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.