Keeping A Positive Mind  In The Midst Of Suffering

by Khöndung Gyana Vajra Sakya Rinpoche

Q. Rinpoche, right now we are facing a crisis all over the world with a pandemic. What is your advice to your followers and everyone around the world? What is the best we can do at this time?

A. There are certainly a few things we can do. To begin with, of course, we should heed the advice of medical authorities by strictly observing basic hygiene rules, such as washing our hands frequently, changing and washing our clothes often, keeping a safe distance from others – both for others’ benefit and our own. Secondly, from a religious point of view, this is a very good time to reflect on the Buddha’s teachings about impermanence. A few months ago, everyone was leading a normal life; and now, everything has changed, nothing is secure. A great number of people have died.

Also, we can see that Coronavirus is not respecting any racial or social divides, affecting not just the poor but also the rich, not just one race, but all the races. Whether we are Asian, American, European or Australian, we’re all part of the world, and we are all being affected by this crisis. This reminds us that we are all the same. The colour of our skin or the food that we eat, none of these things matter. The point is that the Coronavirus is affecting everybody. So it’s a good time to reflect on the Buddha’s teaching on equality – that everyone is same.

I think there are many things that we can think about and do while we are at home, or wherever we find ourselves at the moment. We can recite prayers, especially during this pandemic we can pray to the goddess Lomagyonma (Parnashavari), The One With A Leaf Skirt. Her mantra is especially good in helping us mentally when we are fighting this kind of disease. But this does not mean that by just chanting the mantras, we will be cured, or that we can do whatever we want. Thinking that we can just chant the mantra and everything will be fine, is a wrong view. And there are unfortunately some people who hold this view, that if we pray and recite mantras, we will be safe from the virus.

I believe that, whichever religion we belong to, if we want prayers to have an effect, we have to start by taking care of ourselves, taking all the precautions necessary to keep safe. Only then will prayers be effective, helping us emotionally and keeping us strong with their blessing. 

So now, we need to look after our family and our neighbours. But at this time, the best way to look after them is to stay away from everyone – stay at home. Of course, this is much easier for wealthier people, because they have big houses, plenty of food, and everything they need; but for poorer families, this is infinitely more difficult, because everyone is either homeless or forced to live in cramped spaces, often without enough food to eat, and at great risk of contagion.

So when people find themselves in this sort of situation, when they are helpless, then all they can do is try to survive and pray that they will not be affected. As for those who are better off, they should not only pray for their own safety, but also – and especially for that of people who are not so fortunate.

Because we don’t see first-hand the effects of the pandemic and we only know about it through whatever we read in the news, it’s difficult to gauge the extent of damage it will inflict on the world. One thing is clear is that it is not a problem that will just go away once the rate of infection has gone down. It will have long lasting effects, especially on the world economy. Many big businesses will be affected, of course, but much harder hit will be those smaller ones because they cannot run for so many weeks or months without functioning. So they might have to go bankrupt and close down. This means so many people might lose their homes and sink into poverty. These are very difficult times for many people, in fact for most people in the world. The effects of this virus are not just going to be with us for one or two weeks, or one or two months, but it is most likely that they’re going to be felt for years to come.

So these are things we should remember and reflect upon. I believe that we all have to be materially and mentally prepared for this. We will have to adjust to whatever material changes the pandemic is making in our lives, and have the strength of character to make the best of it. This is where prayer can be of great help.

And so, we fervently dedicate our prayers to all beings into whose lives this crisis is bringing suffering. If we face these difficult times with a positive mindset, it will make it much easier for us to successfully tackle any situation that life brings us. With the blessing of the triple gem and our gurus, we will overcome this battle and victoriously look to a brighter tomorrow.