hastened to the sanctified realm of light; therein lieth the consolation of our hearts.
“The inscrutable divine wisdom underlieth such heart-rending occurrences. It is as if a kind gardener transferreth a fresh and tender shrub from a confined place to a wide open area. This transfer is not the cause of the withering, the lessening or the destruction of that shrub; nay, on the contrary, it maketh it to grow and thrive, acquire freshness and delicacy, become green and bear fruit. This hidden secret is well known to the gardener, but those souls who are unaware of this bounty suppose that the gardener, in his anger and wrath, hath uprooted the shrub. Yet to those who are aware, this concealed fact is manifest, and this predestined decree is considered a bounty. Do not feel grieved or disconsolate, therefore, at the ascension of that bird of faithfulness; nay, under all circumstances pray for that youth, supplicating for him forgiveness and the elevation of his station.”

Indeed, Bahá’u’lláh tell us that, “… were we to have the proper vision to see the blessings of the other world we would not bear to endure one more hour of existence upon the earth. The reason why we are deprived of that vision is because otherwise no one would care to remain and the whole fabric of society will be destroyed.”

Regarding what happens to the soul at the death of the body, the Bahá’í Writings explain: “When man dies, his relation with the body ceases. [For example,] The sun is reflected in the mirror; the mirror reflects the light and brilliancy of the sun, but the sun does not reside in the mirror. It does not enter nor come out of the mirror, nevertheless one sees it in the mirror, so [in the same way] the soul reflects itself in the body. If the mirror [is] broken the sun does not die. The body is [like] the temporary mirror; the spiritual soul suffers no change, no more than the sun does, remaining eternally in its own station. Even as in the world of dreams when all the physical faculties are in abeyance and the soul travels in all realms seeing, hearing, speaking, so when the physical body decomposes, the soul is not affected.”

I’d like to conclude this brief sharing of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings regarding the soul and its eternal journey throughout God’s realms by citing a few more selections from the Bahá’í Sacred Writings on life after this life. As I read, I hope you will keep Amin’s in mind, for it was these Words, and others like them, that brightened — and which surely continue to illumine — his radiant soul:

“Thou hast asked Me concerning the nature of the soul. Know, verily, that the soul is a sign of God, a heavenly gem whose reality the most learned of men hath failed to grasp, and whose mystery no mind, however acute, can ever hope to unravel. It is the first among all created things to declare the excellence of its Creator, the first to recognize His glory, to cleave to His truth, and to bow down in adoration before Him. If it be faithful to God, it will reflect His light, and will, eventually, return unto Him.”

“Consider how a being, in the world of the womb, was deaf of ear and blind of eye, and mute of tongue; how he was bereft of any perceptions at all. But once, out of that world of darkness, he passed into this world of light, then his eye saw, his ear heard, his tongue spoke. In the same way, once he hath hastened away from this mortal place into the Kingdom of God, then he will be born in the spirit; then the eye of his perception will open, the ear of his soul will hearken, and all the truths of which he was ignorant before will be made plain and clear.”

“ … physical life, in comparison with eternal life in the Kingdom, is considered as death. So Christ called the physical life death, and said: ‘Let the dead bury their dead.’ Though those souls possessed physical life, yet in His eyes that life was death.”

“Divine perfection is infinite, therefore the progress of the soul is also infinite. From the very birth of a human being the soul progresses, the intellect grows and knowledge increases. When the body dies the soul lives on. All the differing degrees of created physical beings are limited, but the soul is limitless!”

“Do not grieve on account of the death of thy son, neither sigh nor lament. That nightingale soared upward to the divine rose-garden; that drop returned to the most great ocean of Truth; that foreigner hastened to his native abode; and that ill one found salvation and life eternal.  Why should thou be sad and heartbroken? This separation is temporal; this remoteness and sorrow is counted only by days. Thou shalt find him in the Kingdom of God and thou wilt attain to the everlasting union. Physical companionship is ephemeral, but heavenly association is eternal. Whenever thou rememberest the eternal and never ending union, thou wilt be comforted and blissful.”

Shared at the memorial meeting on Sunday evening.

Hello,

It’s good to see everyone today, I wish it were under better circumstances. This being the first time I have had to deal with the death of a friend, I struggle with how to distill so much about that individual into something so short.

I think what I admired more about Amin was his sense of steadfastness. I know that may seem like an odd quality to mention today, but within the context of how challenging the world can be…he knew himself well enough to withstand the pressures of conformity to define his own path in life. And that is not easy in the growing up as a teenager and beyond in our world.

Abdul-baha talks about steadfastness in the analogy of ship sailing through a stormy sea, and that requires one to be fixated on the final destination or path, otherwise you can lose your way.

I believe that his steadfastness was an essential quality to him pioneering to China…purposely leaving the familiarity and comfort of family and friends, again to define his own path in life.

This is what I admired most about Amin.

There is also a side to Amin that I don’t believe everyone had the pleasure to experience. To many people, Amin had an old-school Persian formality. To those who knew him better, he was a very entertaining friend. You knew if you were a good friend because he liked to tease you a little. The way a brother or sister may like to tease their sibling.

I recall a 15-minute conversation with him, Tana and Dhabih; about who Tana rather pick to be stuck with on a deserted island. What could be an awkward conversation was instead very revealing how quickly I would not survive on a deserted island because I am too skinny and would not make a good alternative food source.

Amin always made me smile, and I look forward to smiling with him again one day…but hopefully not on a deserted island.

Dan, a good friend of Amin since kindergarten, shared the following at his memorial on Sunday night.

Amin was a great friend to many people. He was hilarious. He was humble. He was generous and never asked for anything in return. Most of all, he was true to his faith, and he only sought to honor his family.

Of all of our friends, I don’t think anyone was as influential as him. To this day, people say that when we get together we all talk like Amin. There isn’t a get together that happens without someone referencing something funny Amin said or did. He’s the source of 1000 inside jokes. Amin brought endless joy to our lives that will live on through us. We have a very tight knit group of friends who I’ve always considered to be my brothers and sisters. Amin was at the center of this group. I don’t think I’ll ever forget his distinct and infectious laugh.

As a natural leader, Amin was someone I constantly sought approval from. At tough times in my life, I often wished that Amin was there to show me the way, or make me laugh.

I don’t want to take too much of your time, but I’d like to share with you a few short stories that I think exemplify Amin and his life with us.

I met Amin in Mrs Duckworth’s Kindergarten class, and his warmth and great sense of humor made us fast friends. As one of my very first friends, his was the first house I went to after school. That day we were playing with legos or gi joes or something in his room, when we heard the intro song to “The Monkees” tv show. We both looked at each other and yelled at the same time “THE MONKEES!!!” and ran in the other room to watch. I think we left after the intro, because that was the best part of the show anyway:)

In elementary school between days in Ms Beebe and Ms Bonoldi’s classes, we spent our time playing sports, going on camping trips with friends, and eating Little Caesar’s pizza at Justin Bird’s sleep overs. Amin loved playing pranks and never shied away from a little mischief. He would often accompany Justin on tips downstairs to draw on his poor brother’s face while he slept. He was also the first one to tell me about and try the hand-in-hot-water trick while someone is sleeping.

Amin was always old for his age. In middle school he grew before everyone, and I’m pretty sure he started shaving in the 6th grade. He was really well liked at Olympus, as people were attracted to his great sense of humor and style (he was popular with the girls at school). James and I would walk home from school with Amin nearly everyday, that’s where is influence started to grow in our lives. For better or worse. One day, he persuaded James and I that it would be a good idea to play “Road Rash” and jump on each others bikes on the side of Northeast 30th. We all had to walk our broken bikes home from there, but like most memories involving Amin’s ideas, I’ll always look back at that fondly, and laugh.

Even though he was a very kind person, he also was very physically and mentally tough. A friend of ours who lives in Korea, Daniel Lee shared this great story with me a couple of weeks ago which really embodies this:

“Back in I believe 6th grade, he and I kinda got into it. I was learning Tae Kwon Do at the time, and I thought I was pretty tough. So I stepped up to him in the band room and I started giving him my best kicks. Afterwards, he stood there and laughed and asked me to stop ‘horsing around.’ Then I played it off like I was playing too when in reality I was hitting him as hard as I could. He was able to completely disarm me with just his words”

In High School, you could get the sense that Amin was focusing on something more substantial in his future. He didn’t get bogged down in the regular trappings of high school, but he did spend a lot of time with his friends. My favorite part of the day was lunch when we all were able to pack in someone’s car and head to Wendy’s or Uwajimaya and catchup with each other. Usually we were speeding around in Amin’s car listening to some bad techno music.

As he was getting more focused on school, he also started to hone his skills with arguing. One of my favorite memories of Amin is in Mr. Rubio’s class where after our essays were returned, Amin would get up in the middle of the class and argue with the teacher about his grade. One time he even got up to argue when Mr. Rubio gave him a 98% on his paper. Mr. Rubio had these words to say when he heard of Amin’s unfortunate passing:

“Amin was definitely one of my favorites, and even his constant arguing that you mentioned, was a usual highlight of my day.  Given his power to creatively advocate, I’m not surprised he became a lawyer—bet he was a great one.  Wow, I am truly saddened by his loss.  Though I hadn’t spoken to him since the old days, his face, voice, and great sense of humor came to me right away.  Please give my condolences to his family, and to you and other friends as well.“

Amin was always very athletic. In high school he participated in Football and the Pole Vault on the Track and Field team. Several people have reminded me of this story which again exemplifies Amins toughness:

At Football practice, Amin’s favorite (and my least favorite) part were the hitting drills, where we’d practice tackling and hitting. It gave the bigger kids a chance to let out some aggression, and the smaller kids to experience some anxiety 🙂 Amin was always really good at tackling, and was a hard hitter. During one especially intense practice, the team and coaches were crowded around Amin and the drill he was participating in. As he got up from the drill and looked up at us with the bridge of his nose cut and bruised. Everyone’s jaw dropped and they were laughing. I distinctly remember him as he said “What?” with a mixture of a casual, confused, and cocky voice. It was then that our coach, a former NFL player said with astonishment, “Amin, you bent your facemask, and it’s below your chin!”

In college Amin became more focused and went on trips to New York to participate in the model UN with our friend Shawn. I was having a tough time for the first couple years at Western, and Amin and Shawn would often come to visit James and I for the weekend. I’m still grateful for the effort he took to be with us, and the good times we spent in Bellingham.

Amin was always honest and caring with his friends, especially if it meant making fun of them. Whether it was him giving me a hard time about how I spent my student loan money (do you really think buying a digital camera is a good idea?), or him asking me when I planned on graduating every time I saw him, or never letting me live down the day I decided to get two dairy queen blizzards in one day. I know it was his way of showing me that he cared about where my life was going, and I loved every second of it.

Amin was a great guy to have on your side. A few years ago on a trip to Maui, the flight Amin and I were on was delayed until the following morning. Never one to be easily deterred, he spent 30 minutes arguing with the poor ticket agent and explaining to her that we were business associates that had an important meeting first thing the next morning back in Seattle. After that we were re-booked on another flight, but we were definitely flagged for security screening 🙂

He also had a very unique vocabulary, he seemed to get words and phrases stuck in his head that none of us had heard before. He was known to refer to such things as: Wafers, nibblers, twizzlers, burner laps, peasants, paupers, flushels, calling people “Big Guy”, being “Creative”, pulling jack moves, putting people in check, asking people to “give me my money”, feeling sorry for you, and asking you “Why would you do that?”

About a year and a half ago I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to China with my wife and her parents, and spend some time with Amin. He was a great and patient tour guide who took us to delicious meals and great sites. I’ll always remember the how at ease he seemed in his adopted home and the way he made grumpy old cab drivers laugh with his Chinese small talk.

One of the days we were there, my wife mentioned that a gallery in a far off corner of Beijing was showing her favorite designer. Without hesitation, he navigated us out to the district where the show was and got us to the front door. When we arrived, we found out that the gallery was closed for a private event. Amin, ever the negotiator, explained that we had flown to Beijing just for this show and that we had to leave tomorrow. With his power of persuasion, we were allowed in while others were turned away. I know it definitely made Jeannette’s trip.

Later that day, we were in a market and he was negotiating with a vendor on our behalf for a few minutes. He was fighting for what was probably the difference between two and three dollars for a couple of hats. After he got what he felt was a fair price, he said something in Chinese to the vendor, after which she busted out in laughter. On the way out, Jeannette and I asked him what he said to her, and in perfect Amin dry-deadpan, he said “I told her not to rip me off next time”

Amin, we love you more than we could ever tell you, and one way or another, you’ll always be with us

Thank you

The following note and video was received from Amin’s colleagues in China.

I just wanted to let you know that our Beijing and Shanghai offices held our annual retreat in Qingdao over the weekend.  We had a small “celebration” of Amin’s life on Saturday morning, and then on Sunday we went to Laoshan Mountain (崂山) and planted a tree in memory of Amin.  When I get the photographs, I will send to you for the website.

I also need to give you the memory books from our Beijing and Shanghai offices, and Amin’s diplomas and personal effects.  You are welcome to stop by our office to pick these up and to see Amin’s office, or I can have these materials delivered to you or his parents.

You, Amin and his family remain in our thoughts and prayers.  Take care.

All the best,

James M Zimmerman, Esq.
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

And the Youku version of the video for friends in China.

On Sunday evening the family of Amin held a befitting memorial for him in Bellevue, Washington, USA. It was a most spiritual and dignified gathering. More than 500 family and friends attended and all stayed solemn and spiritual during a program that lasted more than 2 hours. In addition to beautiful and meaningful prayers, writings, messages of the Universal House of Justice and Bahá’í Committee for China, the program included a description of the Baha’i views on life of the soul after passing to the next world and a short biography of Amin. The most emotionally charged moments were when several of Amin’s friends shared their memories of him. His friend’s memories were full of joyful moments of their lives spent with Amin which brought tears and laughter to all who were present. A presentation of Amin’s picture from childhood to his last days in this earthly world was another highlight of this memorial. This meeting ended with a nice dinner, refreshment and fellowship. As we remember Amin as a dignified, spiritually susceptible, and meticulous person in all affairs of his life, this memorial was a befitting sign of the same qualities.

Below are some pictures of the memorial and Amin’s family and friends at this gathering.

The following slideshow was shared at Amin’s memorial gathering in Bellevue, Washington on Sunday evening.

And for friends in China and elsewhere where Youtube service is not available, a Youku version will be made available shortly.

Dhabih Eng, a close childhood friend of Amin, shared the following at Amin’s memorial gathering in Bellevue on Sunday.  Thanks also to Dhaibh for the pictures below.

I want to thank the Amirkia family for this opportunity for us to share some thoughts about their son and our friend Amin.  I think Amin would have preferred us not to focus on him so much as he never wanted to be the center of attention.   But we are here for his family and for each other and I hope he will let this one pass.

In any human relation, one person’s view of somebody is always slightly different than someone else’s view of that same person. We have a different perspective on what makes up a person, all of which are facets of the truth, yet none are the whole picture.

I share these thoughts with you today in an attempt to add who I knew Amin to be to our collective understanding of this bright soul.  There are some in this room who were lucky to know him much better than I and some who maybe only knew of him through his wonderful family.  And while my perspective of him is only a little part of the man he was, this is the Amin I knew.

I want to thank all involved for so quickly putting together the tribute website for Amin at aminamirkia.org.   It has been a few years since Amin moved to China and having the opportunity to see pictures of his times since then has really been wonderful.  It has been such a special way to feel close to him and the outpouring of love and sympathy from people all over the world is really a testament to the kind of effect he had on all those he came across, whether it be family, friends, co-workers or acquaintances.  He was incredibly loved.  Not only because of the many attractive qualities he displayed but because in his interactions with people, the amount of respect and love he afforded everyone was not only genuine but without prejudice.

While I feel lucky to have been able to take a small number of trips with Amin in the past, as each new album was added showing an event, or some travel somewhere, the same thought that kept coming to my mind was “I wish I was there with him.”  Amin was someone I just wanted to be around.  My wife and I were lucky to have been able to spend a little time with him earlier this year when we were visiting my brother in Beijing, and even though we had just seen him a couple weeks earlier when he was visiting Seattle, to see him again was such a joy for both of us.  My only regret was that it was for just one evening and our final time together.

There was little that gave Amin more joy than spending time with the people he loved, and of the people he loved, the ones he loved most was his family.  There was a video shared on the tribute site taken hours before his passing where he is waiting with family for the birth of his cousin May’s child.  You could just see the joy on his face.  While without doubt he was very excited for the imminent birth of his new baby cousin, it was the same happiness that was evident anytime I saw him around his family, whether at home with his parents and brother and sister or with his cousins or aunts and uncles.

Although he was a little younger than me, I looked up to him a great deal, especially in our adult years.  Amin had grown into an incredible young man that possessed many of the qualities I wish I had and he was example and role-model to me in many aspects of living life with integrity.

His unwavering dedication to his goals was paramount and his ability to have a vision for his life and do what was necessary to set out towards that vision was inspiring.  His staunch steadfastness in the Baha’i Faith, this Faith on which he shaped his life around and dedicated much of his time to was plain for everyone to see; and not because he talked about it, but because he lived it through action.  He was someone who truly understood what it meant to value deeds over words.  In fact, he hardly spoke of the service he was performing and on the rare occasions that he did, it was only to try to inspire others to join him in the challenge of changing the direction of the world.

He was someone who showed friend and stranger alike the utmost respect in both his manners and speech.  It’s funny, I’ve known him for 20 years and still when we’d visit each other the first 10 minutes of conversation with him started with many of the same pleasantries and formality I would normally expect from a 70 year old Persian man.  Of course, he enjoyed joking and teasing us too from time to time but if you were ever on the receiving end it was only because he felt close enough and loved you and was never out of malice.

I think more than anything, what stands out to me when I think of my friend, it is his constancy in truth.  Every word he uttered, every letter he wrote was firmly established on a foundation of truth and honesty.  He would always be guarded in speech to be sure that he didn’t inject any preconceived notions or assumptions into a conversation; a trait that made his career choice a natural fit.  He would never say something if he didn’t believe it, nor waste false words on appeasing his audience.  Sometimes to my disappointment.  There were times like when we would get together for 1am steak dinners at 13 coins in Seattle and I would seek his advice on some drama I had gotten myself into.  In truth I was just looking for someone to take my side on a matter and tell me how right I was.  Instead in the most loving way without me feeling like I was being accused of anything, he would break down step by step the ways in which he would have handled the situation differently and through that showed me how incredibly wrong I was.  While I may have initially left those nights feeling like I didn’t hear what I wanted, very soon after I always knew I heard what I needed.  And for that I am always thankful.

Amin also loved to remember moments from the past.  He would often randomly and repeatedly bring up funny episodes that happened to us either weeks or years before just so we could laugh about them again.  I loved his sense of humor.  It was so nice to see the story one of his friends shared on the site while at a restaurant in response to a photo that was taken in which his face was partially blocked, Amin mentioned it was on purpose because if he were to run for President one day, he wouldn’t want it to be known that he’d been in a Xinjiang restaurant.  For a long time too he would insist that I owed him a large sum of money, and he enjoyed playing the role of mafia enforcer who was out to collect.  I was going through some old emails from him last night and he would sign off some of them with “where’s my money?” and “don’t forget my money”, and in response to an invitation to a gathering we were having at our house, he wrote : “I might stop by to pick up my money. Please have it ready so I don’t have to make a scene. “

I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. Amirkia and his family again for allowing us the time to share a few words.  None of us have the context to really understand what you must all be going through at this time, and while I truly thought of Amin as my brother, it can never approach or come close to what he must mean to you and the sorrow your separation from him brings.  And yet in the past couple weeks your family has been so gracious, selfless and loving to the rest of us, by opening your home wide open to all of us from the very beginning, by serving us tea and fruit and allowing the rest of us to mourn by your side.  I hope that we may all in some way return this honor and favor, and if we are to fall short of this, that God will make up for what we lack.   Amin is who he is in large part because of the family he was raised in, and from the integrity and honor you and your extended family have shown during this time, it is clear that there is still much we can learn from you, and for me, you have always been and will continue to be a family I can learn much from.

To say Amin is in a better place doesn’t begin to describe his current state of being and the elation and joy he is no doubt encompassed in.  Ours is a one sided sadness.  Separation from those we love is unbearable and how much more when they’ve passed onto the next life.  But Amin is now closer to us all now than he ever was and in that I take comfort.

When comforting a mother who had lost her son, Abdul’baha, the son of Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Baha’I faith, writes in the voice of that child:

“…lament not, O Mother, and be not grieved; I am not of the lost, nor have I been obliterated and destroyed. I have shaken off the mortal form and have raised my banner in this spiritual world. Following this separation is everlasting companionship. Thou shalt find me in the heaven of the Lord, immersed in an ocean of light.”

I close with this:  Amin may have joked that I owed him money, but in truth I owe him so much more than that and I look forward to paying him back, when he comes collecting.

Amin’s physical remains were laid to rest earlier this afternoon in a befitting funeral in Bellevue, Washington, USA.  Some 500 family, friends and admirers from throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia – including Amin’s beloved China – bid farewell in an emotional and most-dignified funeral.  After prayers, readings and chanting of the Baha’i Prayer for the Dead, Amin’s casket was carried by pallbearers to his grave site for interment.  While difficult to say farewell, Amin’s casket was lowered to the ground amidst a shower of prayers, flowers, tears and along with flower petals from the Baha’i Holy Shrines in Israel as well as a sprinkling of soil from China.

Many, many family and friends who loved Amin gathered to say their final farewell.