As you would also attest to it,
We live in a world that constantly pulls us in different directions filled with endless distractions,
Desires and pressures.
And in such a setting,
Maintaining our inner peace and balance can be quite challenging.
And today,
We will explore the Buddhist concept of equanimity,
Which is also known as Upekkha and how it can help us stay grounded while dealing with life's ups and downs.
Let's look at what is equanimity first.
Equanimity is a state of mental and emotional stability and composure,
Especially in difficult situations.
And in Buddhism,
It's one of the four immeasurable qualities of the heart,
Together with loving-kindness,
Which is Metta,
Compassion,
Which is Karuna,
Compassion,
Which is Karuna,
Sympathetic joy,
Which is Mudita.
Equanimity,
Upekkha,
Is about maintaining calm and composure,
Not by becoming indifferent,
But by staying balanced and centered,
No matter what life throws at us.
You can think of equanimity as being like a deeply rooted tree.
And that tree,
No matter how strong the wind becomes,
Remains standing,
Swaying gently,
But never uprooted.
This is what equanimity allows us to do.
It allows us to remain stable and grounded while dealing with all the storms of life.
Why is equanimity so important?
In our materialistic world,
We are constantly bombarded with messages telling us that happiness comes from external achievements,
Possessions,
And validations by others.
And we are conditioned to seek pleasure and avoid pain,
And to crave what we don't have,
And to fear losing what we do have.
And that creates a never-ending cycle of desire and dissatisfaction.
I will be happy when.
.
.
I will be happy when I have this much money in my bank account.
I will be happy when I traveled all seven continents of the world.
I will be happy when I completed everything I have on my bucket list.
I will be happy when I'm debt-free.
When you get there,
There will be something else on your way.
When you're debt-free,
There will be something else.
Because it's life.
Because life will always throw things one after the other,
One after the other.
So there's no end to that.
Which means.
.
.
Am I never going to be happy?
Will there always be something for me to wait and get to,
To feel the happiness,
To feel the calm and peace?
Yes,
The present moment is all we need.
Recognizing that brings us the concept of equanimity.
And equanimity helps us break free from this cycle.
It allows us to see things as they are,
Without being overly attached to the good or overly averse to the bad.
It gives us the ability to respond to life's challenges with clarity and calmness,
Rather than reacting impulsively.
Then what is the connection between equanimity and mindfulness?
There's a big connection.
Because when we practice mindfulness,
We become more aware of our thoughts,
Our emotions and sensations in the present moment.
And we learn to observe them without judgment,
Without getting caught up in them.
And this non-reactive awareness is the foundation of equanimity.
For example,
When we face a difficult situation,
Mindfulness allows us to pause and observe our thoughts and feelings.
Instead of reacting with anger or frustration,
We can respond with calmness,
With clarity.
And we can choose to act in a way that aligns with our values and intentions,
Rather than being driven by our immediate emotions.
Living in a materialistic world often means we are constantly striving for more success,
More possessions,
More recognition,
More money.
And this constant striving leads obviously to stress,
Anxiety,
Sense of never being enough.
So equanimity helps us step back from this constant striving and find contentment in the present moment.
Think about how often you might be comparing yourself with others.
And social media makes this even more prevalent as we see people's lives and feel inadequate by comparison.
Equanimity allows us to see these comparisons for what they are.
Fleeting and not a true measure of our worth.
And equanimity helps us find contentment within ourselves,
Regardless of external circumstances.
Think of someone who experiences a significant loss,
Such as a job or a relationship.
Instead of falling into despair,
They choose to use equanimity to reflect on the situation,
Accept their emotions,
And find meaning in the experience.
They focus on their inner strength and move forward with a sense of resilience.
Given the situation,
What can I do?
In positive intelligence,
There are three things that every adversity teaches us.
One,
It always brings us knowledge.
Knowledge about what it is,
What happened,
What am I learning from this.
Power,
Because what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
If you are going through something,
It means that you have that power and you are getting stronger because of that.
And inspiration,
The third thing is inspiration,
To bring your ideas to go further and take that information,
Knowledge,
And power and use it to serve and contribute to something else that others will benefit.
At the end of the day,
The only one,
Only thing we always have from the beginning to the end is ourselves.
Nobody is permanent in our lives.
Nothing is permanent in our lives.
Bad days are not permanent.
Good days are not permanent.
Bad people are not permanent.
Bad people are not permanent.
Good people are not permanent.
When we decide to accept and embrace anything and everything that is coming our way,
Then nothing is bad in life.
Nothing.
Everything is small stuff.
Everything,
Even death,
Even death.
Think about that.
Because we are human beings going through a human experience and everything we are facing,
We are experiencing,
It's part of that experience.
That's that.
That's all.
That's about it.
Jack Kornfield says,
Equanimity arises when we accept the way things are.
The more we resist to what is,
The more we are harming ourselves.
Nothing more,
Nothing less.
That's it.
When you lose someone to death,
Someone dies in your life whom maybe you were together for 45 years,
It's not a small thing.
It is a big thing.
But it is still a part of your learning,
Growing process as a soul.
There is a reason why you are experiencing that event.
Anything and everything that is happening is happening for you.
For you.
Even losing someone to death or to divorce,
Separation.
Everything is happening because it is what you need to experience in this phase of your life.
