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our mental map. We immediately you are trying to cure, and on the our lives and in the greater world.
think, “How does this thing I’m constitution of the patient. In Zen Everything is the result of causes
encountering relate to me, and we recommend zazen for almost and conditions, but some of those
to all the other fixed objects and everyone (although it may not causes and conditions are biological,
beings in my personal universe?” be the best practice for people genetic, chemical, etc. Some things
By practicing meditation, we learn suffering from certain kinds of are due to chance, such as the earth
to let go of our attachment to our mental illness), but we willingly ending up a particular distance from
mental map. It’s not easy, and when acknowledge the benefits you the sun, a basic prerequisite for
we let go it isn’t permanent, but may receive from liturgy, bowing, everything on this planet, including
even a little loosening of our grasp chanting, and studying sūtras. Such the Covid-19 pandemic. So not
relieves some of our dukkha and benefits include the cultivation of everything is due to human choices.
helps us relax into more natural and humility, compassion, and gratitude, Not everything can be blamed on
beneficial way of being. and the challenging of certain fixed willful choices or controlled by us.
ideas and assumptions. That said, our responsibility is to
If the main focus of Zen is relieve as much suffering as we can,
meditation, why are there The reality of change and and refrain from actions based in
elaborate liturgies such as suffering is easily seen today the three poisons. Why are human
bowing and chanting, and with the never ending spread of beings subject to the three poisons
extensive writings in the form of the Covid-19 virus, which has to begin with? The Buddha would
numerous sūtras? killed thousands of people. Is say that is a question that does not
there an explanation from Zen “tend to edification,” meaning it’s

The Zen school originated Buddhism for the rise of this really not helpful to spend your time
in China as the Ch’an school, global pandemic? contemplating it. This is the world
which differentiated itself from we live in; the important question
other schools by emphasizing In Zen Buddhism we understand is how are we going to conduct
meditation and idea that you that much of the suffering in the ourselves from here on out?
could achieve Buddhist liberation world is caused by humans. Because
without dependence on any of the of the three poisons of greed, hate, The Covid-19 pandemic has
other traditional components of and delusion, we destroy the natural created much uncertainty in life.
Buddhism, including sūtras, study, world and make pandemics like If one already has fear, anxiety
chanting, ceremonies, devotional Covid-19 more likely. Our appetite and worry in our mind, how can
practices. However, the Ch’an school for travel and global trade means one still meditate to overcome
never actually got rid of any of those pandemics can spread around the them?
practices; an occasional teacher entire planet in months. The three
might have taught without them, poisons have caused unimaginable I would say that, in Zen, we don’t
but the lineage as a whole kept all of inequities in terms of resources meditate to overcome troubling
the traditional practices around. between countries and within emotion such as fear, anxiety, or
societies, causing much more worry. Certainly, there are Buddhist
All practices in Mahāyāna suffering and death than necessary. practices – such as mindfulness
Buddhism, of which Zen is a part, Delusions and attachment obstruct of breathing, mettā practice,
are seen as skillful means. This our communal cooperation to or chanting – that can help you
means they intended to produce remedy our situation. break free, momentarily, from a
a certain kind of benefit, but that distressing and repetitive series of
certain practices work for some At the same time, in Zen we negative thoughts or images.
people and not for others. This understand that karma – the
is like medicine – what medicine results of our willful actions – only Ultimately, though, once our
you use depends on the illness accounts for part of the situation in emotions are even a little bit

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