"COVID-19 in Myanmar" series
To respond to the disturbing spread of the global pandemic, Insight Myanmar Podcast is currently producing a series looking at how Burmese monasteries, nunneries, and meditation centers are being affected. All of our episodes can be listened to here.
The confusing new reality of our lives in this time of pandemic continues to sprout so many new shoots that professional journalists can scarcely keep up. From food supply issues to economic loss, from staggering death rates to diminished civil liberties, the news can sometimes feel like a gush of breathless, stream-of-consciousness, catapulting us into a world that few people understand. And just when we might think we have a handle on it, the beep or ping of our phone notification tells us it is changing again…
But while the avalanche of coronavirus-related news is relevant to everyone in its social, political, economic and health implications, there is an added dimension of concern for the dhamma practitioner. It often takes the form of such questions as: What should meditation practice look like during a pandemic? How do I work with the fear and panic that is now all around me, and maybe taking root within? How are meditation centers responding since they have been entirely shut down? How are foreign meditators and monastics who chose to stay in Myanmar faring? How are Burmese monasteries, with their strict codes of disciplines around food especially, managing when access to markets and supporters are drying up?
This is just some of the territory we get into during these episodes, where we explore how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting Burmese monastic society, impacting meditators around the world, and pushing teachers to respond in new and innovative ways to the crisis as it unfolds. In this time of uncertainty and insecurity, we hope the voices that follow provide information and insight, and help awaken the seeds of wisdom within you.
Episodes in this series include the following information:
· Updates, news, and information as to how monastic and meditative life in Myanmar is being impacted.
· Personal anecdotes and stories from yogis and monastics currently living in Myanmar.
· Continued possibilities for practice and retreat in Myanmar as the country responds to the growing pandemic.
· Guidance and advice from leading teachers and practitioners on the role of mindfulness during a pandemic.
· Historical studies of how past Burmese monks have responded to crises and disasters in Myanmar, as well as references from the scriptures.