Many of us are now settling into a different rhythm of life and getting used to words like quarantine, lockdown, curfew, shutdown, isolation, social distancing and so on. We have also been seeing people everywhere feeling the effects of these words whilst also being fearful of catching the virus.
The term “social distancing” is such an interesting term offering us yet another insight on how we label things and grasp onto them, consequently giving the label itself so much power. The terms such as distancing, isolation, quarantine, lockdown etc. feel so restricting and seem like agents of loneliness and inertia. Yet it a way, it can be a time to really stop all the movement around us and to just carefully look around at the world we live in and feel the oneness of shared experience and the infallible truth of interdependent origination
In one way, the word “isolation” can itself then turn into an agent of openness—a means of feeling interconnected in every way, for better or worse. This can then be a fertile ground for empathy, compassion and revitalizing of our own spiritual path. “Isolation” can simply be “retreat,” a wonderful opportunity to reflect and work on accomplishing the knowledge of Dharma which we have accumulated over time
VEN. KHANDRO RINPOCHE
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