During the second week of emergency measures which are gradually getting more stringent, we are adapting to social distancing, frequent handwashing and meeting with others on zoom. Good advice is plentiful and I will not reiterate it here. I recommend a healthy balance between news watching and mental hygiene. As much as added workout and fresh air I find spiritually uplifting podcasts and positive entertainment, like song and dance performances, often available from friends on facebook or instagram, very helpful.
MZC, like many other centers, has posted links for zazen periods, services, and Dharma talks and the March/April Class on Women in Buddhism on zoom. Zen priests are staying in supportive contact with each other. Interfaith groups send out messages with tips on how to aid people in need. The few times I venture out to grocery stores I find people especially helpful and friendly. All this feels so good that I ask myself why can we not be like this all the time?
This reminds me of what I read about an incident that happened a long time ago outside the San Francisco Zen Center, when a young Zen student had been fatally shot. Other students gathered around the body still lying on the pavement, in sorrow, and one of them said: “Why can’t we always be like this?” Maybe we need a catastrophe to remind us that life is precious and we have little time to show appreciation and love for each other.
A lot had happened before we shut down, and I had wanted to write this blog much sooner, but got interrupted by more pressing issues, like canceling events and setting up virtual meeting spaces. A few of these were:
On a cold evening on March 1, a Vigil was held at Milwaukee’s City Hall to commemorate the victims of a mass shooting at the Molson Coors Brewery. Clergy from twenty different denominations offered prayers and reflections to a large audience.
This year’s interfaith luncheon series on #Truth…or Consquences started on March 3 with a well-attended talk by George Stanley about An Independent Press: Essential for Democracy. George is known for his tireless work as editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, regional editor of USA TODAY Network Wisconsin, and vice president of the national News Leaders Association. It was followed by Democracy at Risk in Wisconsin, a talk by Matt Rothschild on March 10. Unfortunately the series had to be suspended because of danger of contagion by the corona virus.
It’s a shame that we had to step back from the election work. The one-day election sesshin with a voter registration training on March 7 went very well, and there was enthusiasm to keep going, but unfortunately that is on hold for now.
Let us hope that we will soon be able to meet in person again and schedule new events in the zendo and in the community. Please stay healthy and keep practicing despite anxieties about the future. You may call me any time and schedule a virtual meeting:
Reirin at 414-399-3498.