The Jizo Foundation

The Jizo Foundation was established in April 2020 by mythologist, author, and grief counselor, Dr. Patricia Danaher, to help families grieving the loss of a baby at birth or before, by acknowledging such loss in ways that Western society does not currently accommodate. It aims to provide social, emotional, and spiritual comfort through the practice of ritual and engagement with Jizo by those grieving any kind of infant loss like miscarriage, still-birth, failed IVF, or termination by creating public grieving areas in existing cemeteries and green burial grounds.

In the West, there is scant place or process for this kind of mourning. With no possibility of a ceremony or a grave to visit, families are left with no way to publicly mourn. Our project is inspired by an ancient and popular Japanese tradition involving public grieving grounds presided over by statues of the compassionate Bodhisattva Jizo. According to the mythology which dates to the seventh century, when Jizo learns of the death, he dives into the underworld and swoops the baby up in his cloak, bringing its soul directly to Nirvana (Heaven). It is a comforting idea of a soul at peace and not lost. In Japan, Jizo statues are everywhere, in the marketplace, in the temple, in nature, just like spirit. He is affectionately known as the Universal Pain Reliever.

In November 2023 we opened our first Jizo Grieving Site within a historic cemetery,  Westwood Hills Memorial Park, located at 2720 Cold Springs Rd. in Placerville, CA. The public is invited to visit during cemetery hours, to sit, meditate, grieve, and remember. The beautiful stone Jizo sculpture centerpiece donated by Dr. Patricia Danaher is the first large one of its kind in public in the United States.

Jizo has also inspired us to create healing packages for those who have lost infants, pets, or are grieving the loss of a relationship, a home, a job, or some other meaningful entity, all available through our affiliated company Rituals for the Living, These customized kits will include a number of lovely items such as a small statue of Jizo, a handmade candle, a small pot with seeds, a crystal or other object to be used in creating a small shrine at home. We also offer a seasonal Dia de los Muertos kit which has a unique handmade calavera skull made by a local artisan.