We are all living in unusual, and perilous times, wherever we may be located in this interconnected global society of ours. The coronavirus has ushered in a world of widespread contagion, calling on each and everyone of us to be vigilant and alert, at the cost of our very life itself.

As we open our eyes and ears to what is going on around us, three salient features emerge that describe our state of mind and way of being in this age of pandemic,. First, there is uncertainty in the air. How long will all this last? What will happen to us through all this? This uncertainty breeds anxiety, which can degenerate into fear. Secondly, we are all enjoined, rather, mandated to maintain social distancing, with restrictive rules of physical contact with others, which leads to more and more isolation among human beings. This isolation can put walls of separation between myself and those I care for, making me tend to feel hemmed in and left to my own resources, with a sense of helplessness. Thirdly, we become more and more acutely aware of the pain and suffering that is being experienced by our fellow inhabitants of this Earth, pain and suffering that we are all vulnerable to, some more intensely and directly than others, especially those economically less advantaged: the death toll from the coronavirus is highest among the poor of the earth. This pain and suffering weighs us down and can lead many of us to pessimism and despair.

In this context, a question I address in this essay is: How can spiritual practice make a difference in the way we live through this time of spreading and lingering contagion? Another way of framing the question would be: what spiritual resources are available to us, to enable us to live with this uncertainty, isolation, and pain and suffering, in a way that does not drag us into destructive attitudes and behavior? In short, how may we overcome anxiety and fear, alienation and separation, pessimism and despair, and instead, be able to muster through this pandemic with the dignity that befits us as human beings, and not just survive by the skin of our teeth and come back to our “normal ways,” but putatively come out of it with a new vision and a new horizon for our global community?

We will explore ways of tapping into a force that may provide us with the vision and empowerment to live with the uncertainty, isolation, and pain and suffering that the pandemic has wrought upon us as individuals and as a global family, and explore ways in which this pandemic can be seen as an occasion to overcome our self-preoccupied and tribalistic mentalities to enable us to usher in a new world order based on a renewed appreciation of our kinship with one another and with the entire Earth community.

1. Uncertainty, Isolation, Pain and Suffering: The Downside

Daily media reports have repeatedly harped upon the heavy toll of the pandemic in our individual and communal lives, in all its dimensions.

The uncertainty surrounding it all is unsettling. Given the dislocation we have all been through, with the restrictions on travel, on our work, in our social life, in our economic activities, in our well-trodden way of going about things, the questions naturally come up: “when do we get back our life again?” Will it be a few more months? A year, or two? When will a vaccine that will effectively protect us from the virus be developed? And so on, with so much that remains in the realm of the unknown.

In the midst of this, we can begin to sense the anxiety cropping up, and coming to negatively affect the way we live and do our daily tasks. Anxiety can easily give way to fear. Fear can paralyze us and render us incapable of doing creative and constructive tasks necessary for us to thrive. The most powerful kind of fear that can lay its grip on us is the fear of death. And with the coronavirus precisely being an agent of death for so many of those who contract it, this fear comes to be felt as a pervasive one as we weave our way through this pandemic.

From a biological point of view, living with fear has negative consequences for our health. Our immune system is weakened, and can result in cardiovascular damage, as well as gastrointestinal problems such as ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome. It can even lead to premature aging and early death. Fear can impair our memory, and interrupt brain processes that enable us to regulate our emotional reactions to situations. As a result, we tend to act impulsively and reactively to things, rather than being able to reflect before taking action and make sound ethical decisions.¹

Fear can also set us apart from one another, and tend to look at other human beings around us with suspicion and doubt, and thus harbor animosity toward them. This animosity will naturally be felt by those against whom we hold these sentiments, and will be returned in kind. This way of living in animosity with those around us will make life unpleasant and unbearable. We tend to recoil and build a protective wall between ourselves and others around us, and relate to others in either aggressive or defensive ways, seeking to protect our own turf from being invaded by others, and thus aggravating the sense of alienation from others. And once fear takes over us, we begin to think, say, and do things that can be destructive for ourselves, and for those around us.

Another feature of our life in the age of pandemic that is also connected with the anxiety and fear generated by uncertainty is isolation. Part of the protocol during pandemic times is of course “social distancing,” wherein we are enjoined to stay physically apart from others so as not to infect one another with the virus and further its spread. The physical isolation that is required of us for our own safety can aggravate a sense of alienation from others, and add another layer to the anxiety and fear already creeping in on our lives.

Even independently of the pandemic, our global community is already wracked by divisiveness, segregation, and fragmentation, along socioeconomic lines, along racial, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and other lines that tend to separate us from one another. The inequalities that mark our global society tend to be highlighted all the more with the pandemic.

During these times we are hearing an eruption of voices decrying the inequities in our human community, determining in great part who succumbs to the virus and who gets by with little damage. The socioeconomic divide looms large, with tens of millions losing their jobs and their source of income that provided for themselves and their families, placing countless people in dehumanizing situations of hunger and homelessness and vulnerability. It is evident that those in the lower rungs of the economic scale are the ones most likely to contract the virus, and are also more likely to die from it, given all the factors combined.²

The racial divide is also one with stark consequences, heightening the inequality and putting communities of color in greater danger. An article from the Center for American Progress notes that “…persistent segregation has restricted millions of people of color to some of the most densely populated urban areas in the country; structural and environmental racism has produced extraordinarily high rates of serious chronic health conditions among people of color; and entrenched barriers in the health system continue to prevent people of color from obtaining the care they need.”³

The racial divide has come to be highlighted in the United States with the senseless killing of George Floyd and a number of others by police officers on duty, setting off an outcry not only in the United States but which also reverberated throughout different parts of the world, with people being empowered to raise their voices against injustice and inequity and against authoritarian cruelty. The persistence of these voices may on the one hand serve to awaken us to take steps toward restructuring our societies for a more equitable, more just social order. On the other hand, rising voices of protest against the injustice and inequity of the system may also incite those in power to exercise more authoritarian measures and quash those voices in the name of “law and order,” upholding a socio-political and economic system that only serves to protect the wealthy and maintain those in power in keeping the status quo.

Such an outcome will only aggravate the situations of great pain and suffering that many of our contemporaries are already being subjected to. At this writing, increasing numbers are contracting the virus and are in danger of losing their lives, or have been debilitated by it. Besides the physical pain, there is emotional pain: the very thought of the contracting the virus provokes anxiety and fear, depression, anger, and other negative emotions that impact our way of life. There is the pain and suffering of those individuals and families who have been economically displaced, having lost their livelihood, their source of income, their dwelling, and are rendered destitute. Just seeing the countless numbers of people adversely affected in many places across the world through media reports rends our heart and weighs down upon all of us.

In the light of the above, the questions placed before us are: 1) How can we live with uncertainty that does not let us succumb to anxiety, and fear? 2) How can we live with the physical isolation in a way that does not lead to our alienation or separation from others, but instead, fosters solidarity and community even in the physical distancing? 3) How can we live with the pain and suffering borne by ourselves and our fellow human beings, in a way that does not embitter us and further isolate us from one another, but rather open our hearts to one another in compassion?

Exploring avenues of spiritual practice may open ways for us to address these vital questions that pertain to our very lives.

2. Spiritual Cultivation and Practice: Interfaith Resources

The living religious traditions of the world present different perspectives on what they consider the “spiritual,” and a very short overview of some of these may be helpful in our exploration. These are merely encapsulated descriptions that do not do justice to the rich complexities of the traditions described, but our point in laying these out is to underscore the fact that spiritual cultivation is not the monopoly of any one religious tradition, but rather, is an underlying feature that connects the doctrinal message of the particular tradition with the day to day lives of its adherents.

In many indigenous traditions, the notion of a Great Spirit, referred to with different names, such as Wakan Tanka (Sioux), Orenda (Iroquois), or Gitchie Manitou (Algonquian), understood as a unifying life force that flows throughout and connects everything, a pervasive sacredness manifest in everything, is a central feature of their worldviews. Especially chosen individuals come to be regarded as spokespersons that mediate the world of humans with this Great Mystery that surrounds all, to ensure that order is maintained in the cosmos and that humans live in its accordance.⁴ Different indigenous traditions have their various customs and practices that serve as ways of connecting with the Great Spirit, so that it comes to be a vibrant reality that informs their day to day lives.

In the Hindu tradition, Ātman is regarded as the underlying reality of all things, the True Self (also rendered as “soul”) that makes everything what it is. Ātman is considered to be identical with Brahman, the ground and goal of the universe, a timeless and boundless reality in and through which the manifold phenomena we perceive with are senses are merged and experienced as One. Etymologically, the term “Ātman” derives from the word for “breath,” as hinted at by the Greek word ατμός, “steam, vapor, fume, air” (as in “atmosphere”) or the German verb atmen, “to breathe” (=noun, Die Atmung). Another word for “breath” in Sanskrit is prāna, a life-force directly linked to the Ātman.⁵ The practice of yoga (from the Sanskrit verb yuj, “to unite,” “to integrate”) with its many stages and intricate prescriptive steps toward traversing those stages, with intentional practices of breathing as an underlying component, is considered a path of spiritual practice that enables the individual human being to come to union with one’s True Self, and thus transcend the vicissitudes of this impermanent life in the realm of worldly phenomena.

In Chinese traditions, the Qi (chi) is a life breath, a life-sustaining force which runs through the universe, and maintains the living energy that circulates through different channels. The discovery and knowledge these channels through which this life breath flows, and their appropriate locations in the intricate human body, is the key to healing in Chinese medicine. It is intimately linked to the Dao, the Way of the Universe, the Way of Nature, the principle that sustains the universe. Living in accordance with the Dao and in consonance with this Qi is the way to peace and harmony.⁶

In the Jewish and Christian traditions, the word “spiritual” refers back to the word for breath—ruah in Hebrew, pneuma in Greek, spiritus in Latin. It is the Divine rūah that hovers over the waters, and gives everything its form and shape. (Gen. 1:2 ff) It is the same rūah who leads Israel out of Egypt, gives voice to the prophets to remind the people of their covenant with God, brings back the people from exile.⁷ In the New Testament, the pneuma of God, the Holy Spirit, is a creative power that performs mighty acts that reveal God’s presence among the people. It is the Power that comes to Mary and enables her to bear a child (Luke 1:35), who is named Yeshua (“God saves”) or Jesus in English. Jesus is led by the Spirit into the desert, consoled by the same Spirit as he triumphs over temptation, and called forth to proclaim to the multitudes: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, and has anointed me, to bring good news to the poor….”(Luke 4:18 ff). It is the Spirit that empowers Jesus to do the will of God throughout his life, and it is the Spirit that Jesus gives back to God in total surrender upon the cross (Matthew 27:50). It is this Holy Spirit that is poured out on all people, and comes to fill the hearts of the followers of Jesus, opening their eyes to the wonders that God has shown to humankind in Jesus, and empowering them to be messengers of the good news of salvation to the ends of the earth. (Acts 2:1-39).

In Islam, the term rūh, which comes from the same root as the Hebrew rūah, appears in the Qur’an in connection with the term Ruh al-Qudus, “Holy Spirit,” an agent of divine communication or action. Rūh as an expression in itself is translatable as “spirit,” and can mean a locus or source of divine revelation, as in prophetic pronouncements.

It must be emphasized at this point that the term “spiritual” as we use in this essay is not about a a realm distinct from or opposed to the physical, material aspect of our human existence. In short, “spiritual practice” is not about seeking an escape from our concrete existential human situation, to lift us to another realm separate and distinct from our down to earth, material, physical existence. Regrettably, a way of thinking based on a dualistic separation between the spiritual as immortal, infallible, eternal, as opposed to the material, physical as mortal, fallible, ephemeral, subject to decay and death, has been all too prominent in Western culture. This dualistic opposition would value the “spiritual” as good, true, and beautiful, and regard the “material” as evil, false, and ugly aspect of our composite existence as human beings.

In Plato’s Phaedo, a well-known discourse set in Socrates’ final moments, arguments are lined up for immortality of the soul (psychē), setting it in clear opposition to the perishable body subject to death and decay. This dualistic mode of thinking has also found its way into Christian thought. Many tend to understand gist of Christian belief as “doing good in this life to merit an eternal reward in heaven,” where immortal souls reside.

In contrast, the Apostle’s Creed that Christians regularly recite in liturgical celebrations proclaims the belief, not in “the immortality of the soul,” but in “the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.” The Nicene Creed proclaims “the resurrection of the dead, and life in the world to come.” These proclamations of Christian belief indicate that it is the whole human person, and not just the soul as separated from the body, that is lifted up and opened to eternal life.

With the variety of ways the term “spiritual” is understood in the different living religious traditiions in the background, we will take our cue from a working definition provided in a multivolume series on World Spirituality issued by Crossroads Publications, and use this as our reference point. This twenty-two volume series presents the spiritual message of living world religious traditions, including Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, Islamic, Indigenous, Confucian, African, and also Secular spirituality, with essays by renowned scholars and practitioners in their respective fields and traditions. A common preface before each of the volumes (authored by the late Catholic theologian Ewert Cousins) distills a consensus by the editors of the series on their understanding of the common theme of “spirituality.”

The spiritual core is the deepest center of the person. It is here that the person is open to the transcendent; it is here that the person experiences ultimate reality.

There is another dimension to this “spiritual core” that needs to be highlighted: it is also here, at the deepest center of the person, where one experiences an intimate interconnectedness with everything that exists. In short, the “spiritual” is to be understood as a unifying force that integrates our entire being in all its dimensions, which also includes and embraces the bodily, material aspects of our existence in a holistic perspective, while opening us to a dimension that is transcendent and holy, and at the same time also connecting us horizontally to all being.

In offering a cursory overview of the various ways in which the term “spirit” is used in particular contexts and frameworks in different religious traditions as presented above, what I would like to highlight here is the intimate connection, manifested in particular forms and conceptualizations within each tradition, with this very concrete and palpable aspect of human experience, that is, the breath. This living reality we all experience in common, the breath, is interpreted and articulated in specific contexts of meaning in the different religions within their respective philosophical and theological frameworks. Here I suggest that breath, in the very concrete and palpable way it figures as a dynamic and central feature of our day to day human experience, is our direct gateway to that spiritual core, the innermost center of our existence as human beings, which opens us to the transcendent, as it opens us to our intimate interconnectedness with one another and with the entire universe.

Breathing is a basic function of all living beings, whether plant or animal life, but we humans may go about our business from day to day taking this for granted, without realizing its significance, or its immense power. There are moments when we feel overtaken by the hectic pace of life, and find it necessary to “catch our breath,” so we can get our bearings again. That’s it— “catch our breath,” to recover, to reconnect with this power that holds us and connects us with the rest of the universe, to assure us that we are held, we are connected with the source of life. Or perhaps better, let the breath catch up with us. Let’s just take a deep breath now, together, in, out. And once more, breathing in, receiving this gift of life, and breathing out, in that outward flow of the breath, giving back ourselves to the world. Receiving this gift of life, giving back with gratitude. Each breath is just that— an exchange of Life, receiving, and giving back.

The first practical point I would like to suggest here is this— an invitation to take a deep breath with awareness and intention, at various times throughout the day, whenever it comes to us that we need to do so. Going about our daily chores, taking a walk, writing an email, driving a car, caring for the kids, waiting in line at the grocery store— in the midst of all this, taking a deep breath or two, or three, with awareness of doing so, brings our busy minds back to the here and now, and reconnects us with our entire bodily being, enabling us to appreciate the gift of this very moment, in all that this entails. “Here I am, alive, breathing…!” —relishing the moment just as it is.

Or we may be in pain due to an injury, or may be in a hospital bed, or brokenhearted because of something that happened in a relationship….those are moments when the breath beckons us to come home to itself, and find comfort therein. Breathe, take in this gift of new life, and breathe out the pain, breathe out the sorrow, breathe out the heartache….and find solace, peace, acceptance, as we allow the breath to take over us, and lift up that little self that is hurting, and bring it to a different level of being, turning it around…into what? A wounded healer, capable of opening one’s heart to bear the wounds of others, having known what it is to be wounded oneself.

I remember while I was a little child running around in the dirt, in my hometown in the Philippines, and once, I slipped, fell to the ground, hurting myself with a gash on my knee, some blood trickling out. My mother who was nearby saw me immediately came close to me, bent down and blew a gentle breath or two on my wounded knee to assuage its pain. She took me in, washed the wound with a sanitizer, which caused it to hurt a little more, and again blew gently a few times into the gash that was causing me pain. Ah, that was comforting. This is what the breath can do for us— give us comfort, give us some relief, the midst of our pain and suffering. This is the breath that we turn to, with a renewed appreciation, as we live through this uncertainty, isolation, pain and suffering. To repeat, just breathe deeply, throughout the day, as often as we are able, as we notice our mind getting taken up by whatever may be before us, and come back to the full awareness of the here and now, with that deep breath.

The second practical point I would like to suggest, is to be intentional in giving time in our day to day lives to open ourselves to this healing power of the breath, even with a few minutes a day, for starters. We begin by finding a posture conducive to stillness, preferably seated, with our back straight so we can breathe easily from our lower abdominal region, called the hara in Japanese, where the center of gravity of the body is located, relaxing our shoulder and neck muscles. We put our hands gently on our lap, and sit straight, keeping our eyes slightly open; we then pay attention as we take each breath, breathing in, breathing out, breathing in, breathing out, and just going with that slow rhythm; thirdly, we let the mind to simply rest in the present moment with each breath, breathing in, breathing out, allowing the mind to just be still, right here, right here, right now. For some it may be helpful to count with each outbreath. Or by silently uttering a sacred word that is close to your heart, audible only to yourself, as you breathe out. This is a basic and common format of different kinds of meditative and contemplative practice found in many different religious traditions, but it may also be taken up by anyone without any religious belief system, as long as one has a trusting heart that there is something in this life that is bigger than what I can capture with my senses. Begin with five minutes a day. After a while, extend this to ten minutes.

The intentional practice of finding a posture conducive to outer and inner stillness, breathing with awareness, and allowing the mind to settle in the present moment, coming home to the here and now, are the three key components of Zen practice.⁸ We will find similar features as we explore other forms, like Insight meditation, Christian Centering Prayer, secular mindfulness practice, or contemplative practice found in different religious traditions.⁹ Taking on such a form of spiritual practice on a regular basis, even starting with a few minutes each day, can make a difference in how we live through these times. In what way?

What happens if we allow ourselves this time in our day to day lives, to simply entrust ourselves to the breath, in this intentional and focused way? We may notice something happening in us. We tend to feel less hectic, less agitated. We are more able to do our tasks with a deeper sense of peace and equanimity that people around us tend to notice perhaps more than we ourselves do. We can taste our food better, we can find little joys and surprises in the little things of day to day life. And also, our hearts tend to be a little more open, to paying attention to those around us, open to welcoming others into our hearts. Our hearts are opened up to be able to see the pain and suffering of others around us as our very own….this is the unleashing of the power of com-passion in us, the capacity to suffer-with. And in doing so, we become less preoccupied with our little egoic projects, my own little needs and wants and preferences, and become more disposed to wanting to help in alleviating the pain and suffering of others. Better disposed to give ourselves back to this wounded world, as an agent of healing, even in our little fumbling ways.

As we find this form of spiritual practice bearing fruit in our lives, of just being still, being aware of the breath, allowing the mind to come home to the present moment, which we call meditation, or contemplative practice, we are inspired and encouraged to give it a little more time, and more regularity and consistency, in our day to day lives. From a few minutes, to say, ten minutes, or twenty, twice a day. And this may inspire us to join a weekend, or a weeklong, or a ten-day contemplative retreat, and see where this takes us.

This intentional practice of stopping to return home to the breath, in the various ways it can be undertaken, may open a new horizon that may transform our life. We may understand this practice as connecting with the Rūah or Rūh of the Holy One, the Holy Spirit sent by the Risen One, the prāna or Ātman, or the Great Spirit that is the living source of life and energy in indigenous traditions, or the Qi (Chi) in Chinese religions. Or we may simply call it “reconnecting with the breath.” And as we allow ourselves to come home to this breath, and be immersed in it, and are transformed by it, as more and more of us make this gradual but worldchanging turn from a life of self-centered preoccupation and isolation, to one of inner peace and equanimity and solidarity, with a heart open to one another and able to welcome one another in compassion, indeed, what a different world, what a wonderful world this would be! It may not come in a day, but as we welcome each day as a new opportunity to live no longer in that selfpreoccupied way, but in a way that is centered on this healing breath, little by little, we may see a new world in the making. Each of us can participate in bringing about this New World, beginning with our little circles of love, and widening this to include the entire Earth, the entire universe!

3. Living with Uncertainty, Isolation, and Pain

Let us again look at the prevailing features that the pandemic has wrought on our individual and collective lives. Uncertainty can breed anxiety, and degenerate into fear. Isolation can heighten a sense of alienation, and separation from one another, from those we love, from those with whom our destinies are intricately bound. Pain and suffering abound on all fronts. What can spiritual practice, in particular, the intentional practice of breathing, in the forms briefly described above, offer in this light?

Uncertainty is an unavoidable fact of life especially in these times. But the crucial difference is whether we are able to live with this uncertainty and find inner peace and equanimity in the midst of it, and not allow it to breed anxiety and fear that can become destructive for us and for those around us. If we have already found our way to a practice of cultivating stillness on a regular basis, it is those times of stillness that can open a way to see through this all this, and lead us to a place of peace, right in the midst of the uncertainty, that is, without knowing the answers to those questions about what is to happen next, which tend to preoccupy our minds. Fear and anxiety come about when our insecure mind projects into the future and we imagine a dreaded or unwanted outcome or situation. This practice of sitting in stillness, breathing in and breathing out, allowing the mind to settle in the here and now, to come home to the present moment, opens me to experiencing and appreciating this present moment as such, as a gift.

As I come home to this present moment, what happens? As I sit right here, right now, I breathe in, breathe out, my lower abdomen rises and falls, I am aware of sensations throughout my body, from the soles of my feet, my legs, my knees, my lower back, my shoulders, my head kept straight as I keep my eyes open seeing at what is in front of me. I look around the room, I see a table, a chair, a picture hanging from a wall. Just this! I look out the window, and I see a tree. I see the sky. I notice a squirrel climbing a tree, going from branch to branch. I see a blue jay perched on a branch, then flies away. Just this! Each and every thing I see, hear, touch, taste, feel, Just this!

This is all-encompassing and all-embracing. If I am truly fully there, there is no future, no past, no fleeting present going into an uncertain future. There is Just this! To experience and taste this Just this! is our way to inner peace, to equanimity, to an open-hearted and free acceptance of what is, namely, Just this!, whatever “this” may be. With this open heart, we are able to take whatever comes, with the same equanimity, inner peace, acceptance, and share that peace and inner freedom with everyone around us. This palpable sense of equanimity allows us to open our eyes to the wonder and beauty of what is around us, and live our lives with joy and gratitude, rather than cowering in anxiety and fear.

Secondly, the practice of cultivating stillness can enable our social distancing, our condition of physical isolation, to lead us not to a state or feeling of loneliness and alienation, but conversely, to allow us to experience intimacy and deep interconnectedness with everyone around us, with everyone in the world, with all that exists! Going deep into the stillness that this practice opens me to precisely allows me to enter into a place where I realize I am never alone. A Latin verse comes to the fore in this regard: Numquam minus solus quam cum solus (“I am least alone when I am alone”).¹⁰

As I look more deeply into things, I realize that this breath is the same breath being received, and given back, by all breathing beings the world around. To realize this very fact connects me directly with everyone who breathes, right here, right now, throughout the world, in their different contexts and situations. As I go deeper, I am able to taste this intimacy with everyone, and I come to real-ize that there is no “I” or “me” unless there is everyone, each and everything that makes up this entire universe, that make me who “I am.” This intentional practice of entering into stillness enables me to turn my solitude into solidarity, and especially in these times, solidarity with all those who are in pain and suffering.

This is the third element that is staring at all of us in the face. Pain and suffering are already in our midst, for some more intensely and directly than for others. All this can make us recoil within ourselves, bring us a sense of powerlessness, and perhaps become embittered and pessimistic about it all, seeking to put the blame somewhere. It can aggravate the sense of “us versus them,” a tribalistic mentality that generates animosity and even incite violence against others. And yet, it is this very experience of pain and suffering that can turn our hearts around, and open us up to a heart of com-passion. Com-passion means “to suffer with,” “to bear pain with” others….and this is a most natural direction our human hearts take when confronted with realities of pain and suffering. If we do not react with fear and panic and do not allow our egoic defense mechanisms to get the better of us, that is, as we are able to find a place of inner peace and tranquility in our practice of stillness, we are able to open our hearts to bear the pain and suffering of the world as our very own suffering, accepting it within ourselves. This capacity to open our hearts to the pain and suffering of others inspires and empowers us to give ourselves back to the world as a gift of com-passion, to help alleviate the suffering and pain in the world, in whatever little or big way I am able. Each one of us can begin to figure out the most effective way we can contribute to this shared effort toward the alleviation of one another’s pain and suffering.

In sum, breathing with uncertainty enables us to set aside speculations about what is to come in the near or far future, and instead come back to the certitude of this moment, right here, right now, where I can celebrate what is, just as it is, and not be worried about what will unfold from here on, tomorrow, next day, or next month or next year. To simply live my life, right here, right now, and open myself to that infinite gift that each moment offers, and thus be inspired to give back my gift of who I am as I am given to do so, in each moment. Going to the grocery store, just welcoming in our hearts all of those other shoppers instead of thinking, “Oh I better rush to the shelves to get my desired item before anyone else does, and so on. That kind of way of taking the uncertainty as an invitation to living my life right here, right now with my full awareness and confidence.

Breathing with isolation is a way of going deeper into our own hearts and connecting ourselves with the wider circle of other beings who are also like me seeking a connectedness and that’s a deep, deep, longing in our heart that connectedness with one another. So let that be fully unleashed, that sense of connectedness, and see each and everyone, each and everything, as intimately connected with who I am.

Then, as we breathe with the pain and suffering of our fellow beings, not just other humans, but also all sentient beings, we naturally are drawn to open our hearts, and bring forth a heart of compassion that will move us to give ourselves back to the world as a gift, in a way that might, even in some little way, alleviate the suffering of those around us.

4. Conclusion: Becoming Agents of a New World in the Making

Our global society continues to be plagued by major crises on many fronts. The violence being perpetrated by human beings against one another on the personal, structural, and ecological levels continues to take its toll in countless lives. The disparity between the economically privileged and those who are barely making it through continues to grow. The ecological threat upon our planet, our habitat of life, continues to hover over us and forebode catastrophic scenarios. All this had already been impinging upon us before the Coronavirus came upon the scene.¹¹ We are in urgent need of a veritable transformation in the way we live our lives together on this Earth, or proceed headlong toward a destructive future.

And now, with the pandemic, an added threat to our individual and communal lives has come to weigh down upon our global society, already in dire straits as it is.

As we look look around and survey what is happening, there are two kinds of directions that the pandemic can have as an outcome. We have seen how panic can drive many to rush to the stores to stack up on what they thought they needed— besides food and basic supplies, items like hand sanitizers and toilet paper were soon gone from the shelves. The uncertainty has indeed brought forth anxiety and fear, and panic, to come to the fore in the way many people have behaved. The divisions among us, in economic class, in racial identification, in national boundaries, have come to be more pronounced, aggravating the pain and suffering of many. The isolation has led many to recoil and put protective walls for themselves, watching out only for their own interests, separating them further from others. The pain and suffering has indeed led to despair and pessimism among countless numbers of our contemporaries. These are facts that we cannot make light of.

And yet, and yet, on the other hand, we also are invited to open our eyes to new horizons that the pandemic can open, to those with a heart willing to listen to our basic humanity from the depths of our being. It is very significant to note that in the midst of our common plight, random
acts of compassion, neighborliness, generosity, sacrifice, solidarity, are being witnessed and reported on so many fronts.¹² In this regard, a comment by astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent nearly a year in a space station, strikes home to us.

Seen from space, the Earth has no borders. The spread of the coronavirus is showing us that what we share is much more powerful than what keeps us apart, for better or for worse. All people are inescapably interconnected, and the more we can come together to solve our problems, the better off we will all be.¹³

To see the Earth from outer space is a privilege only a small handful of individuals have been given. But to behold the Earth, and all things therein, living and non-living, from inner space, that is, from that perspective of the deepest center of our being which the intentional practice of being still and being aware of the breath, is available to anyone with a willingness to turn one’s gaze in this direction. We can call spiritual practice the art of learning to view things from inner space. And from this perspective, we will also be able to proclaim, with as much, or even much stronger emphasis, that we are all “inescapably interconnected.”

The pandemic has brought us to a fork in the road our historical journey, and the direction we choose to go will impact our collective future. This critical situation we are all in can either bring out the worst, or the best in us as human beings, depending on how we react or respond to the situation before us. In this light, the intentional practice of being aware of our breathing, and finding time to immerse ourselves in stillness, to be able to come home to the deepest center of our being, to our spiritual core, can be the crucial factor that determines our collective future.

As we take on this intentional practice, and experientially realize our inescapable interconnectedness, that is, intimate kinship with one another, we will be able to reach out to one another across our differences, and be able to join hands and work together to dismantle the current global system that breeds economic, racial, and other kinds of inequity, disparity, oppression, and ecological destruction that are blights of our life together on this Earth. We may thus be able to envision and work toward bringing about a different world from our current one, a world that would be more equitable, more just, more accepting of our differences, interconnectedness, that is, intimate kinship with one another, we will be able to reach out to one another across our differences, and be able to join hands and work together to dismantle the current global system that breeds economic, racial, and other kinds of inequity, disparity, oppression, and ecological destruction that are blights of our life together on this Earth.

We may thus be able to envision and work toward bringing about a different world from our current one, a world that would be more equitable, more just, more accepting of our differences, and more conducive to the well-being of all. This is a world wherein we are able to go beyond our self-preoccupied and tribalistic ways of thinking, and instead, grounded in inner peace and equanimity, a deeply felt sense of solidarity, and active compassion, celebrate our mutual kinship as breathing beings together on this Earth whose destinies are intricately bound with one another. In this way we may we be able to usher in a “more beautiful world our hearts know is possible.”¹⁴

Bibliography

Eisenstein, Charles, The More Beautiful World our Hearts Know is Possible. North Atlantic Books, 2013.
Habito, Ruben L.F., Healing Breath: Zen for Christians and Buddhists in a Wounded World. Wisdom Publications, 2006.
________ “Spiritual Practice and Formation in a World of Violent Extremism,” in Eleazar Fernandez, ed., Teaching in a World of Violent Extremism. Wipf and Stock, forthcoming, 2020.
Hahn, Thich Nhat, The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation. Boston: Beacon Press, 1999.
Irwin, Lee, Native American Spirituality: A Critical Reader. University of Nebraska Press, 2000.
Jack Levison, A Boundless God: The Spirit according to the Old Testament. Baker Academic, 2020.
Donald Lopez, Jr., Religions of China in Practice. Princeton Readings in Religion. Princeton University Press, 1996.
O’Murchu, Diarmuid, In the Beginning was the Spirit: Science, Religion, and Indigenous Spirituality. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2012.
Piccione, Joseph J., Receiving God and Responding, in Breath Meditation, Crossroads, 2020.
Sheppard, Blair, Ten Years to Midnight: Four Urgent Global Crises and Their Strategic Solutions. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2020.
Sivaraman, Krishna, Hindu Spirituality: Vedas through Vedānta. Crossroads Publishing, 1989.

Footnotes

¹ See “Impact of Fear and Anxiety,” in https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/impact-fear-and-anxiety, accessed
July 5, 2020.
² New York Times article reports on these various factors.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/15/world/europe/coronavirus-inequality.html, accessed July 5th, 2020.
³ See an article in The Center for American Progress,
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/news/2020/03/27/482337/coronavirus-compounds-inequalityendangers-
communities-color/ , accessed July 5th, 2020.
⁴ For engaging conversations on indigenous spiritualities and how these are approached from different angles, see Irwin 2000. For a theologically reflective approach, see O’Murchu 2012.
⁵ See Sivaraman 1989.
⁶ See Lopez 1996.
⁷ See Levison 2020.
See Habito 2006.
⁹ There are many books that offer detailed guidelines on meditation and contemplative practice, as well as video clips available on YouTube. I recommend the long-selling classic by Thich Nhat Hanh, entitled The Miracle of Mindfulness, available in different editions by different publishers. A recently published volume which provides
concrete guidelines for breathing as spiritual practice in the context of Christian Trinitarian spirituality is Piccione,
2020.
¹⁰ Often attributed to St. Augustine, but is found among the sayings of the Latin poet Cicero.
¹¹ For a detailed analytic look at our global situation, with prescriptive recommendations for addressing these, see Sheppard 2020. For a shorter account, see Habito essay in Fernandez, ed., 2020.
¹² See for example the concrete instances of such acts that give us all a sense of hope in humanity, in these reports of how the pandemic is “bringing out the best in all of us.”
*https://miami.cbslocal.com/2020/04/24/coronavirus-bringing-out-best-in-people/
*https://www.shannonpolly.com/can-a-pandemic-bring-out-the-best-in-us/
*https://hbr.org/2020/03/how-bad-times-bring-out-the-best-in-people
*https://www.msn.com/en-us/Health/medical/coronavirus-impact-pandemic-bringing-out-the-best-in-people/ar-
BB139QzW?ocid=a2hs
*https://ideas.ted.com/disasters-and-crises-bring-out-the-best-in-us/
¹³ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/21/opinion/scott-kelly-coronavirus-isolation.html, accessed July 9, 2020.
¹⁴ Eisenstein 2013.