Why it is Lame to Blame anyone for CoViD-19

"Even though we may feel that we have nothing to do with the cause of this virus, upon reflecting, every one of us is in this situation together. So there must be some collective karma that we all share."

On the bright side, we all have this collective karma with many realized beings that inhabit the planet as well. So many highly awakened people, and we all have the karmic condition to be in this together. On our part, we feel we are suffering from the loss of our freedom. But our real freedom is liberation, attaining which would mean that we will no longer be affected by the result of the previous karmas created by ourselves.

So there is nothing on which to fix the blame. There is a lot of fear, anger, and justifying. But it is also a time to reflect deeply and to have compassion for the affected fellow-beings. What we need most now is love, understanding, and compassion for others and ourselves. Use this opportunity. It is the perfect chance to assess how free we are, from our personal wants, cravings, and ideas. Enlightenment is around the corner.

 What we need to do is to go inward, become aware, and reconnect with it. With all of this suffering, there are students in America who feel that we are so far away from one another, but let me remind you that we all have the same intrinsic nature, so how far apart can we be?

What is most important now is the human connection. So make some phone calls or do some video chats. We can do this. We all need the same things. We need food, water, rest, shelter, and safety. Remember that this is all temporary. Good times are not permanent. And bad times are also not either. When you maintain a clear view, you are keeping afloat. Those who are the fortunate ones who choose to see the right side will decide to be of service for all beings.

Your life is not just about yourself. We can create a community where there is support for each other. Know that we can get through this together. With this COVID-19, we are really in a world war. We are fighting an enemy that is invisible to our naked eyes. So isn't this like we are fighting our own karma?

There will be people who get sick and people who will die. What matters most now is our humanity and our karmic affinity. It's about helping a person get a warm drink, a blanket or a jacket when they are feeling cold and hot food when they are hungry, helping someone to get back up when they have fallen or when they don't have enough strength to stand up alone. So can we think about this instead of blaming and getting upset over so many of the little things?

Dharma Teaching by Singha Rinpoche and Edited by Sandeep Nath

18 October 2020