Saturday, March 28, 2020

Time to Renew Yourself

Hi Folks!
How are you and how's life?!

Life suddenly seems unreal, even bizarre.
Are these things really happening?!

We've known wars, terror attacks, displacement on large scales, earthquakes, typhoons, fires - but an all-consuming virus?

And how powerful it is, in its silent aggression across countries, races, genders and cultures.

It became an all-pervading dark shadow a week after I came back to my monastic university in Myanmar after five months in India.

The people of Myanmar are culturally quiet and obedient, going about their work, their  praying and meditating silently.

Our campus is about 5 kms away from the town and we are never more that 40 at any given time, including the student and teacher venerable monks and nuns, the non-ordained students, the kitchen and office staff.

Everyone maintains social distancing and as there are no classes this semester, everybody is busy in their rooms or in the library.

Five months at home were so tumultuous and noisy, with the honking horns and loud talk and constant chatter!
It was unsettling, unnecessary.

It was as if we are not even aware that it is possible to be happy and quiet at the same time.
To be grounded in one's realities even as one strives to better one's life.

This Corona virus - why has it appeared?
What is it telling us and what are we learning from it - or are supposed to?

Is it the disparity between the rich and the poor?
Or the all pervading poverty of kindness and generosity all over the world?

It is working in such a way that it is forcing people to isolate themselves in their homes, forcing them to be with themselves, allowing time if the inclination is there, to look at themselves.

There is now, hopefully, a growing awareness of the need for other people in our lives, that extreme individuality merely leads to loneliness.

The need to adjust, let it be, let it go.

What kind of signals, vibrations do we give to the universe through every out-breath and thought that we nurture?

There is hatred, an aggressive superiority complex which many times simply masks fear and one's own inadequacy.

All problems come with solutions.
People are discovering the benefits of being reached out to by neighbours, friends and strangers.
Of being kind and empathetic, discovering that other lives also matter as much as our own.

The discourse will hopefully change from the earlier competition, revenge, greed and killing to sobriety, and acceptance.

Live in the present moment as you learn to live with yourself or with your wife and children and parents and room-mates.

Every moment, you are sowing powerful seeds, and be aware and alert of their nature, at least now, looking at what has been wreaking on the whole world since the last few months.


We have been brought to this state by the cunning, powerful rulers, politicians, the media and the greedy super rich who want more and more.

So are they the only ones to be blamed?
Nope.
Its us - we let them run away with their greed, with our own overbearing hunger for money and
power at the cost of relationships.

Why do we wear hundreds of blinkers to carefully see only that which suits us and not challenge our comfort zone even slightly?

Use this enforced-by-nature to gingerly, go within.

Give gratitude to who ever comes to your mind.
Apologise to whoever flashes in your mind.

Do it, you are only doing it in your mind, so your ego is safe!

Check if your thoughts and actions are really you.
And if they are not, contemplate.

Meditate and share your feeling of calmness.

It's only when you give - and whatever you give, exactly that is going to come back to you.
It's the virus, fear and helplessness now.

Let it be harmony, peace, kindness and generosity later.
Sow the seeds now.

Will write more often now, so see you soon.
Please meditate and share your vibes with 'whosoever needs them'.



3 comments:

Anand A said...

A nice writeup Shubdha. One wonders how long the learning from the current situation lasts among all humans? With very short memories and the greed among the most evolved species, will be back with their greed and distruction attitude in no time. However, even if some 1% of 7 billion humans can adopt the learning from CORONA VIRUS teachings that is still a great number. May the wisdom prevail.

Priyadarshini said...

Shubhada, very nicely written about the present situation. Don't know who is responsible for the same. Man has achieved so much still nature is most powerful. Let us face it and hope the fear will end soon.

*tara said...

Thank you for this wonderful, loving invitation to turn inward to nurture and connect with ourselves to then connect with others. An extreme situation as right now can be treated as an opportunity. The be mindful, to be still, to reconsider and reconnect. To experience within rather the opposite of isolation.