Buddhist Monks Honor North Shore's Harold Ramis with Ceremonies

A group of Buddhist monks performed two ceremonies — one with fire the other with sand — last week in honor of Harold Ramis, the director who died earlier this year, according to an article in the Glencoe News.

Ramis, who lived in Glencoe, was a writer, actor and director known for hits like Caddyshack, Groundhog Day and Ghostbusters. He died in February at the age of 69.

Ramis was very interested in Buddhism and helped bring the Dalai Lama to Chicago for a visit several years ago, the article says. The monks, who are from southern India, are on a yearlong U.S. tour. They performed a fire puja at the Glencoe Community Garden to promote health and wellbeing in the community, and the next day held a ceremony centered on a mandala, an elaborate design made of colored sand that they then gently brushed away.

You can watch a video of the ceremonies here.

You can read the full Glencoe News article here.

Photo: Justin Hoch photographing for Hudson Union Society via Wikimedia