“Now we are facing COVID-19, what we are doing here is good. We are skillful at our jobs, to do good deeds, that’s why this kind of virus couldn’t start from here, a meditation center. It actually started in China, a business city. What we are doing here is good, that’s why we can get good results. We, however, should be careful not to go out, not to deal with other people who are not doing good deeds. In society, people do both good and bad, right and wrong, because they don’t clearly understand the truth. Here we are doing good deeds besides we are doing not only for us but for all. That’s why everyone is free to cooperate with us. Besides we are doing good deeds full time, many good things are happening here. This is not business that’s why no side effect. We are not working for money, we are working for merits and good deeds that’s why we don’t need to worry in this Thabarwa center. But if we cannot detach from society it’s dangerous. Now people in the society can do less and less, cannot go here or there, cannot go shopping or visiting, they have to stay at home. They don’t believe anyone; they don’t dare to get together with anyone. This is also good for us not to go outside, to stay here. We need to detach from the society, from the mind. Meditation is mind – work, you should not think as a layperson. If you don’t meditate, your physical, verbal actions are important. If you meditate you need to emphasize the mind, the mental action. Detachment is concerned with the mind, no need to think of other places or other things to do, only focus on doing good deeds so we can survive and be safe.

I have a chance to meditate at the meditation center, I have a chance to detach from society. If I cannot detach I cannot get out of society. If there is no meditation center or no practicing meditation, I am sure not to be able to detach from society. I’m sure being busy with business up till now and will not have a long life because there will be side effects of doing business. Even old, sick, patients are now safe here, not because of the land, not because of the people here, but because of doing good deeds all kinds continuously for all, for the truth to be doing only. Dhamma or the Truth of doing good deeds is protecting this center. Dhamma is fulfilling the needs of this center. Goodwill village relies on this center, there are many problems they cannot solve by themselves. In this case, we are solving their problems. Now COVID -19 is the biggest problem in present, therefore, we will work together. Yesterday evening, I went alms collection in the village, I explained about the situation concerned with the virus to villagers, so we are working together.

The school at the village is now being used for people suspected to have the virus. They need to be separated, now the time is holiday, no teaching and school is empty so we have space to separate the people who are not feeling well. We don’t need treatment because there is no effective medicine so far, the people who are not well, we just need to be more careful to separate the suspected in order to not spread out to the other. The virus will decay itself within 2 weeks, not really dangerous. Many people suffering from the disease will be able to recover. Only worry for those sick in mind and body, they may lose their lives because of the virus. People who are now young and healthy are not much to be worried. We need to be more careful because we are not sure whether the people around us have the virus or not. Now it happens in Yangon, Mandalay, not sure in Goodwill village and so far, in Thanlyin. But there is connection between these places, so we should be careful here in this town. If not, the virus will appear here, we need to prepare. It will be difficult to control everyone because most of the people here are not much educated, not much knowledge; that’s why they are not easy to obey the disciplines. For government servants it is easy to follow the regulation. For normal people, they are not dealing with the other, they are not working now so they have difficulty cooperating with people, to do good deeds together.

So we have to prepare for the virus, not to spread. Even if we cannot prevent spreading, we must try to limit deaths in the center and in the village. This Thabarwa center could survive in the worst condition, politics, natural disasters, also the problems between each other. Even in a family, there can be problems between their relatives, between wife and husband, very common; that’s why in this center because there are many families, there are many people and problems, we could survive by doing good deeds like this, we never close the center, no one can close the center, nothing can close the center. We are relying on doing good deeds together for all for the truth that is complete. For old meditators and volunteers there is nothing to worry; with the newer ones, they may be worried. They don’t have much experience, we have to be careful. If the mind is healthy and wealthy, we are safe, if not we are not safe I mean the whole center, all people here. What we’re doing is right, we just need to continue doing good deeds. But attaching to society is not safe now, especially in this condition. We need to detach from society. This is the way to solve the problem. By mostly doing good deeds, the power of merits fromThabarwa will be different from the society. Doing good deeds created this center, Goodwill village also, doing good deeds will protect us for sure. In society only doing good deeds is the cause of good results, doing bad deeds is the cause for bad results but people don’t understand, they don’t emphasize doing good deeds. We need to use this place for the public, for all to come and do good deeds, to have chances to understand the Truth like us.

Now some voluntary organizations come to spray the building and the people also. They will come here to spray the Good Will village and bring some hygiene. We have been helping others all times, that’s why we can get anything in the needed situations, no need to worry about this center. This is cause and effect, by your own experience, you can understand. A good chance to learn about cause and effect. For the newcomers, we will check their health, both Burmese and foreigners. We can separate them if needed to know whether the virus is or not in their body. Because there is no place to go in this situation, we have to accept. Most people aren’t doing good deeds all times like us, they worry for themselves, their business. Here we are doing for all, that’s why many people are volunteering and protecting this center.””

Question: During and before it comes to the center, we should think of ourselves, and to practice social distancing, mainly trying not to be so close to each other. We should start to put it in practice, I think its common sense to avoid getting sick or spreading. There are certain things in countries like Italy, China, especially in the East, who have figured it out, and the numbers are declining in other countries because of the methods that they are using. Things like not leaving their homes unless they need to go and get medicine. England as well I think, right? Is there any way we can start to practice now at least, while the virus is coming…to try to avoid the spread?

– “Even if we go alms round, we can do medical checkup for who is doing alms. From the side of the mind and from the side of medical control. That is for laypeople. But for monks and nuns, they do different activities, they have different views, we don’t think the same as laypeople. Monks and nuns have powers to detach from society, also not to be like laypeople. In this situation, lay people in society may decide, they can invite us, if they invite we can go. If they don’t have a chance to donate food, we cannot go. They understand more about their place. This place is more concerned with us, their village is more concerned with them. There are many people in their village. Therefore depending on the situation, they make their own decisions, besides, we are watching the latest news, and we will make decisions. I cannot make decisions now such as not going alms rounds. If we have to make the decisions such as not going alms round outside, anyway we can still go alms inside the center and village. Yesterday we intended to inaugurate a new center, but the locals couldn’t accept it legally so we stopped the opening ceremony, so we didn’t do it, in downtown another Thabarwa center. Doing good deeds depends on situation changing and changing, we cannot say for sure. It will not change in some period. In this current period, there are many changes.”