PPE as Mindfulness Practice
Personal Protective Equipment. PPE. A radical act of love! Wear a mask. Why? To save all beings. To save all beings, save yourself. Saving all beings, saving yourself. Right donning and right doffing. Be aware of the breath and whether or not it leaks out of the mask. Remove the mask with the right posture. Do not let the head fall toward the chest. Calm the mind. Do not rush. Touch only the straps. Do not touch the front of the mask. Be present for each step.
Wash your hands. Your hands: fingers, nails, your palms, the back of the hand, the thumb, under the rings.... When you wash your hands, just wash. What do your fingers feel like? How does the water feel on your hands, what does your skin feel like? Vow to clean. Your hands are the extension of the whole world like Avalokiteshvara’s many arms reach out to all beings.
Seeing the reality as it is (facts of COVID virus infection) responding with mindfulness, wisdom and compassion (PPE, social distancing, emotional support) to reduce suffering and support life.
Corollary: How do we have compassion for those who will not wear a mask? What might motivate that behavior? Myriad things. Attachment to an image of themselves and the world. In attachment blossoms fall and in aversion weeds spread. Both attachment and aversion. All people suffer. The body learns before the mind. Just sit. Just wash. Just wear a mask. Just practice. Just be.
This is a process. When coming from deep delusion, there is no guarantee that a fact will wake you up. Let us encourage us to awaken. Hoping for a great collective realization if only for one moment. And the next moment too, and the next.
- Alisa Mallari
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Our ZHS on-line schedule
- Mondays: 7-8:30pm - zazen, short service, lecture/discussion
- Tuesdays-Fridays: 5:30-6:10pm - zazen, offering of merit/bows
- M-F: 7-7:30am - zazen
- Saturdays: 8:00-10:15am - zazen, short service, tea, discussion/study
- For more information: www.zenheartsangha.org)
Special bows for today:
- Please offer bows for all those displaced by the CZU fires
- Please offer bows for John Lewis, civil rights leader, who died on July 17th
- Please continue to offer bows of well-being for:
- Evacuated sangha members and their families (Lidia, Kathleen, and Kat)
- Phyllis Merrill, Misha's mother, who is dying
- Ofelia Mendez, Jorge Luis Mendez, Lazara and her mother, relatives of Lilliana Mendez-Soto who have contracted COVID
- Sherril Miller, Shannon's aunt, who has a broken humerus
- Brent DeNardo, Aaron's brother, who has contracted COVID
- Rev. Les Kaye, Misha’s Zen teacher, who is recovering at home undergoing chemotherapy
- Zen Heart Sangha website: resources about COVID-19: www.zenheartsangha.org
- From our dharma friends, Diane and Wing: Dismantling the master's house: https://www.lionsroar.com/dismantling-the-masters-house/amp/
- From our dharma sister, Misha: incredible graphics and information about COVID-19 https://informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/covid-19-coronavirus-infographic-datapack/
- From our dharma brother, Bill: Buddhism in women's prisons: https://tricycle.org/magazine/buddhism-in-womens-prisons/
- From our dharma sister, Nancy: Spirituality and interconnectedness through time https://www.brainpickings.org/2018/04/19/lynn-margulis-talking-on-the-water/
- From our dharma sister, Camille: an important commentary on race, riots and society to help us understand from Trevor Noah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4amCfVbA_c
Many thanks to those of you who are sending me articles to share, links to helpful information, and for making comments…it is a gift beyond measure. Please know that you can either leave a comment on the blog itself, or send something directly to me and I will be happy to paste it in.
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