Equanimity is not the goal. We’re not here just to be equanimous about things, because there’s a sense of powerlessness in equanimity.

"Equanimity is not the goal. We’re not here just to be equanimous about things, because there’s a sense of powerlessness in equanimity. You realize that there are things you simply cannot change as long as you’re in this world dealing with other people. They may decide they want to go to war. What are you going to do? You can protest, but what if they decide they’re not going to listen to the protests? What if they mow the protesters down?

People do unskillful things all over the world all the time. This is the world we’re born into — and this is one of the relatively good ones. So equanimity cannot be the goal. But the fact that the reflection on equanimity is also the same as the reflection that leads to a motivation to want to practice the path, shows that when the Buddha teaches us equanimity, it’s not just a general indifference. When you have equanimity for all beings, it’s not just saying, “Well, who cares?” It’s more to focus you. There are a lot of things you cannot change in the world, but there are some things that are within your power, and the path is something that’s within your power. It’s something you can do. That, the Buddha says, is a type of action. It’s the type of action that leads to the end of action, but it’s a choice you can make.

So when you develop thoughts of equanimity to overcome disappointment, grief, or just general irritation of the world, you then want to think about it a little bit further to take it beyond simply learning how to accept things as they are. You have to learn to accept the fact that there are potentials as well. There’s the potential to act skillfully, so skillfully that you can put an end to suffering. That’s there, too. So this motivation starts with samvega, but also leads to pasada, confidence that there is a way out.

Equanimity on its own, the Buddha points out, can leave you doing nothing, accomplishing nothing. He says that if you sit here meditating and develop only equanimity without trying to get the mind firmly concentrated, without exerting right effort, nothing happens. But if you combine equanimity with discernment, you realize there are a lot of things you can’t control, but there are some things you can. Focus on those."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Equanimity & More"

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