Several of you have asked me to offer some advice on how to cope with the coronavirus
pandemic that has suddenly exploded into a world-wide crisis. This is a really difficult
time for us all. Not only does the virus threaten our health and wellbeing, but many jobs have
been lost, investments have plummeted in value, daily routines and weekly activities have
been completely disrupted, and we've been asked to socially isolate ourselves to prevent
further transmission of the virus. Of course, all of this dramatically adds to the fear
and anxiety we feel about the health and wellbeing of our families and friends.
Not knowing what the future holds can certainly make you anxious. Yet in reality, you face
uncertainty about the future every day of your life. Your job, your health, your finances
- none of that is guaranteed. Everything can be taken from you at any moment. Nothing in
life is absolutely secure. Of course, you know all this very well. You learned it long
ago. And you've learned how to deal with the anxiety that comes with all the uncertainties
of life. You've also learned to be prepared for unexpected problems and challenges. In
fact, most of you are quite skillful in dealing with the many uncertainties of life.
Yet, the uncertainties about this pandemic seems different, different because the virus
not only threatens you and your loved ones, it threatens everyone. The scale is mind-boggling.
Because of our modern global culture, this pandemic is unprecedented in its extent and
in its dangers. All seven billion of us are subject to life-threatening infections. So,
how are we to cope with a menace of such immense magnitude without feeling overwhelmed and
helpless? First of all, it's important to maintain a
proper perspective. You are not personally responsible for the health and welfare of
seven billion human beings. Government officials and health professionals all over the world
are working tirelessly to minimize the impact of this crisis. For the most part, they've
responded aggressively and effectively. Due to such efforts, in China, where the pandemic
began, no additional locally transmitted cases have occurred. And the strategies that have
been successful in China will eventually succeed everywhere else.
Fortunately, every virus has a life span, like that of a person, and the coronavirus
will eventually expend itself, allowing us to return to normal. This crisis might get
worse before it gets better, but it will certainly get better. In the meanwhile, you can relax
and let others take care of the rest of the world. Your responsibility is to take care
of yourself and your loved ones. And you know how to do that - through proper hygiene and
social distancing. Following these rules is crucial so that you don't accidently put more
lives at risk. But there's another aspect of this virus that
often goes unrecognized. It can not only affect your body, but it can affect your mind as
well. It can distort your reasoning and virtually paralyze you with fear and anxiety. Our minds
have a tendency to imagine the worst possible scenario. This tendency is often called catastrophic
thinking. Ideally, such thinking can alert you to possible threats and prepare you to
meet those challenges. But unfortunately, catastrophic thinking often transforms normal,
manageable fear and anxiety into feeling overwhelmed and panicked. Not only that, if your mind
is filled with overwhelming fear, you can pass that fear on to those closest to you,
like a virus that gets transmitted from person to person. Instead of being a source of comfort
and encouragement for your loved ones, you might inadvertently rob them of hope and cheer.
So, during this time of crisis, not only do you have to practice physical hygiene like
washing your hands and social distancing, but you have to practice mental hygiene as
well. In particular, you have to avoid catastrophic thinking. You can't let your normal, manageable
fear and anxiety be transformed into terror and panic. You can practice this so-called
mental hygiene in many ways. Prayer and meditation are perhaps the most powerful and effective
practices. Prayer, in this context, is not merely asking Ishvara or God to protect you
and your loved ones, it can also connect you emotionally with the almighty creator of the
universe and source of infinite blessings. This prayerful, intimate relationship with
Ishvara can help you feel more secure, safe, protected.
When you were a child laying in your bed at night, you felt safe and secure because your
parents were in the next room. Even without seeing them, you knew they were nearby, always
watchful, and ready to come to your side. In the same way, prayer helps you appreciate
the constant presence of Ishvara in your life. Prayer directs your mind and heart towards
the source of limitless blessings. And even though Ishvara remains unseen, you can have
the confidence that you'll receive the blessings you need to meet the challenges ahead, just
like you were blessed many times before at other difficult times in your life.
Along with prayer, meditation can help a lot. It's especially useful when you feel anxious.
Any meditation technique can help - like reciting a mantra or concentrating on your breath.
If you feel too anxious to sit quietly and meditate, you can simply practice deep breathing.
You might find it helpful to listen to the guided meditations available on our website.
One of those meditations, called "Dealing with Crisis" is specifically intended to be
used at difficult times like this. You can find links to that meditation below.
In addition to prayer and meditation, the teachings of Vedanta can be a tremendous support
during this crisis. Those teachings help you focus on atma, your true, inner self, which
is sat cit ananda, unborn, unchanging limitless consciousness. You can discover that your
essential nature remains utterly unaffected by any and all difficulties of life. This
isn't the right time or place for lengthy discourse, but this particular topic is presented
in a video of mine called "Still Point at the Center of the Storm." You can find a link
to that video below. Many of you are confined to your homes right
now to avoid contagion. So, you probably have a lot of extra time on your hands. Some of
that time could be very nicely spent in spiritual studies. In particular, you could study the
Bhagavad Gita. You could start at the beginning, or with your favorite chapter, or with chapter
nine which might be particularly helpful right now. As you know, in the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna
faced the most difficult, stressful, horrifying challenge of his life when he confronted his
own family members on the battlefield. Sri Krishna's teachings helped Arjuna overcome
his tremendous anxiety and deep depression. If those teachings could help Arjuna so much,
they can certainly help you. Finally, it's important to remember that this
virus doesn't only threaten you and your loved ones; it threatens everyone. In your neighborhood
and around the world, people are suffering from fear, anxiety, illness and death as a
result of the pandemic. We can all help those nearby who need support. And we can pray for
the well-being of others, as well as our own. We'll conclude here with a prayer from the
Vedas. sarve bhavantu sukhinah, may all people be happy. sarve santu niramayah, may all people
be free from any kind of illness or mental distress. sarve bhandrani pashyantu, may all
people experience goodness. ma kashcid dukhabhag bhavet, may no one ever suffer. sarve bhavantu
sukhinah, sarve santu niramayah, sarve bhandrani pashyantu, ma kashcid dukhabhag bhavet. om
shanti shanti shantih.