Title: How the Thabarwa Nature Centre deals with COVID-19 during the pandemic

Authors: Khema Cari; Elizabeth Marsh

Addresses: Thabarwa Centre, Downtown Centre, No. 45, 4th Floor, 45th Street, Yangon, Myanmar ' Thabarwa Centre, Downtown Centre, No. 45, 4th Floor, 45th Street, Yangon, Myanmar

Abstract: Just as all the world had to face COVID-19, the Thabarwa Centre in Thanlyin (Myanmar) had to deal first with the restrictions in the country, without suffering any positive cases, not being able to go for alms round which is a main source of food for the centre, then later manage the positive cases and strict lockdown of the centre itself with a population of over 1,000 elderly and patients especially susceptible to the disease. The difference between Thabarwa's strategy and the usual way of reacting to the situation resides in the belief that good deeds are the real protection from the virus, rather than a vaccine or cure. Based on the Buddhist doctrine of the law of cause and effect, the strategy Sayadaw chose was to work on causes, not on results. Sayadaw Ashin Ottamathara lead the people of the centre.

Keywords: Nature Centre; Thabarwa; coronavirus; COVID-19; healing; good deeds; Buddhism; spirituality; Vipassana meditation; health management; lockdown; Myanmar.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGENVI.2021.121015

International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, 2021 Vol.20 No.2/3/4, pp.252 - 275

Received: 09 Feb 2021
Accepted: 07 May 2021
Published online: 21 Feb 2022 *

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