Equanimity
October 6th, 2008 · 2 Comments
Dharma Speech delivered to the 10th Annual Oklahoma Buddhist Conference Held at the Oklahoma City University on October 4th, 2008
Living in a gulf coast community has its ups and downs. Just like every community anywhere. A 650 mile wide hurricane affects an enormous area. Wherever you travel your senses are overwhelmed by the damage and debris quite evident everywhere. Had the same storm made its landfall on the east coast of US or Florida or southern Texas or Mexico would the effect be any less? I do not think so. Basically the differences would be locality and people.
Storms and hurricanes are not sent to destroy a people or land for any reason other than they are a natural phenomenon that occurs throughout our eco-system with a certain irregularity. We do not know the strength of next season’s storms nor the shape, size direction or number of storms for certain. Modern atmospheric, geological, oceanographic and meteorological sciences can help predict patterns and probabilities, but what can we know for sure. Storms come.
Now more than ever we need to realize the message of the Lord Buddha. Storm clouds form on all our horizons, we all suffer. It is so easy to ask; Why me? Why did this happen to me and my family? Why my house? Look around, is it just you and your family and your possessions? When bad things happen to us we struggle with the question of why me. But is it the right question? When the sun shines on us it shines on all around us. When the spring rains come and shower our gardens and home it showers all around us.
Rarely do we ask why I am blessed with such a beautiful day. Do we think of our neighbors? It is so much easier to share misery than blessings. This is our nature.
With this realization we may apply Lord Buddha’s principle of equanimity. It is one of the most misunderstood ‘emotions’ of Buddhist teachings. Many people regard the practice of equanimity as being aloof, stand-offish or dry and completely neutral. The Buddha described the mind filled with equanimity as being “abundant, exalted, without measure of hostility and with out ill-will.”
What a stark contrast to aloofness and dry neutrality. The Pali word uppekkha, meaning to look over, comes from the ability to observe and not attach to the objects of our observation.
The second pali word or words is actually a compound set of words, tatramajjhattata. Tatra a Pali word meaning “all these things” Majjha meaning “middle” and tata meaning “to stand”. All of these simple words linked together form tatramajjhattata meaning to “to stand in the middle of all these things.” In this teaching he equates Majjha as a reference to balance, remaining in the center reminding us of the inner strength we need to practice. The person who practices confidence, non-attachment and calmness will grow in stability remaining centered and thereby develop equanimity.
To develop equanimity we must cultivate the qualities of the mind that support its growth. There are seven mental qualities, or virtues that support this development.
| The first is virtue or integrity. We must live and act with a sense of integrity; it is when we feel confident about our actions and words, is where equanimity of blamelessness occurs. Think of the possibilities. Being able not to immediately judge a situation instead of allowing tolerance and peace to arise. The second virtue helps to support equanimity in the assurance that comes from faith. Faith provides equanimity; Faith that is grounded in wisdom is especially powerful. When we develop confidence, we enhance our ability to enter a stronger more vibrant spiritual practice, it is then we are more likely to meet life’s challenges with equanimity. The third support is a well-developed mind. We can develop mental strength, balance and stability. In our practice we must cultivate calm, concentration and mindfulness. When the mind is calm, we are able to become more aware of ourselves, more aware of our surroundings and less likely to be battered and beaten by the phenomenon of daily life. The fourth support is a sense of well-being. We can not leave well-being to develop on its own. Buddhism considers it appropriate to cultivate and enhance our personal well-being. We are often quick to over look the private quiet moments that refresh our well-being. We are like a deep well and need to replenish ourselves. By caring for ourselves we are putting water back into that well. The fifth virtue in support of equanimity is understanding or wisdom. Wisdom is the fruit of the labor of awareness. To be present means being aware without attachment to our own value system or filters that we see everything through. Wisdom is the divining tool we use to separate a person’s action from whom they truly are. The sixth virtue is insight. Seeing things just as they are according to the laws of nature. We take our clue from nature. All things are impermanent. It is one of the primary and fundamental truths in nature. It is simple and yet profound. Learning the skill of nonattachment, of just letting go brings about equanimity. The final and last virtue is freedom. Freedom to let go of what makes us unhappy and a life without compassion for ourselves and others. Letting go of the tendencies of pettiness. When we begin to realize what had made us upset or crass in the past we can correct these behaviors, letting go of attachment to rules and ideas that bind others and ourselves to mindlessness. Basically we have talked about 2 forms or virtues. An awareness of inner self and a sense of equilibrium that comes from a firm foundation of faith and understanding of impermanence and nature of the spaces around us. |
We are all connected to each other like the underground roots of large southern oak trees. We share the same earth, the same water, the same air. No one needs to tell you that there is suffering. It is universal. But in the same breath remember something else is universal, compassion and equanimity. We need to find a way to practice it. We need to develop for us and others the value of compassion and the great healings and joy that come from human understanding and care for life.
The teachings of Lord Buddha are like rain. They fall on everyone equally. Truth is universal. The truth of the Dharma is for everyone equally.
It is up to each of us and our own capacity to learn, live and grow in grace that flows from the Dharma. We need not to take what happens to us personally. These hurricanes do not single us out individually.
We all suffer regardless of our goodness or lack of goodness. We all hurt regardless of color, status, education, living conditions, poverty, wealth or faith. We all have moments of happiness as well as sadness, security as well as fearfulness, pleasure and pain. We are alive. As long as we breathe we are subject to the conditions of life.
It is through the development of wisdom that supports equanimity. We understand that people are responsible for their own actions and the decisions that led up to their actions. We must examine ourselves and our own sufferings which will help us find equanimity in the suffering of other people. We can care for them, for an entire lifetime and never understand the true nature of compassion. What we need to learn is how to care about them. This is the key. We avoid a false sense of responsibility for their well-being.
See the connections we all share. See the opportunity to care for and serve the family and friends we have. Realize the suffering will pass like the breath we exhale. All the conditions of life are temporary. Each will pass like the outgoing tide. Even strangers and peoples from all lands share these things with us. It is a universal truth.
Our future is our own. Our karma reflects the life we lead. Learning to have compassion is a basic respect for whatever path a person may have taken regardless of the present circumstance. Each person’s karma is their own. When we develop a respect for another path without judgment we practice equanimity.
On our journey through life we need to maintain a zeal for the middle path. One of the most difficult parts of Buddhist practice is recognizing the need for equanimity. It is the balance we seek for ourselves and for all people.
But how do we achieve this balance? Constantly we are asked to make comparisons and judgments of individuals as they wander in and out of our lives.
With us as with everyone the phenomenon of condition is temporary. Our lives are filled with the actions of all our yesterdays. Our karma while not written in stone is the reflection of our past, both near and distant.
If we apply this concept to self and know it to be true, than the same application used to gage others is just as valid. In this way, people are not more or less deserving of your scorn or affections. They are the recipient of their own karma. Because of this we do not stand in judgment of others we offer by example of our actions the truth we believe. There is no need to judge others by their beliefs or actions. All we need to do is be the example, and acknowledge the influence of karma.
The precepts found in Buddhism are not passive. They are an active expression of a compassionate heart. No killing develops into a respect and reverence for living sentient beings. In the same way no stealing can show respect for another’s ideas, possessions, time and resources. From learning to live simply we maintain a spirit that can lead a life of less wanting and craving for useless possessions. When we practice no lying we become a voice of purity, truth, and compassion. Adopting the value of no harming sexuality in our lives, we live in such a way that our intimate relations become mutual expressions of caring and generosity, and can truly become teaching tools for love, peace and equanimity for a world that is hungry for these gifts. We must commit to a “Buddhism of engagement”.
By not abusing intoxicants that lead to heedlessness, we respect ourselves and remain aware of the space we occupy. Our awareness can lead to a greater sense of mindfulness and bring about an awareness of self and our own Buddha nature.
If we take our teachings from nature and realize that we are apart of nature, we can experience life in all its conditions and know when to let go. The attachment to possessions and the past will construct us as prisoners in the present. All our yesterdays are the parent of today. We can change the mistakes we make. Our karma is not set in stone; we can change our lives to reflect a better tomorrow. Share your compassion as you share your life. Free yourself from your miseries like the moon escaping from behind the clouds and shining brightly. After every storm the birds come to sing. Why shouldn’t we.
“May You be Aware Your Blessings are More Numerous
Than the Stars in the Nights Sky.”
I Wish You Peace,
Bhante Kassapa
Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319
As with any of Bhante Kassapa’s Dharma talks; these are the notes and framework from which the address was constructed. The actual speech was one hour fifteen minutes with a question and answer period that followed. Please contact Bhante Kassapa for speaking dates and availabilities.
Kathleen Russell on March 23rd, 2009
Thank you for this. I gain new insight each time I read your elegant words.
Chuck D on June 23rd, 2011
I like this blog very much, Its a real nice spot to read and get information.