Question: Sayadaw, many hall managers in the center are closing the doors and forbidding patients to go out. They misunderstand and think the virus may come from us, the foreigners but we are not newcomers, we are just like them. It’s very difficult to collaborate in this situation. Is it possible for the monks and nuns to help us explain that we are clean and safe to cooperate with?

“I will explain to the Myanmar yogis about the international volunteers. I will let them know that foreigners here are safe to do good deeds. They have been staying here for more than 2 weeks, so not much need to worry. So I will explain in the morning Dhamma talk. It used to happen because they don’t have much knowledge about the forefingers. But I can solve this problem. For those who are staying here, It’s easy to explain. For those who are outside of this center, difficult. They have strong attachment. They want to do what the others do. But different conditions, different situations, different time, that’s why you should not forget the differences. That’s why you can forget and continue volunteering. But you must be careful and not to make them worry. We should not reject, be careful.

You must learn by yourself. For me I have to learn by myself to teach meditation. My teaching is also changing. In the beginning, meditators may not believe me because I’m not teaching what they understand. They think what they understand is right. They are not willing to accept what they don’t understand. But whenever the teachings change, there are new meditators. They appear for those teachings. Many things to do if you are not grasping. Must try to find out the way by yourself. I can explain but if you are not practicing, you can not understand. It’s difficult to explain on my side also. I have to learn by practice. Therefore not much skillful in explanation by using the language. I emphasize the practice that’s why I’m skillful in practice but not much skillful in teaching. Most teachers are skillful in teaching but not much skillful in practice. There are different places, we can use different places for different people. Everyone can be ok in this center. Also, foreigners can be satisfied. If you are patient enough, I can solve the problem.

If you can not go to the shop by yourself, you can order by using video-calls. In this way, we can buy it for you. This is the most serious condition in Myanmar because of the virus. But on my side we are keeping precepts. That’s why we are dealing with the people who are keeping precepts. Not everyone here. No organization is complete. But most of the people here are keeping precepts as much as they can. That’s why who are breaking precepts, those may not come here. So what we are doing here is protecting us not to get bad results. If you are doing what is bad you may be afraid of the virus for sure. Besides you can not be safe from the virus.

Most of the people in this society are not doing good deeds like us that’s why they need to worry a lot in this condition. They can not control their mind that’s why they are not sure to be safe. As long as we can control the mind to be stable and pure, we can be safe for sure. At the beginning of the center even the people from this center. They may not believe this center will be long-life. There were many complaints. Most people may not understand this center very well, that’s why they have a wrong view about us. But I teach the people here also how to detach from this bad view of the public. If we cannot detach we are sure to be destroyed. But we can detach, that’s why we can survive. Many people in this society may think this center is dangerous because of the foreigners, old and sick people also. Besides this is crowded public area, many people come and go, so it is easy to be affected by the virus. That’s why some people worry but for those who are doing good deeds like us they believe in this center. So there’s a competition between opposite views. If you are not doing good deeds like this you cannot understand about this center for sure. Then it is easy to misunderstand.

We are solving this problem. We are trying to change the public view about what we are doing here. We can successfully change some of the people in this society. That’s why we get a lot of support from the public. This is the same for you all. You may not believe sometimes, but you need to continues doing good deeds. You need to learn how to detach, in this way you can continues. If you cannot detach you cannot continue doing good deeds like this. In this way, there will be no chance for the future international volunteers to do good deeds like this. The former international volunteers were dutiful. That’s why, the present international volunteers can volunteer here. If you are not dutiful, new international volunteers may not have a chance to do this. This is the same for new Thabarwa center around the world and in this country. If they are skillful to do good deeds, Thabarwa center can be stable and developed, long-lasting. This is really helpful. Even if the government cannot accept you can expect it. Because the government wants to control by disciplines. But there are many things this can not be solved by discipline. That’s why we need this kind of organization. To do good deeds freely without limit.”