While I was deep into developing my online course, “Love Your Enemies,” the coronavirus outbreak really picked up. Because of this, I feel like I’m a bit behind in addressing the current situation. So, this month, I plan to start a new course, “Meditating In a Crisis.” Today, I’d like to share some thoughts on this, using the Buddha’s Eightfold Path as a guide.
The Eightfold Path is a broad set of practices to guide us from ignorance to awakening and from suffering to peace. It’s not a sequence of steps to be followed one after another; rather, all eight aspects can be practiced simultaneously. Imagine it as an eight-lane highway or an eight-brick-wide path, where each step engages all eight elements. Alternatively, think of it as a rainbow with eight colors or a cord woven from eight threads. My goal is to show you that the Eightfold Path is practical, flexible, and relevant today.
We begin by examining our views or core beliefs about life. Some beliefs support our long-term happiness, while others don’t. We often don’t seek out these unhelpful beliefs until we find ourselves suffering and then look within to understand why.
For instance, beliefs like “Bad things shouldn’t happen to me” can lead us to feel that the crisis is unfair. We’ve been trying to manage life, and now this hits us? Such views breed self-pity and aren’t useful. A more helpful perspective, aligned with Buddhist thinking, is acknowledging that “Shit happens.” Life changes unexpectedly, sometimes unpleasantly, and we need to deal with that the best we can.
Another harmful belief is, “This always happens to me!” which wrongly makes us feel singled out for misfortune. The pandemic affects many people, some worse than us. Focusing only on ourselves makes us miserable. It’s essential to recognize and let go of unhelpful views and adopt those that align better with reality and help us stay peaceful.
Regarding emotional responses, self-pity, panic, and despondency aren’t helpful. These emotions occur automatically but lead to suffering. Instead, we can adopt healthier responses. Self-compassion provides internal support and comfort during tough times, while compassion for others helps us see that everyone is facing struggles, not just us.
Right speech involves avoiding lying, divisive, abusive speech, and idle chatter while promoting truthful, kind, and unifying communication. It’s crucial, especially now, to be supportive and reassuring in our interactions with others, whether we’re physically with them or not. This includes appreciating those working to help others and possibly taking a break from anxiety-inducing media.
Right action pertains to what we do intentionally, focusing on actions that benefit ourselves and others in the long run. During the current crisis, this means practicing physical distancing, limiting shopping trips, not hoarding supplies, and compassionately checking on friends and neighbors.
Right livelihood involves engaging in work that doesn’t cause harm and ideally benefits others. Even if we’re not working, we can spend our time meaningfully, such as through exercising, learning, or household tasks, which can provide a sense of normalcy and satisfaction.
Right effort focuses on our internal states, aiming to avoid unhelpful mental states and cultivate beneficial ones. Pay attention to your self-talk and shift from stress-inducing thoughts to calm, supportive ones. Recognize unhelpful states like worry and let them go, returning to mindful awareness.
Mindfulness is vital to observe our thoughts and attitudes, understanding how they affect us and others. We need to be mindful continuously, staying grounded in sensory reality, and not being pulled into catastrophic thinking.
Lastly, concentration or samadhi is about maintaining continuity of awareness. Effective practice of the Eightfold Path requires staying focused enough to develop skillful habits. Recognize that emotions like anxiety come and go; they are not permanent states. Understanding this can lessen their impact on us.
The Buddha mentioned that view, effort, and mindfulness continually influence each part of the path. Practicing any aspect of the Eightfold Path involves understanding its benefits (view), recognizing skillful versus unskillful actions (mindfulness), and putting in the effort to cultivate positive habits (effort).
In essence, the Eightfold Path provides a profound foundation for managing crises like the current pandemic. It’s about practical and continuous application to cultivate peace and resilience in our lives.