Hiro described himself as agnostic, however, unconsciously, he valued a lot of Buddhist beliefs. Some of his family members in Japan are practicing Buddhists. Therefore, memorial services for Hiro are held according to Buddhist tradition.
"Hoji" is a word that refers to periodic Buddhist memorial services that are performed on set dates for people who passed away. In Chinese characters, "Hoji" means "Dharma affair", a word that originally meant "Buddhadharma." A continuous chain of life from long, long ago has made our present life possible.
In India, the birthplace of Buddhism, memorial services were held every seven days after person's death for seven weeks. The counting system in ancient India was based on the number seven which explains why these services were held every seven days. The ceremonies conducted during this interval of 49 days were thought of helping the departed person cross over to the world of peace and quiet. The 49th day was known as "Great-training-bereavement." This idea of "training" was also understood as being "convinced, satisfied, or enlightened." Holding this service is an important practice through which we come to accept a person's death by reflecting on our everyday life in front of your departed loved ones and ancestors.
I am glad that it is helpful.🌸
Thanks for sharing and explaining the Buddhist tradition.