Question: I would like to clarify the situation of isolation and quarantine. Are we going to do it consistently, and when we should start and how long or will we let it be natural?

– “No, if we do nothing it is a rejection mistake. What I mean is that if we reject quarantine the problem in the mind will increase so we will do the quarantine not for the virus but for the mind. This is why we are not rejecting. But some people who have mental problems may not accept it, for these people we can arrange another way, not fully quarantined. The virus is not sure; but angers, fears, worries at the present moment in the mind are the surest problem; so we need to solve it first. Nearly everyone in society has fear and worry in the mind. They cannot solve the problem so they may ignore the fear and worry in the mind, this is not good. Especially in this condition, if the mind is not healthy it is easy to be infected by the virus. We try to find the solution from the mind, not from the body. Not much from the body, fully from the mind.”

Question: Yes, but I would like to know clearly how we will deal with new foreigners? How we will feed them? And how we will explain to them about the meditation?

– “We will try first with Myanmar people to stay in other Thabarwa centers and according to their experience we can think about sending foreigners there. This is for later; for now here is the most suitable place. For now you will all stay here but we need to separate you. Some of the volunteers are skillful in medicine as doctors and nurses; they have a strong attachment to it; they want to obey the science. Some other volunteers may not be much interested in medicine and maybe not too serious in following discipline about the disease. So we will separate them. For the meditators who will mainly emphasize meditation and not on the virus will be separate from those who have different views. We should separate into 2 or 3 groups and then work together within the groups. In different places and different activities, in this way, everyone can be satisfied.”

Question: How about male and female, will they be together or separate?

– “We are also thinking about a place for the women but here is the problem as we don’t have so many rooms. There will be a little far away from each other.”

Question: If men and women are all together it will be more comfortable as a group but is Thabarwa ok with that?

– “Not fully quarantine but it is better because if some people ‘mind is not good during the quarantine it is better for them to be together with the others. Especially in this situation where there are fears and worries so most of the minds are not healthy so I don’t want to make a full quarantine. This is a meditation center, we should not reject but also not be too serious in this activity. If needed we will be serious. Now there is no virus in Thanlyin. So it is just a preparation only, not really trying to find the virus. But if it is sure the virus is there we should be serious at that time and change our activities for sure. Here are many things to do; it is difficult to arrange everything.

Here people are busy, they want to do but they may not have time to do it, this is why at least two groups should take care of the food… so that if one group cannot do another group can do it. This is the way of Thabarwa, we have to do like this, we cannot do like people in the society. Many changes, many things good or bad are happening all the time in this place. It is difficult but it works. Some are ok, some are not ok, some are safe, and some are not safe. Like UNICEF which is working for the whole world this is why they are overloaded. In my way of thinking about the quarantine, I want to fulfill the mind of the people who will stay in quarantine. This is why I try to know the view of everyone so that everyone can be satisfied. This is the way that I use. But for those who are outside, they are not in quarantine so they cannot understand. We emphasize the person who will stay in quarantine and try to fulfill the needs of their mind. If we do so, the other people may not be satisfied because they think it is not safe but it is safe for the mind of the people who are in quarantine. This is the way. They are more important. If they are not satisfied, it will make problems for the others and also to the organization. They are in need, this is why in this activity we should emphasize them, because they are suspected, the rest of people are not suspected like them.

It is good. If I want to help someone I will think from the side of that person so that he can be satisfied but the others may not be satisfied. This is not a problem, I am helping the person in need, and this is really effective. In this way, when I am in trouble or need of help I am sure I can recover, I can get help. Now everyone is in danger but differently, some are really in need of help, some are not too bad. So we should choose the right person to help first. If we can choose well we can solve all the problems for sure. What I want to do is, if the people who are in quarantine agree to send the new people together with them or not. It’s a big hall, the new group can stay far away from the first group. So they can understand each other’s because at the beginning they feel the same. They are new students, it is only for the new volunteers, and they can understand better each other. In this way the old volunteers can be ok.

This is the best we can do now. If we can find some empty place we will think of it. In this way, it is easy to teach them also. If they are separate it is more difficult. We will try to do like this and if it is ok we’ll continue, if not we will change. Most of the people agree so we should do it. For those who don’t want to quarantine we will think about another place, staying by themselves, not volunteering and staying separate from the others. It is the same, quarantine is separation from the public, but they may not like that idea so we can arrange private rooms for them and they can stay by themselves.

For Myanmar people it is the same problem. Some people are coming it is difficult. Although they have strong attachment they are afraid of being quarantined. But they come from villages so not too much to be worried. We may change the way of quarantine with the time. For now it is best to do. Today or tomorrow new volunteers may come, if they agree you will stay together. Former quarantine people should explain to them also: this is just for now, not for the future. In the future we may change.”

Question: How about the old volunteers who were with us, when they are coming back should they stay with us or be separated?

– “In my view, former volunteers are familiar with the place and with you, they are not strangers. So if you think it is safe they can come and we can arrange something for them. If they stay together by themselves here it is ok. If they want to cooperate with the others and but others don’t want, there will be problems. It concerns with all. For some days they should stay together without international volunteers, this is better. We can send them to other centers. This is the way: watch and see. Not too seriously. If I speak with them and ask them what they think, I can see whether it is safe or not. I know this country, I know this place so it is not a problem for me, I have been dealing with many people.

Few visitors are still coming so I still get information from the people. I cannot do like this in other countries but here I know that I can do it. We have connections with the hospitals also. Many connections so we can know the updated news. Maybe this will last 2 or 3 months that we should stay together, so at least for a few days, it is good if they stay by themselves. This is general. For particular cases we can evaluate also.
Like the one who came with a meditation visa, she arrived in Myanmar; she was going to a meditation retreat. For these kinds of meditators not much need to worry. If you want to volunteer, how much you can volunteer depends on if you are a professional volunteer or just naturally want to volunteer. In this case it will depend on their mind, we have to decide either it is safe or not. I have been working with many volunteers, many meditators, and many donors so I can read the power of their mind, their merits, and good deeds. I can guess, I can feel.

Most people don’t understand like this so they need to emphasize on quarantine because that is the only way they know. But I know many ways to protect ourselves from the disease and natural disasters. This is a teamwork. We have different abilities, different intelligence that we are using here. You will do what you can do and I will do what I can do but we depend on each other so we can be safe together. If we don’t believe each other we cannot be together. Because of being together, we can do many things. If we are not together we cannot do many things continuously for sure. In this way we are not safe.”