An appeal to all Buddhist teachers - stop transforming your followers into scared puppies

I think its time for all Buddhist teachers to STOP obeying politicians and STOP saying bullshit like "stay home, save lives". Enough is enough!

Don't you realize with all your wisdom that this lockdown is not physically, mentally, or spiritually healthy for your followers? Don't you realize that we can't sacrifice freedom of religious assembly indefinitely for the fear of catching a flu? Illness is part of life, and we cannot stop living, practicing, and coming to temples for fear of illness.

Don't you realize that all these insane dictatorial measures will, in the end, destroy our communities? A Sangha also needs actual face to face meetings and people must come together for practice and services. Keeping our followers in their homes for two months is NOT compassion, but STUPIDITY.

Wake up and start acting like teachers by promoting the physical, mental, and spiritual well being of your followers!

We should not transform our sanghas into sheep or scared puppies who cannot go outside their houses because they fear a virosis!

Namo Amida Bu

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Update to the above after talking with a few Dharma friends on internet:

Some have recently discovered that people get ill and die. Surprise, surprise! Life is also about illness and death. Is what Shakyamuni Buddha used to say everytime - there is illness, there is death, and there is suffering.

However, the fact that some get ill does NOT justify the suspension of liberties and freedoms which were won by so much blood and sacrifice! The fact that there is illness, death and suffering does NOT mean that temples be closed down, priests and teachers send people away and do not offer them religious services and teachings, or that followers should not meet and worship together. A community needs gathering together, praying together, which are things that can't be replaced by internet! Some are more fragile than others and need the physical presence of a priest, which cannot be done by internet! To hug somebody who has a problem and say Nembutsu with him cannot be done by internet! Atheists and materialists who run our world and the hoards of stupid people who obey them can't understand this because they are not religious people, nor in need of religion. Others do this purposely because they know they must suppress the power of religion. Indeed, religious people who share common values and gather together in a community are an obstacle to their goal of creating a world of ego-centered individuals who live only by themselves.

Please do not allow yourself to be fooled by nice words like "stay home, save a life"! Lives are not saved by staying alone, each one secluded in their own space! Lives are saved and improved by communicating, by meeting face to face, by helping with your own arms and body, by being physically in the presence of those who need you! Let's not allow those fearmongers to destroy our communities! Religious people need to recite together in the same temple, need to work together, even eat and drink together to maintain their sense of community!

Please, dear priests, teachers and Dharma friends, raise your voices and speak up against the tyranny of lockdown. It is said that those who give up their freedom for safety, will lose both their freedom and safety. Governments who can lock us up in our houses will one day suppress our rights to follow our religion and religious values. Secluded individuals cannot resist tyranny. Please wake up!

Namo Amida Bu

PS: Since the beginning of this virus hysteria Amidaji refused to close its gates for its followers and my religious activity continued as usual. I also constantly urged people to go out and enjoy life as can be seen here, in this statement.