A new piece for Time authored by the Dalai Lama urges us all to exercise compassion and help where we can in response to the coronavirus crisis.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Photo by Christopher Michel.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has shared his advice on combating the coronavirus in a new article on Time magazine’s website, urging that “prayer is not enough,” and “we all have a responsibility to exercise compassion and help.”
His Holiness touches on how Buddhists believe the entire world is interdependent, and the coronavirus is bringing that to light. “The outbreak of this terrible coronavirus has shown that what happens to one person can soon affect every other being,” he writes, “But it also reminds us that a compassionate or constructive act — whether working in hospitals or just observing social distancing — has the potential to help many.”
As members of a global community, His Holiness writes, we each have the responsibility to help where we can. He also highlights the importance of not losing hope, helping those most in need, and offered a reminder that everything is impermanent — including the pandemic we’re in.
“I believe in the principle of impermanence,” he writes. “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.”
“At this time of uncertainty, it is important that we do not lose hope and confidence in the constructive efforts so many are making.”
Read the full article on the Time website.
