OUR RESPONSIBILITY

Prayer Alone Is Not Enough

We need to fight coronavirus with compassion says the Dalai Lama

In his April 14, 2020 article published by Time Magazine, The Dalai Lama reminds us that prayer alone is not going to magically get us out of the panicky situation our world is in.

“Sometimes friends ask me to help with some problem in the world, using some “magical powers.” I always tell them that the Dalai Lama has no magical powers. If I did, I would not feel pain in my legs or a sore throat.” — The Dalai Lama

I think I get it. When people ask this holy man to use his magical powers people are referring to the dear man’s renown ability to getting prayers answered. Yes, he possesses this ability but it is not up to him alone to persuade a higher power to listen.

He, like me, like you, experiences the same fears, the same hopes, the same uncertainties, and sometimes the same pains. He is just like any one of us mortals. The biggest difference is that His Holiness is an enlightened human being.

What his holiness thinks of us

“From the Buddhist perspective, every sentient being is acquainted with suffering and the truths of sickness, old age, and death. But as human beings, we have the capacity to use our minds to conquer anger and panic and greed.” — The Dalai Lama

“In recent years I have been stressing “emotional disarmament”: to try to see things realistically and clearly, without the confusion of fear or rage. If a problem has a solution, we must work to find it; if it does not, we need not waste time thinking about it.” — The Dalai Lama

Do you have faith?

The enlightened Buddhist is known to speak often about universal responsibility, stressing that the world is interdependent. But it’s not only people of Buddhist faith who believe this.

I’m no one to compare myself to this great man, and I’m not Buddhist, but I too believe in our universal responsibility and our dependence on each other.

And I dare say that I’m far from being the only one besides His Holiness to believe this. You do too, don’t you?

Today, the coronavirus has made us aware of this crucial awareness. The virus started somewhere where conditions were ripe for such a virus to thrive. We’ve been told the whys and where the virus seems to have originated and because scientists went looking, they found proof.

But how can anyone be sure of something like that? The possibility is there, the undisputed certainty — I’m afraid — is not.

Are you feeling stuck too?

So when people in hight positions start labeling, naming, blaming all they’re doing is separating us from the momentous truth that we are interdependent. It creates disharmony, sows seeds of hate, and makes it hard for us to realign with the awareness of who we are as citizens of the same world.

We need our leaders. We need someone to guide us in times of confusion and fear. But we need leaders with hearts and no hidden agendas.

I will go out on a limb here and say this: In my humble opinion fear-mongers need to be allowed less air time so that perhaps then we can delve within to consult with our own divinity.

Well, that is my opinion. But how can we do something like that when these leaders have earned their right to speak and to opine with authority about how they see things? Now, here’s where I’m stuck.

Notwithstanding, this terrible outbreak has shown that what happens to one person on one side of the world can soon affect someone else in a remotely different side of the same world. Asking the Dalai Lama to augment his prayer-power is hardly the answer we should be seeking. The dear man is already serving his purpose by pointing to us to the truth about our connectivity and spiritual potential.

We know the heroes

Our first responders and essential workers are real-life heroes who are nothing short of enlightened. Their status has risen one hundredfold right before our very eyes. We believe in them. We also believe in the Dalai Lama. A good balance to ground us.

But like I mentioned in the title of this article, prayer is not enough.

If you’re already observing social distancing, you’re already a hero too; this is a constructive act that we’re doing for each other and one we need to continue doing.

When is enough, enough?

We’re all restless now, and worried about our future and the future of our global economy. To us who have gotten used to instant gratification and quick resolutions, it seems that this pandemic has gone on for way too long already. Well, that’s because it has and in many cases, it has claimed the lives of people dear to us. It has also deprived us of the joy of sharing hugs with visiting family members.

• “Enough already!”
• “Enough already!”
• “Enough already!”

We are learning and the biggest lesson we’ve learned so far is that nobody is immune to this virus.

But if what we’re already doing and prayer is not enough, what else do we have?

May I suggest that as we continue praying we all take responsibility where we can? Responsibility to hold on for a bit longer. No one is free of suffering, what we’re doing now is healing our world.

While we wait for the end — for the end will come, dear people. It will come as sure as our belief in the idea of impermanence remains alive.

• The end of the spread will come.
• The race to find the cure (not specifically where it originated), it will come too.

“We must combine the courage doctors and nurses are showing with empirical science to begin to turn this situation around and protect our future from more such threats. In this time of great fear, it is important that we think of the long-term challenges — and possibilities — of the entire globe.” — The Dalai Lama

In the meantime

The things we need to do are few:

• We need to remain coordinated and remain isolated.
• We need to do what we can to reach out to others with compassion. I know, these two sound contradictory; they are not.
• In our world of high technology, we don’t need to go out and expose ourselves to the virus that might linger around corners, instead, using that blessed technological advancement, we can contribute to organizations that are trying hard to shelter people who lack homes and/or the resources necessary to survive the unprecedented magnitude of this challenge that we didn’t ask for.
• Repeating: Please let’s add compassion.

We are living in uncertain times. That makes it more necessary for us to reach in, extract compassion that lives in us, and use it as a tool to help us see this through. To exercise compassion — that’s the kind of responsibility we need to garner right now.

“Eventually, this virus will pass, as I have seen wars and other terrible threats pass in my lifetime, and we will have the opportunity to rebuild our global community as we have done many times before. I sincerely hope that everyone can stay safe and stay calm.” — The Dalai Lama

About Prayer

Like a currency, where a certain amount would buy you and me and the Dalai Lama the same things, our prayers carry the same strength that the Dalai Lama’s prayers do. No more and no less.

Now, how cool is that!

Let’s use our prayers in ways that they’ll get answered too. Let’s try to see things realistically and clearly, without the confusion of fear or rage. Let’s do our best not to lose hope in the strength of our global unity, and let’s honor our constructive efforts on the stride we’ve accomplished so far.

Prayer alone won’t work, but together with compassion, we will awaken to a world that we help to build.

Additional reading:

Time Magazine interviewed His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. If you fancy, read the Dalai Lama’s answers to real questions we’d want to ask him directly.

THANK YOU FOR READING. I Wish You Miracles.