© AFP / INDRANIL MUKHERJEEStreet art of Buddha wearing a facemask, in Mumbai on March 16, 2020.
The fear, despair and isolation resulting from coronavirus has resulted in something akin to a global spiritual crisis, as the world's largest religions seek to provide solace to the faithful during the pandemic.
The illness began to spread as many Buddhists were preparing to observe the Lunar New Year, forcing temples across Asia to choose between continuing regular services or shutting their doors. A Buddhist hall in Hong Kong
apologized this week for not closing its temple sooner, after it was discovered that 19 people connected to the institution had been infected.
In Taiwan, Buddhist sermons are being live-streamed to worshippers who are trying to avoid mass gatherings.
The Tsuglagkhang Complex, which houses the holiest sites in Tibetan Buddhism, was
closed on Wednesday in response to the spread of Covid-19. The religious site will be shuttered until at least April 15. The office for the Dalai Lama also
stressed that a viral social media post, which shares purported instructions from the leader of Tibetan Buddhism on how to treat coronavirus, was in fact a hoax with no factual basis.
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