COVID-19 and the third arrow

Once, a student went to his meditation teacher and said, "My meditation is horrible!

Every time I practise, I’m so restless, I feel so distracted, my legs ache, I'm constantly falling asleep. It's just horrible! Maybe I ought to do something else."

"It will pass," the wise teacher said.

A week later, the student came back to his teacher. "My meditation is wonderful! I feel so aware, so peaceful, so alive! It's just wonderful!' I must keep doing this.”

"This too will pass," the teacher replied calmly.

Anybody who has meditated for some time can relate to this story. This is true, not just for meditating, but for all aspects of our lives; in relationships, raising kids, work, leadership, business. In life, challenges arise. Just around the corner, there is always a challenge, or success waiting to be met. You can't predict, round which corner a challenge will come, and no one knows how it will manifest. Failure and success come and goes and for most these experiences become sticky and hard to shake off and move.

In meditative traditions, we use the metaphor of two arrows. The first arrow is the ‘actual physical event,’ unavoidable things that happen to us, like a viral infection. And the second arrow is ‘real mental pain’ how we then relate to it, the anxiety, fear, and suffering. You may remember the saying; ‘Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional’. In Latin ‘to suffer’ means ‘to carry’ or ‘to hold’. 

Now as we take a turn in 2020, we are facing a real, serious global pandemic of COVID-19, the first arrow. This is affecting our lives at all levels and comes with huge costs and sacrifice. The second arrow, the anxiety, chaos and fear is spreading fast and infecting people’s minds much more rapidly than the actual virus. This second arrow goes deep and flares up our old, familiar anxieties. This is a new challenge; it’s scale and impact are still unfolding for individuals and governments across the world. Even with our advanced medical knowledge and technology, we know very little that will save people from dying or from long term emotional suffering.

The revelation now is that its simple habits that could be lifesaving. Personal health and cleanliness, behavioural discipline and etiquette, our diet and exercise, our relationships and our kind awareness. Things that cost us so little, yet things that could save so many.

The ancient story of the novice meditator with preferences and judgements and the current events surrounding the COVID-19 with the pain, panic and suffering is also the story of our human minds and behaviours. Our default tendency is to compete, judge and obsess “I don’t like this, and I like this..,” and then “I want this now and not this…” We create our own world based on our limiting preferences and judgements. We then inhabit that world, invest in it and make it real. We don’t see the world as it is but as we are and we don't even realise it. The sad thing is, we inflict ourselves with the ‘third arrow' the arrow of not-realising. This third arrow of mindlessness is poisoned with apathy and numbness.

Today when you have a quiet moment or even if you are doing something simple, notice what you are doing. How is your body posture? Then, direct your attention to the mind, notice any stories or thoughts, especially judgements and expectations (second arrow). Now, return your attention to the bodily sensations, like breathing, sensations of touch, pressure and temperature. Also listen to the sounds in and around you, bringing a sense of openness and curiosity towards the experience. Finally, expand your awareness to include what is within and around you. Hold this global awareness in a kind accepting way just for a few moments and then carry on with your activity. 

Start cultivating these simple mindful moments in your daily life, at your own time and in your own way. And as you become more familiar with the landscape of your heart-mind, like the wise Master you will start to know deeply that your experience is changing every moment and perhaps you too will say, “It will pass!” These mini moments of acceptance and deep understanding will eventually transform the poisonous arrows into healing flowers that you can offer to people around you and the wider world, and the world then becomes a much happier place to live in. Meanwhile, the virus continues, and you too will continue to look after yourself and others in this new way and this too will pass.