What Do Buddhists Suggest People Do to Alleviate Suffering?

Buddhist meditation centers and temples in coronavirus-hit countries effectually the world have been closed to the public in club to comply with social distancing measures.

Only Buddhist teachers are offering their teachings from a distance in order to remind their communities about key elements of the exercise.

In Asia, Buddhist monks have been chanting sutras to provide spiritual relief. In Sri Lanka, Buddhist monastic chanting was broadcast over television and radio. In India, monks chanted at the seat of the Buddha's enlightenment, the Mahabodhi Temple in the eastern land of Bihar.

Monks praying at the Mahabodhi Temple in India.

Buddhist leaders argue that their teachings can assistance face the dubiety, fear and anxiety that has accompanied the spread of COVID-xix.

This is non the first fourth dimension Buddhists take offered their teachings to provide relief during a crisis. Every bit a scholar of Buddhism, I have studied the ways in which Buddhist teachings are interpreted to accost social problems.

Engaged Buddhism

The Zen principal Thich Nhat Hanh first coined the concept of "engaged Buddhism." During the Vietnam State of war, faced with the pick between practicing in isolated monasteries or engaging with the suffering Vietnamese people, he decided to practise both.

Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Geoff Livingston/Flickr, CC BY-ND

He later on ordained a group of friends and students into this way of practice.

In recent years many Buddhists have been actively involved in political and social issues throughout much of Asia equally well as parts of the western world.

The following 5 teachings can help people in current times of fear, feet and isolation.

1. Acknowledge the fear

Buddhist teachings state that suffering, illness and death are to be expected, understood and acknowledged. The nature of reality is affirmed in a short chant: "I am subject to aging … subject to disease … subject to death."

This chant serves to remind people that fear and uncertainty are natural to ordinary life. Part of making peace with our reality, no matter what, is expecting impermanence, lack of control and unpredictability.

Thinking that things should exist otherwise, from a Buddhist perspective, adds unnecessary suffering.

Instead of reacting with fear, Buddhist teachers propose working with fear. As Theravada Buddhist monk Ajahn Brahm explains, when "we fight the world, nosotros have what is called suffering," merely "the more we accept the world, the more we can actually enjoy the world."

ii. Practice mindfulness and meditation

Mindfulness and meditation are key Buddhist teachings. Mindfulness practices aim to adjourn impulsive behaviors with sensation of the body.

For example, most people react impulsively to scratch an itch. With the practise of mindfulness, individuals can train their minds to watch the arising and passing away of the itch without whatsoever concrete intervention.

With the practice of mindfulness, ane could become more aware and avoid touching the face up and washing hands.

Meditation, every bit compared to mindfulness, is a longer, more inward practise than the moment-to-moment mindful awareness do. For Buddhists, time alone with one'southward listen are usually part of a meditation retreat. Isolation and quarantine can mirror the conditions necessary for a meditation retreat.

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist monk, advises watching the sensations of anxiety in the trunk and seeing them as clouds coming and going.

Regular meditation can permit 1 to acknowledge fear, acrimony and uncertainty. Such acknowledgment can get in easier to recognize these feelings as simply passing reactions to an impermanent situation.

3. Cultivating compassion

Buddhist teachings emphasize the "four immeasurables": loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. Buddhist teachers believe these four attitudes can replace anxious and fearful states of mind.

When emotions around fear or anxiety become too potent, Buddhist teachers say one should think examples of compassion, kindness and empathy. The pattern of fearful and despairing thoughts can be stopped past bringing oneself back to the feeling of caring for others.

Compassion is of import even every bit we maintain distance. Blood brother Phap Linh, another Buddhist instructor, advises that this could exist a time for all to take intendance of their relationships.

Dealing with isolation.

This could be done through conversations with our loved ones only besides through meditation practice. As meditators breathe in, they should acknowledge the suffering and anxiety everyone feels, and while breathing out, wish anybody peace and well-being.

4. Agreement our interconnections

Buddhist doctrines recognize an interconnection between everything. The pandemic is a moment to see this more clearly. With every action someone takes for self-care, such as washing i'south hands, they are too helping to protect others.

The dualistic thinking of separateness between self and other, self and society, breaks down when viewed from the perspective of interconnection.

Our survival depends on i another, and when we experience a sense of responsibility toward everyone, we understand the concept of interconnection as a wise truth.

v. Use this time to reverberate

Times of doubtfulness, Buddhist teachers fence, can exist adept opportunities for putting these teachings into practise.

Individuals can transform disappointment with the current moment into motivation to change 1's life and perspective on the earth. If one reframes obstacles every bit part of the spiritual path, 1 can apply difficult times to make a commitment to living a more spiritual life.

Isolation in the dwelling house is an opportunity to reflect, savour the pocket-sized things and just be.

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Source: https://theconversation.com/5-buddhist-teachings-that-can-help-you-deal-with-coronavirus-anxiety-134320

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