“Today is 29th of March 2020. Dhamma talk at TNC Thanlyin. Ignorance and attachment are the causes which create of all living beings and non-living beings. Good and bad. Right and wrong. Life and Death. Now we are practising mindfulness and detachment in Thabarwa Center. This practice can destroy all living beings and non living beings from our mind. In this way, the mind we are using will be nature. The power of the nature mind is limitless. Now in the world, we all have been suffering in danger of corona virus. It is because of Corona virus is created by ignorance and attachment. Corona virus is well known among the minds of people in the world. Attachment on the virus becomes stronger and stronger. For those who don’t have strong power of merits or good deeds. They are sure to be attack by the virus. The virus can destroy business, education and the body and mind of human beings. Ignorance and attachment of the human beings are the causes of this virus. That’s why, human beings and their activities are destroyed by the virus.

Here in this center, we are doing good deeds together. In the beginning, there is only a small group who started doing good deeds here with not much support from the public. Here, we tried to solve the biggest problem of the society which is old age and sickness. Because of strong attachment on youth and good health, old age and sickness become one of the biggest problem in the society. Most people don’t understand about the Truth of using only on both good and bad, right and wrong, neither rejecting or attaching. They misuse the conditions of young and old, good and bad, heath and sickness. Therefore, most of them are in trouble. They can not take care of each other. We try to solve the problems of old age and sickness. We accept those people in this center. We don’t have enough medicine and nurse aide but we try to detach from ignorance and attachment, not only for us but also for them. We practice mindfulness and detachment like this from the beginning of this center.

The cause of the problem is ignorance and attachment. If we can reduce ignorance and attachment concern with old age and sickness, being old and sick will be not a problem for us. We can be old, we can be sick, with mindfulness and detachment. Mindfulness and detachment can understand old age and sickness as nothing but to use only. With this right understanding, there are over 900 old people and over 900 other kinds of patients. They can survive because of the power of mindfulness and detachment. Until now we can’t provide enough facilities for the old and sick people but we can guide them to be able to detach from their old age and sickness. For the virus problem, we can do the same.

The people in the center are difficult to wear mask and to stay 1 meter away from others. There are also mental patients who are difficult to control. Most people in this center are difficult to obey the guidance of Government so we need to choose only the practice of mindfulness and detachment. We should be aware of the Truth which is no I, not mine, not something, not someone, just ever new impermanent nature. Be mindful of every present moment. Be nature. Beside we should keep the precepts in the mind: no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no telling lie, no using intoxicant. We should not accept killing, stealing, sexual conduct, telling lie and using intoxicant in the mind. The mind is the most important. that’s why the mind should accept what is right and good. That’s why we should change the mind first. By using right understanding. We should also accept to share, to help, to care of the others, to protect who are in need and to cooperate with everyone. Keeping these good actions in the mind is very important. In this way, the mind will be stable and pure. Because of the virus, we can go and do less and less. But the virus can not control the mind. With the practice of mindfulness and detachment. We should remove the virus from the mind, we attach on virus seriously, we are sure to be destroyed by the virus. If we have enough power or merits, we can survive, if not we cannot survive for sure. But we all are doing good deeds here in this center, that’s why we don’t need to worry.

We are using the public belongings, this center is also public center, most of us are also working for the public. We are not grasping only for ourselves, our life are also use by the public. That’s why we have the power of detachment from ourselves. There will be competitions between the power of ignorance and attachment and mindfulness and detachment within our center. As long as the power of mindfulness and detachment is stronger than the power of ignorance and attachment, we are sure to be safe. That’s why we should continue doing good deeds more seriously here in this center. With this right understanding, by using this method, we already overcome many difficulties.

I accept the virus, not to reject, without misunderstanding of something dangerous, That’s why I’m safe. If we are grasping the idea of we are not safe, we can be attach and kill by the virus. We are not safe because we accept it in the mind. Most people in the world accept the virus is something dangerous for all, that’s why they are not safe. The virus already occupy the mind. In this way, It can create the real virus in our body. If we can remove the virus from the mind, with the truth of neither rejecting or attaching, to be using only. We will not become victims of the virus.

We are making a pagoda on our land at the beach. I’m not sure, but If there is not much things to do here. If the virus condition is normal so I can take a trip there. The Vietnamese can follow, other foreigner may not be able. Now Westerners are not suitable to go here and there. Most people are afraid of foreigner because of virus. It’s the nature of them. We can not solve, just need to understand and endure. In our compound, no virus yet, so It’s okay. Most of our people are old and sick, if the virus spreads here, many people will die. Therefore we need to be mindful about the virus on whatever we do. But we also should try to detach. If we can’t detach. We aren’t safe.

Like the people who want to suicide, they want to die. Because the idea of death, they try to kill themselves. They are sure not to detach by themselves. That’s why we have to help them change their mind, to do good deeds. Even If they can not do good deeds, we have to communicate with them all the time till they don’t have desire to die anymore. If the desire to die still remains. They will suicide. The virus is also like this. if we accept the virus in the mind with attachment, we are in danger of it. If we can detach, we are free. That’s cause and effect. The desire to die is the cause of suicide. As a mediation teacher, I have to solve that problem often. If I know about the desire to die in time, I can solve the problem. Some people had already suicided before we’ve known their desires. So we can’t. The attachment is very dangerous for us.”