Pandemic? What Pandemic?

Vol 39. May 21, 2023

On May 11, 2023, the US government declared the public health emergency ended. The Scourge of 2020 — the Invisible Terror — that had disrupted lives, decimated dinner tables and stopped the ever-rotating Earth dead in her tracks is officially over. 

The punishing pandemic pummeled populations, killing 7 million worldwide and 1.1 million in the United States alone. Despite the fact that covid still kills hundreds of people per day in America, after 39 months, the Modern Day Plague is officially kaput. 

The long-awaited announcement went largely unnoticed. 

People kept going about their daily lives as if nothing had changed. There was no dancing in the streets. 

This blasé attitude brings up an interesting question: Do official declarations matter? Do designations change anything? In a wider sense, do words really signify reality? Do random phonemes, silly syllables and sophisticated human speech mean anything?

Buddhism thinks not. 

On the morning of his enlightenment, right after he attained unexcelled awakening, when he was finally able to put his insight into words, the Buddha proclaimed, “This cannot be taught.” 

It’s too subtle. It’s too profound. It cannot be put into words.    The tongue cannot go there. “This cannot be taught.” 

Immediately the devas, the gods and goddesses in heaven, rushed down. With palms pressed together, they implored, “World Honored One, for the sake of humanity, to relieve human suffering, we beseech thee, please, teach!” 

The Buddha, seeing their point, relented. He said, “Fine. For the sake of humanity, I will teach. But what I teach is not Buddhism. What I teach is the path to Buddhism. I am just a finger pointing at the moon.” 

In meditation, one realizes that words are unnecessary. 

There is only the common, original bliss-stuff. 

If there were only a better name for it … The Dharmakaya … Thatagata … BLAH!  … The What-all … BlooBleeBlop … 

As the Tao Te Ching says, “The name that can be named is not the eternal name.” 

If you can talk about it, you’re not there yet.

A Prayer

Oh Lord Buddha, you have enlightened us. You have untangled the tangle. You have disenchanted us of “reality” to reveal Reality.  

It’s not that we don’t know, but that we cease knowing. 

Adoration to your big, blank mind.

Samadhi is ecstasy.

Not words, but the compassionate Buddha.                         

Not pandemics, but the compassionate Buddha.            

Not jubilation, but the compassionate Buddha.                 

Amen