Settling into a comfortable posture for the meditation time.
Do the best you can.
Listening to the body,
Making any final adjustments that you might need.
Allowing the body to rest here on the cushion,
On the chair.
And letting the mind rest on the body.
It's hard to emphasize enough how important it is to respect this competency of relaxation.
It's like a skill.
A lot of the skill is about remembering that it's okay to relax the body and the mind.
To let things rest.
In a balanced and an upright sort of way.
Being right here in the middle of things.
In a lot of ways when we do any of the divine abodes,
The Brahma Vaharas,
These beautiful emotions of love,
Loving kindness,
Compassion,
Appreciative joy and equanimity practice.
It's really an act of faith or confidence that the heart is capable of relating in a beautiful way.
And tonight in particular we'll be tuning into this potential to be relating with equanimity.
This really beautiful stable balance of the heart and mind.
The heart and mind that's not afraid.
Now of course we know the mind,
The heart that's afraid,
Or that's agitated or that's reactive.
But there's also this potential that we've seen in moments for the heart and mind to be balanced.
To be stable.
To be imperturbable.
Unshakable.
Unafraid.
Generous.
Generously.
Right here and now.
Sensitive.
Not closed down.
A beautiful mind,
Beautiful heart that shines as one of my teachers says as a beautiful full moon.
Because this is a cooler kind of love,
Equanimity.
It's still quite beautiful.
The glow,
The radiance of equanimity.
You can sense this beautiful energetic balance,
Peaceful balance at the heart.
Radiating out in all directions.
Above,
Below,
All around,
Everywhere,
Every way.
Abiding with a heart,
A mind imbued with equanimity.
Abundant,
Exalted,
Boundless,
Immeasurable.
Free of all hostility,
Free of all ill will,
Free of any limitations.
It's really just a matter of remembering this possibility,
The possibility of a balanced,
Equanimous heart and mind.
And remembering its beauty,
Its goodness,
This expansive and radiant and ultimately boundless quality of the heart that cares but knows that things are the way that they are now.
I care about the world,
I care about my friend,
I care about my cat,
I care about my aging body,
I care about injustice,
But in this moment things are the way that they are.
And I'm not going to be afraid of the way it is right now because this is how it is right now.
And I'm not going to shut my heart even though this world,
The way it is,
Is limited,
Not perfect.
Equanimity allows us to open to what's uncertain and limited and imperfect,
Uncertain.
So sense this boundless,
Expansive quality of balance and equanimity and see what kind of phrase or word or image you need to keep it in mind.
You may not need any word,
You may not need to repeat any phrase or bring any image to mind,
But if you do need to,
Then do whatever you have to do to keep remembering this potential of the mind and heart to be equanimous,
Beautifully balanced,
Expansive,
Knowing that things are the way that they are,
May this heart be open,
Happy,
Boundless,
No matter the conditions,
As if the heart has a beautiful serene smile.
And one little trick is as you feel the breath coming in,
You can more specifically remember the quality of equanimity,
Even simply repeating the word equanimity or balance.
And then as you breathe out,
You can remember the boundlessness of that equanimity,
The possibility of that equanimity really expanding and being inclusive of all.
So tuning into the specific flavor of equanimity as you breathe in,
Tuning into the possibility of boundlessness of that quality as you breathe out.
So let's continue in silence for a while.
Just be creative,
Do the best you can.
Let's take it slowly.
Thank you.
We strengthen the equanimity of thought and thought.
We strengthen the equanimity of thought and thought.
We strengthen the equanimity by keeping it in mind,
Simply remembering it as a possibility in this heart at this time.
And don't be shy about using supports if that's what the mind needs,
Simply repeating the word balance,
Or equanimity with each in breath,
For example.
And don't be shy about using supports if that's what the mind needs,
Simply repeating the word balance,
Or equanimity with each in breath,
For example.
Equanimity is this deep trust that ease is skillful.
Even when things are intensely difficult or wrong or need to be fixed,
It's okay for the body,
Mind,
Heart to be at ease as it does what needs to be done.
Ease with the changing conditions internally,
Externally,
This beautiful balance of ease.
The heart that's willing to feel.
And if you can really sense the spiritual beauty of this mind state,
This heart state of equanimity,
As if it has a beautiful glow,
It just naturally radiates out,
Fills the space of the body and the whole world really.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
We're learning first to remember this possibility of equanimity here as a relatively clear and dominant quality in the mind and heart.
Learn what particular images or words or ways of paying attention that strengthen the feeling,
The quality of equanimity.
And then when it has some momentum,
Learning to rest in this quality,
The mind radiating this simple,
Beautiful quality of balance or equanimity.
Trusting it,
Trusting its goodness,
Trusting that the mind has ways of reinforcing it without any kind of personal effort.
Being right in the middle of it is what supports its continuity,
Feeling its goodness gives it strength.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Making peace with the obvious truth that things are the way that they are right now.
Distractedness is the way that it is,
The body sensations are the way that they are.
Equanimity knows how to make peace,
Knows how to be at ease with the conditions as they are,
Because they are the way that they are.
And it understands the unnecessaryness of resistance and complaining or getting tight.
And it realizes the skillfulness of having an openness,
Boundless balance.
The heart that understands that things are the way that they are.
May this heart be at ease.
May the heart be at ease with the changing conditions of our lives.
Equanimity is an especially important aspect of love when we are experiencing times that are ambiguous or confusing or obviously limited in some way,
Not the way we want the conditions to be.
May we all abide,
Pervading all quarters,
Above and below,
All around,
Everywhere and every way,
With the heart imbued with equanimity.
Improturbable,
Open,
Alive,
Not afraid,
Boundless,
Radiant,
Radiant with the quality of balance and equanimity.
Things are the way that they are now.
This is how it is.
May this heart be open and at ease as it connects and responds and does what needs to be done.
The heart,
The mind,
That can include everything,
Every expression of this moment,
Near and far,
Internal,
External,
Beautiful,
Terrible.
May this heart be at ease.
Thank you.
Thank you.
