COVID-19 Pandemic: Dealing with Disruption

The Buddha’s teachings of liberation were not meant only for prosperous and stable times, but also for when things are uncertain, or even perilous. Perhaps no moment in recent years has tested the mission of contemporary meditation centers and monasteries as much as this ongoing coronavirus pandemic, when just the basic act of gathering together poses a serious health risk.

In this episode, we check in with three American-based monasteries and meditation centers with some connection to Burmese traditions, to hear how they have responded to these unprecedented times. Each speaker has years under their belt as a spiritual teacher, and they discuss how they worked to ensure that the Buddha’s timeless teachings of liberation remain practical and relevant. They explain how their respective centers each found their own unique way to adapt to the pandemic and continue to serve its meditator community.

We first check in with Sean Feit Oakes, an Editor and Community Dharma Leader at Spirit Rock Insight Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. Next up is Ayya Soma, an Italian monastic and co-founder of Empty Cloud Monastery in West Orange, New Jersey. Finally we speak with to Dick Delanoy, an Assistant Teacher at Dhamma Patapa, a vipassana center in Jesup, Georgia, in the tradition of S.N. Goenka.

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