In attachment, blossoms fall; in aversion, weeds spread.
–Eihei Dogen, “Actualizing the Fundamental Point”
As the impacts of coronavirus pandemic have rippled and grown, many familiar things are changing. This moment is very unsettling and upsetting. Confusion may lead to the spread of weeds like stress and anxiety. I feel grief for all the suffering around the world and my many carefully laid plans slipping away. You are probably feeling something similar. We can appreciate these reactions and tend to them with awareness and lovingkindness. We can do what we need to do to stop the spread with tenderness toward ourselves and others. If we turn away from our present circumstances and pretend nothing is changing and ignore the source of the change, then weeds, viruses, and suffering will spread.
If we cultivate a beautiful garden we know, even under perfect circumstances–favorable weather, minimal pests, good soil–our flowers will bloom and then fade. “Blossoms fall.” If we are attached to the blossoms, believing they somehow should always be blooming and never change, when they do change, we are sad. Maybe we even become depressed and refuse to continue caring for our garden.
But if we turn away from our garden, seeking to avoid change and the sadness that can come with it, “weeds spread.” If we allow that to happen, then we won’t again see the flowers we love. So, if we are true to our love—versus our mere attachment—we can’t turn away from our garden, from our life.
True love requires cultivation and letting go. We cultivate ourselves and the conditions of our relationships. Cultivation is not a kind of consumerist acquisition, it is a refinement of our awareness of reality and who we are. For Buddhists, the reality is change; who we are is boundless, not separate from our life or others’ life. This understanding requires some steadiness of mind and heart to fully appreciate, which is why so many Buddhists meditate. In one sense, meditation is a kind of cultivation that allows the actual flower of our life to blossom.
Letting go means allowing flowers to be what they are. Instead of “letting go,” we could say “offering freedom.” Not the typical immature B-movie freedom to do whatever the eff you want. True freedom is freedom from grasping, our deeply conditioned habit of seeking to control everything for our own personal benefit. We often cloak our effort to control in seemingly good intentions. “If they just do it my way, they’d see this is for their own good.” Haha. Maybe it’s true, but if we try to force a daisy to be a rose, we have a problem. In fact, we are the problem, not the daisy.
The essential dimension of meditation practice is non-grasping, letting go of the effort to impose any change. It is trusting and attending life as-it-is and offering the world freedom from our self-centered desires. The practice of “opening the hand of thought” leads us to a sincere appreciation of flowers, weeds, ourselves, & other people, even viruses, just as they are.
Yes, we may have to take some action. We may see that pulling some weeds is appropriate. Our understanding and our efforts are part of “things-as-it-is.” But if we don’t fully appreciate the weeds, understand them, even sympathize with them, we will always find ourselves tangled up in our opinion of them, and our actions will only create more suffering.
In the past week, we’ve all heard the practices that will help “flatten the curve” of the rate of infection. Buddhist teachings encourage us to “turn difficulties into the path.” The necessary actions recommended by the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are, fundamentally, calls to mindfulness. Mindfulness, situational awareness, and serenity are basic bodhisattva practices, and in these times of pandemic, make an immediate difference.
So, here are a few suggestions to turn our current situation into practice in its most profound sense, a practice that benefits self and others.
“Stay home if you are not feeling well.” Be mindful of how you are feeling physically. Be attentive to your sensations. While you’re at it, notice your emotional states. Be honest about them. Take care of them.
“If you have a fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention, and call in advance.” This really needs no explanation. If this describes you or someone you know, get help. Just do it.
“Cough or sneeze into your bent elbow or a tissue.” Duh. But yeah, we have habits, and not always good ones. Here’s an opportunity to cultivate wholesome habits for any time.
“Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and face.” I gotta tell you, and you probably already know, this is a hard one! It is a challenging mindfulness practice to be aware of your hands. One study found that we touch our face on average 24 times per hour! One sensible recommendation from the researchers said to put something new on your wrists or fingers to change the sensation of hand movement and subtly disrupt the face-touching habit with a novel experience. At that moment of sensing the new bling, you may catch yourself before you touch your face. Prayer beads could be used here.
“Avoid shaking hands.” In Zen practice, we use a bow for greetings and good-byes. If you haven’t tried this, now is the time people won’t think you’re weird. They’ll understand. And you may find this is an elegant way to express your heart and mind to another without speaking or touching.
“Maintain at least three feet distance between yourself and someone coughing or sneezing.” Situational awareness is being aware of the present moment, sensing what is about to arise, and taking appropriate action.
“Wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water, especially after blowing your nose, touching doorknobs, etc.” You’ve heard of washing your hands for 20 seconds, and you’ve heard about singing “Happy Birthday.” How about making it a moment of breath awareness, counting your breaths (for me 5 breaths gets to 30 seconds). In Zen and other Buddhist traditions, there are short verses for transforming everyday activities into practice. Thich Nhat Hanh offers these for handwashing:
Turning on the water: Water comes from high mountain sources. Water runs deep in the Earth. Miraculously, water comes to us and sustains all life. My gratitude is filled to the brim.
Washing Your Hands: Water flows over these hands. May I use them skillfully to preserve our precious planet.
(Find more of these awareness verses in Present Moment, Wonderful Moment):
During the pandemic, it is strongly recommended that we spend more time at home. We can all make time to meditate, read some Dharma, reflect on this wondrous life, & be ready to help others.
Finally, don’t neglect exercise. Getting exercise away from the gym means taking walks outside. And, the more naturalistic your surroundings, the more you will reduce stress and boost your immune system. You can make it walking meditation by counting your steps during each inhalation, then counting steps on the exhalation. Appreciate your surroundings, the sounds of birds, the quality of light, the temperature of the air, the blossoming of flowers.
Peace&Love,
Eden