The Japanese people understand that the natural process of death is the final event of life, due to their relationship as a race with Buddhist and Shinto beliefs. According to Kimura, "Zen Buddhist phrases such as "accept death as it is" and "Life-death as one phenomenon" are key motifs integrated into Japanese culture" (1996, 374). True to Buddhist precepts, the Japanese also believe in re-incarnation, or the coming of a next life after one has ended. A Japanese funeral thus marks the end of a human life on earth.