“THE BUDDHIST IMAGINARY TRIP” AND “THE NEW NORMAL POLITICS” IN COVID-19 PERIOD

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic had forced everyone around the world to change lifestyle to the new normal for their own survival; being sanitary, form of learning or working, and interacting with those around them. Regardless of the gender, age, career field were all affected. In times of need to stay or work at home like this, an online activity relieving loneliness, called “The Imaginary Trip” posting the tourism attraction pictures on social medias as if they actually visited, occurred. Buddhists could wisely turn this activity into a ruse that actually bring merit as the Buddha had guaranteed, not in vain or just for fun. Even though COVID had prevented us from traveling normally, pilgrimage opportunities were not stopped since pilgrimage according to the Tipitaka did not refer to travel to the religious sites and pray to sacred things like general understanding. Rather, it meant recognizing and paying attention to the importance and desirability of merit that could happen anyway, anywhere, anytime. Therefore, Buddhists could take advantage of this crisis as a time of making-merit, and it was very expedient to adopt the principles of Dhamma to adapt to the hardships they had faced because of not only gaining merit but also holding on the mind in addition to maintain ourselves to pass everything well. Moreover, Buddhists as the citizen of nation were able to develop themselves through Dhamma and education in order to be aware of people and situations and change political society to “A New Normal Political Society” that leaded to ideological politics in the future.