In this blog series, Geshe Tashi gives us regular updates on the Coronavirus Pandemic amongst the Tibetan diaspora in India through the lens of Sera Mey Monastery, home to 6,000 monks. In response to emails asking after his welfare and requesting advice in these difficult times, he very generously shares his observations, thoughts and advice in his usual warm-hearted and accessible style.
In this update Geshe Tashi tells us more about the measures and preparations he’s been putting into place for the Sera Mey community.
Once again he very kindly offers us extensive advice on the practices we can be doing for ourselves each day. Particularly helpful, we think, are his recommendations on how to start the day, and his observation that this is the moment our dharma practices and studies have been preparing us for. Now is the time to put what we’ve learned into practice!
Dear Geshe la
Thank you so very much for your very helpful and practical advice. I hope that at the monastery and collectively, elsewhere, if we are able to reduce the risk and adjust the causes and conditions, the spread of the virus may be reduced and eventually curtailed. Thankfully, not everyone who gets the virus needs the advanced medical care of respirators. The scientists are working hard to find out more about the virus and hope that more help and advice may be available for everyone soon.
Thinking of you and sending warmest good wishes and hope you manage to get rest yourself.
Take good care and everyone
Jane
P.S. New York Times offers free coverage on their novel corona virus articles. That‘s very generous, I find.
Dear Geshe La
What a privilege for us to be able to listen to your updates, tune in to your unique perspective (having both UK and Indian experience) and receive your heartfelt and practical advice.
Your monks are in good and steady hands. And so are we……
I look forward to your videos so much now. I don’t know how you find the time to do them! Thank you SO much.
And so many thanks again to the Admin team for beaming them out to us all :))
And as a last resort………….we shall try to squeeze into the Buddha’s begging bowl!
Dearest Geshe-la, once again your talk is so inspiring and comforting. It is wonderful to have your advice every few days and to see your face. As well as the teachings you are reminding us of, I’m finding there is much to learn from this situation. The mind before being able to book a food delivery (we are in isolation) compared with the mind after being successful…not much equanimity there I’m afraid! So something to work on I think. May you and all those you care for be safe and well. Sue Aldam
Dear Geshe la
I m very happy to here from you, your monastery and the life in India.
Thank you to share it with us.
We are very privileged here in Bern/ Switzerland and so its good to take part of other realities.
So we can support you and others.
Good courage and don’t loose your humor.
In connection
Ruth
Many thanks. Very uplifting. I look forward to the next one.
Most dear Khen Rinpoche Geshe Tashi
Thank you so much for your message. It is a great source of hope! Tenzin and I are both at home – safe and sound- and we try to use our time usefully- as best as we can …
We really hope, that the monasteries in India can be kept as isolated as possible to prevent the virus from spreading…
Here we have this situation with our old people especially the old people’s homes: while we need to remain physically isolated, we try to stay connected mentally.
Take care of your health, Geshe la.
“Eat well, sleep well “ as His Holiness would say ?
With a warm Tashi Delek
From Switzerland
Tenzin and Judith
Glad to see you are well Geshe la – we had been wondering how the situation was where you are. Thank you, particularly for the reminder to take some time at the beginning of the day. It has been so busy and changeable here that it is good to remember to do that. Our very best wishes to you as always, Shelley & Robert Folland
The commentary from Daniel Argent has described so nicely what I felt watching your latest video and I very much hope that the outcome of the illness will be less than feared. Given that the death toll of the „usual“ seasonal flu is much higher than the one of the novel corona virus, it might be realistic that with some care this will remain so. Very grateful being able to listen to your precious advice, thank you so much.
Thank you Ghesce la from the bottom of my heart With love,respect and devotion ani Marta (Italy)
Your videos are a real inspiration on many levels Geshe la. Thank you yet again for taking the time to allow us to share in your perspective and experience. It is truly humbling. I hope the causes and conditions of all of Sera, of my fellow participants on this site, and the rest of the world are such that this illness can be minimised quickly and that it bypasses as many as possible. Best wishes to all.