Fa Ci, Ocean Sky Chan Monastery
Going to a regular Buddhist class greatly helped us in mindfully applying the Dharma teachings in our day-to-day lives. The annual retreat to Chung Tai helps reinforce and further deepen our spiritual practice. But, the COVID-19 pandemic came and changed everything.
Prior to the lockdown in March 2020, we were already told that visits to the monastery had been temporarily suspended due to a local outbreak. I felt sad because for the last 8 years, Ocean Sky had been a part of my regular schedule and a way of life. I enjoyed volunteering in the monastery, looked forward to our Sunday classes, and cherished the Abbess's profound teachings. Then suddenly, that place of solace and refuge was no longer available as we were all caught in a lockdown.
There were also workplace changes which added stress and uncertainty. Adding to the anxiety, my father died at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak. Those events affected me greatly and put a halt in my practice. For months, while I adjusted to the new normal, I continued to receive, on a regular and diligent basis, words of comfort, messages of support, and sutra materials from Shifus. Realizing the impermanence of things, I decided to get back on my feet and resume my cultivation.
Reform gives rise to wisdom and enlightenment. I have to apply the wisdom of Buddhist teachings in coping with the pandemic and other challenging situations—that they are just delusive and temporary conditions and not the true reality. Hence, I saw the urgency again to silence my mind. I started by waking up at 3 a.m. and doing an hour of meditation, followed by 30 minutes of walking, and then reciting the Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra in order to dedicate merits to sentient beings, especially those affected by the pandemic. It is important that our mind is clear and unmoved. I am reprogramming my mind not to be affected by outside conditions and not to give rise to greed, anger, and ignorance.
We in Manila are so blessed and fortunate to have a Sangha, a compassionate and patient Abbess, and very supportive Shifus. I am forever grateful to Chung Tai and Ocean Sky for teaching us the Dharma and all the wisdom. I wish to repay the monastery by diligently continuing with my practices, upholding the precepts, and cultivating bodhisattvas’ acts of compassion. I will continue to cultivate both my mind and body to pay tribute to the Buddha and repay the kindness of Three Jewels as well as all sentient beings.