mettavalokanaya_international_buddhist_magazine_september_2020

Finding a
Solution for the
Coronavirus….
The whole world is badly
affected by the Coronavirus
with no definitive solutions
being found. From all around
the world, we hear negative images
and sad news. A lot of suffering and
losses. Politicians and policy makers
sit in silence. All the mighty nations
seem to have surrendered against a
microscopic molecule. A catastrophic
situation. There are three approaches
to tackle this problem: 01) Spiritual
engagement 02) Eating suitable diet
which increase our immunity system
03) Developing Medicine
Spiritual Engagement - This is
arguably the most effective way of
eliminating this lung disease. Many
people are dying with the effect of this
Corona virus, as it causes difficulties
in respiration: lung dysfunction
and an eventual pneumonia. One
supplementary way to fight against this
disease is learning to breath correctly.
For this purpose, we find extraordinary
techniques in the Buddhist teaching
in the Pali canon. According to this
very ancient tradition, physical health
is usually dependent on the mental
health. If the mind is well trained or
cultivated using these techniques,
the physical health will follow mental
health. These phenomena can be
found in the teachings of the Buddha.
According to this explanation, there are
1500 mental defilements we find in the
Buddhist texts. In the Girimananda Sutta
there are a list of physical diseases that
could harm the human body. Even the
modern medical science acknowledges
this effect in their vague description of
placebo effect.
We find in the Vinaya code of
discipline of the monks and nuns I in
the section called SEKIYA which includes
very important valuable advices
concerning taking foods dressing and
properly using the toilette. These
practical advices aim to help physical
health. All these teachings underline
the importance of the mental health for
the physical health. Most of the physical
health problems could be practically
cured by protecting the mental health.
Mind culture or meditation based on
these principles can be in the ancient
Buddhist text called Vimukthi magga
which had been written before the
Switzerland
Most Venerable
Dr. Tawalama
Dhammika Nahimi
Visuddimagga. These techniques
explained by Buddha includes proper
breathing and its importance for the
lungs. Having a strong respiratory
organ which is properly replenished
good quality air in the meditation
context renders the body strong against
diseases like Coronavirus.
There are 8 exercises found in
the Vimukthimagga . Out of these 8,
we are here explaining first 4 exercise
which are more relevant in the current
context: Step 01 - Counting (Ganana).
This is the first method of breathing. For
that we have to keep our body erect and
sit properly on a cousin or on a chair or
bench. Then close your ice gently and
relaxing the mind and the body take a
long breath and a short breath to find
the difference of the usual rhythm of
the natural breath. After this with the
concentrated mind focus your attention
to your abdomen. Seen the rising and
falling of the abdomen start to count
mentally as 1 for rising 2 for falling of the
abdomen. Do continuously few times
and find the correct rhythm of your
breathing movement. Then focused
your mind to the heart and seeing the
same way the rising and falling of the
heart with breathing, do count mentally
3 to 4. May be from the beginning
you do not feel like your abdomen
but continuing this practice, you will
feel the rising and falling of the heart
same as your abdomen. Then as the
third place that you have to focus your
mind is the lunes. Doing so as before
the rising and falling of the lunes while
breathing do count 5 to 6. When you
get used to these 3 ways of breathings
naturally your mind experiences some
inner peace and tranquility. So please
do continue these breathing exercises
as a habit of your daily routing. It will
facilitate your respiratory system and
you will feel something new, fresh and
relieved. Apart from that you will bless
to have new personality and change
your life to have healthy long life.
So continue to do daily and
make a cycle relating your abdomen
heart and lunes in order to find deep
concentration count up to 6 mentally (
Everything in Buddhism is cycle not the
square ) If someone want to practice
further concerning the shoulder, back
and buttock breathing in and out and
count until 12 in the similar way you
get used to practice with abdomen,
heart and lungs These practices will
lead you to have calm and quiet life
eliminating all kind of depressions, and
you will be blessed to have harmonious
mental balance. In this exercise we
do not touch our face, nose and head
in a habitual manner so that this sort
of virus not easily contaminated. If
someone wants to go the further and
further in deep with the concentrated
mind you got benefit through these
exercises, seeing the reality of the
changing nature of breath and all
the body parts can be experience un
satisfactoriness, impermanence and
state of the absence of Ego. Having
a profound comprehension these
phenomena’s you will be led to the final
liberation that we called Nirvana.
Steps 02 - Anubandana means
following the breath by mind. According
“Remedy from
the Spiritual
Dimension”….
to the respiration mind follows the
breathing movements. Air of the in
breath goes through the nose and
fill the lunes and immediately lunes
make empty and goes down up to the
abdomen. It is the end of in breath.
Beginning of the in breath is the nose
and middle of the in breath is lung.
Then there is a subtle gap and then the
out breath starts from the abdomen
goes up to the lungs and similarly fill
the lungs with air and make it empty
and continue and through the nose
out breath is leaving. Before starting
inbreathing there is also a subtle pause.
In this practice of letting mind to follow
the breathing allows one to find the
state of one pointedness. This is really
a practical exercise for the people those
who have respiration problems. It helps
us to breath systematically. The state of
having blocked lungs will naturally be
resolved. That would help us to avoid
the contamination of any sort of virus.
Moreover, you will find mental relief and
mental solace. At the end, this practice
also leads us to the final liberation from
universal suffering if you go deeper in
the effort. Understanding the nature
of un satisfactoriness, impermanence
as the nature of everything, and also
the state of absence of the Ego through
the respiration will approach us to the
endless objective of Nirvanic maturity.
Steps 03 - Phusana means
keeping our attention at the bottom of
the nostril as we observe the process
of breathing-in and breathing-out.
We do witness how the breath goes
in and comes out through the nose.
This practice also very subtle, and this
helps us to have peaceful concentrated
mind pertaining to a healthy life. Steps
04 - Thapana means a stable mind
with an appropriate focus According
to the well-known text on Buddhist
meditation, the Maha sathipaththana
sutre , This practice is an effective
method of concentration even used by
Buddha himself. Here, we have to keep
the attention on the breathing touching
points while we do the usual breathing.
It is different from person to person and
varies according to the structure of the
face. It may be at the end of the nose or
upper parts of the lips. It takes time to
identify the true point and very difficult
to touch the right place. When your
breath in, you could feel cold and when
your breath out you could feel warm:
this is the only way to handle these air
touching points. You must examine this
by focusing deep attention with highest
mindfulness. I t may take many years of
continued practice
At this juncture, it is important to
consider the evolution towards insightful
meditation (vipassana) through the
tranquility meditation (Samatha).
Through these air touching points, the
sensation coldness is associated with
the element of water, whereas the
sensation of warmness is related to the
element of fire. Moreover, the nostril
or upper parts of the lips represent
the earth element, and finally breath
is associated with the air element.
As one would acknowledge, these
4 elements are indeed the building
blocks of all phenomena. Here, we
naturally see the unique characteristics
of the all elements: the satisfactoriness
impermanence and absence of
personality or not having an eternal
soul. If you do continue to practice with
right effort and right understanding, you
will have right confidence emanating
from the understanding that the final
liberation from universal suffering is
not far. In other words, enlightenment
(nirvana) is getting closer to you day by
day. It is the only proven way to find the
supreme happiness and well-being.
6 l Mettavalokanaya l September l 2020 2020 l September l Mettavalokanaya l 7