Coronavirus: This is the time to practice

Coronavirus: This is the time to practice (download)

Meditation

Regarding the corona virus, ask yourself, what specifically am I afraid of. If you are afraid for a loved one, or a close friend what are you specifically afraid of happening to them? That they fall ill? That’s part of samsara and they have been ill many times before. If you are afraid they will die, that will happen sometime anyway. We can not control that, it’s part of samsara. Are you afraid for yourself? If so what specifically are you afraid is going to happen to you?

If you are afraid you are going to get sick, or going to be in pain? that too is part of samsara. Haven’t you thought of this in meditation? Have you meditated upon death? Are you afraid that the world is going to fall apart? What other things are you fearful will happen? What are the specific things that you fear?

If you are afraid that there will be chaos, we all heard mind training teachings and how to transform adversity into the path. Have you practiced them? Are they firm in our mind? If yes, then there is no reason to have fear. If not, then we have some time now to get familiar with these teachings.

And think about your life, how fortunate you have been that you have encountered the Dharma. You have done purification practice, you have accumulated merit, heard a lot of teachings and planted seeds of Dharma in your mind stream. Does that bring you a certain sense of satisfaction and joy that you’ve led a life with meaning and purpose? That you are closer to awakening now than at the beginning of this lifetime?

Try to rejoice in whatever you have done in this life and then aspire to carry on with it in future lives? Especially to overcome the self-centered mind, the self-grasping to attain full awakening so we can be of great benefit to sentient beings however long it takes us to do. That’s fine but have a feeling you have done something really useful this life and be satisfied.