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12 EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

So when we practise staying in the forest, or in the I want to share with you a story of one family of five
wilderness, there may be fear coming up. Then we people, who got infected with Covid-19. The wife liked
may think of the Buddha. The Buddha had trained to go outside of the home, and no matter how much they
himself already before becoming the Buddha. When told her not to go out, she wouldn’t listen. Ultimately, she
the Bodhisattva had fear come up, in whatever posture got Covid-19 and spread it to the people in the home.
he was in, he would stay in that posture. If he had Later, this wife died in that house. The husband was also
fear when he was walking, the Bodhisattva would not infected, all the in-laws caught it as well. Many people
stand, sit or lie down. He would walk until the fear were infected by it. The ones remaining had to move to
disappeared. If he had fear when he was standing, then get treated in the hospital. It ended up that many people
he would stand until the fear disappeared. If he had fear did recover from it, only having minor flu symptoms, and
when he was sitting, then he would sit until the fear got better. But there was one person, one of the workers,
disappeared. In the same way, when fear came up when who was very good at his work and was skilled, he also
he was lying down, then he would not sit, stand or walk. recovered and went back home. That night, he bathed
But would stay lying down until the fear disappeared. and no one had noticed until the next morning, when
So we can see the Buddha had trained and practised they found him lying on the floor, dead in the bathroom.
himself in the best way, and this sutta was given by the He had slipped in the bathroom. So we can see that he
Buddha when he was in Jetavana monastery, where the had come back, recovered from Covid-19, but slipped
Buddha retold when he was practising as a Bodhisattva over in the bathroom and died for whatever reason,
before becoming awakened. He stayed in the forest, we don’t know. Maybe he had slipped, or maybe he had
in the wilderness. And the Bodhisattva had his body, taken a cold shower and made the illness come back up.
speech and mind that was clean and pure. The raga,
sensual craving, and the five hindrances that obstruct So life is uncertain. They are infected with Covid-19,
samadhi, concentration, was stilled and calmed. So the they think they would die from it, but they can recover,
Bodhisattva likely had no fear from staying in the forest. yet slip in the bathroom and die. So being scared of
dying too much damages the mind. There is excessive
What we people are afraid of most, is death. This is stress on the mind and too much anxiety arises in
because we have liking and pleasure in this world. We the mind. This is not good. So may we establish our
have pleasure in forms, sounds, odours, tastes, touches mindfulness well. If we have fear coming up, then may
and mental objects. So whoever has pleasure, be it a we chant and meditate a lot. Establish our mindfulness
monk or a lay person, then they will have fear come up and contemplate that this is natural and normal in life.
as normal, because they don’t want to be separated or When we are born, we must have ageing, sickness and
be parted from the things they love and possess. And death. We know that it is like this, but this knowledge
especially in this era, there is fear. It may not be the fear hasn’t entered the mind deeply. This knowledge is still
of tree spirits and deities like in the past, but it is fear of just on the surface, on the outside, so we need to train
the harmful virus infecting us, and we don’t even know and develop our minds to have this supreme refuge,
when it entered our bodies. No matter how careful they the highest refuge. If we go for refuge in the jewel of
are, there are still people who get infected with the virus, the Buddha, the jewel of the Dhamma, the jewel of the
Covid-19. And many people have lost their lives from it. Sangha, we will be able to be free from all suffering. So
So may we establish our mindfulness well. Firstly, it is may you be determined to truly enter the Triple Gem in
related to kamma. If we have the kamma, then how much our meditation and in our Dhamma practice. May you
ever we try to avoid it, we may still die from it. all grow in blessings. EH