In trying circumstances, every living being looks for compassion, empathy and succour. Lockdown scenario can surely be tough on human soul. Human soul seeks nourishment through company and socializing. Lockdown can considerably deny the luxury of mingling together, and the health risks of close social contact may prove to be an impediment in social interactions and maintenance of sound mental health. After all, there is a limit to interaction taking place on virtual platforms.
In such an event, it is only apt that one looks for guidance in the life message of Buddha. In fact, Gautama Buddha may well prove to be the saviour of disheartened, dejected and depressed souls experiencing tough travails of lockdown. The 2,582nd birth anniversary of Buddha falls on May 7, 2020.
Gautama Buddha: The Master Preceptor
Buddha mastered a life skill of skillful detachment from worldly concerns yet, at the same time, remained engaged in meaningful dialogue with his own inner being. He purposefully sought to seek answers to ever relevant inquisitive queries hinging on relevance of worldly life, worthiness of life, the cause of pain and suffering, and the ultimate purpose of life. It is well known that Buddha renounced worldly attachments to seek answers to questions which continued to bother him time and again. His consciousness was consumed by the pain and suffering caused by disease, afflictions, greed, and the ugly truth of old age.
As per a popular life-altering tale, Prince Siddhartha was taken to extreme grief when he took a tour of his kingdom and noticed a man dying with disease and a frail man shriveled up due to old age. Buddha was saddened by such visuals, and this had an impact on his mind. He grew saddened and questioned the cause of suffering. He innocuously asked his charioteer about the cause of such suffering, who matter-of-factly replied that old age befalls upon everyone and any human being may be put down by a disease.
In Buddha’s estimation, Dukkham or pain is caused by persistently seeking worldly desires. He placed desire at the root of human suffering and ventured onto a path of spreading his message where he advocated detached living as the panacea for human miseries caused by lust, worldly desires and craving for lowly joys. At Bodh Gaya, he sermonized, “I teach because you and all beings want to have happiness and want to avoid suffering. I teach the way things are.” He persuaded people to shed desires as this would lead to cessation of suffering and liberation of the soul.
So, if you are feeling low confined indoors, you may turn a leaf from the pages of Buddha’s teachings. One can devote the time to look inwards and reflect upon inner strength and enhance the mental health status. Under normal circumstances, you may crave for a pizza, dine-out in a fancy restaurant and may seek pleasures and riches to soak into. However, in case lockdown has cut short your ambitions, there is no need to worry. There is no need to lose control as the life message of Buddha may yet prove to be life-saving and give you the much needed mental and emotional support and stability. Buddha Poornima not only signifies the birth event of Buddha but is also observed as his ‘enlightenment’ or Nibbana moment.
Ever Relevant Life Message
Buddha traversed the deep recesses of human mind and emotion by jolting his own being from the supine existence of a prince who had immersed himself in regal conduct and lifestyle. He took to a path of ‘renunciation’ and exerted his body and soul by throwing himself into reflective meditation and inquiry.
Without doubt, Buddha holds a message for everyone. PM Narendra Modi, in an attempt to strike right chord on the occasion, has emphasized the power of the mind on the occasion by observing, “Lord Buddha had said that the mind is supreme, and is the basis of Dhamma, that the mind is at the forefront of all the tendencies. That’s why, since our minds are connected, we don’t feel the lack of physical presence.”
Be it corporate honcho, an ace academician, an astute administrator, a commoner, a health professional, a worker, a student—anyone and everyone under the sun can look to the life message of Buddha to inculcate life skills to survive lockdowns, curfews and disasters. One can always seek solace in Buddha by remaining alive to worldly problems and yet, at the same time, remaining detached from harshness of life-shaking storms. One can weather the storms by not allowing demoralizing and depressing events to take a toll on one’s health, work and domestic life. Buddha proves to be an artful mentor for professionals struggling through the pandemic. COVID-19 disease and lockdown blues can be fought off by following the wise precepts of Buddha.