Instead of being a blanket indifference to everything — which would be like being a dead person — equanimity becomes an important tool in keeping you alive and active.

"So you develop universal equanimity in accepting the principle of karma, but in applying it to your past and present choices you need a selective equanimity up until the endpoint of the path. That way, instead of being a blanket indifference to everything — which would be like being a dead person — equanimity becomes an important tool in keeping you alive and active, making sure all the energy and activity you’ve got to devote to the present moment is used in the best possible way."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Intelligent Equanimity" (Meditations3)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

There are a lot of things happening in the world that you can’t be responsible for. But where you focus the mind, what you do with the mind is your responsibility.

"For the time being, try to put everything else aside. Just you with your breath: breath coming in, breath going out. This is one area where you can be responsible. There are a lot of things happening in the world that you can’t be responsible for. But where you focus the mind, what you do with the mind: That is your responsibility. So make the most of it." ~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Life without Regret"
Read more

Equanimity is what offers us hope. We can watch what’s going on in the present moment and learn from it, to the point where we work ourselves free. It's in the watching and the looking: That's the way out.

"Equanimity is what offers us hope. We can watch what’s going on in the present moment and learn from it, to the point where we work ourselves free. Equanimity isn’t indifference. It’s just the ability to sit and watch. Nudge things a little bit there, nudge them a little bit there, watch again. Because it’s in the watching and the looking: that’s where you really see, that’s where you gain your insight. That’s the way out." ~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Samvega"
Read more

Find something that’s even more liberating than a good mood: the ability not to be a slave to the ups and downs of your moods. That’s a state of mind that’s really worth cultivating.

"When other people do good, you can see it as a sign that there are people in this world who do good. You get some energy from that. Otherwise, if all you can see are other people’s drawbacks, your own goodness gets stale and shriveled. You have to see their good points as well. When you can notice them, that’s energy for you. Don’t be jealous of them. They’ve got some good — sometimes they’ve got some good better than you have. Well, here’s your chance to see a good example. When other people act in ways that are really bad, you can remind yourself, “Okay, this is what bad actions look like from outside. Maybe I’ve got some actions just like that.” So regardless of what other people do, you’ve got to learn how to think in ways that help liberate your mind from being a slave to their actions or making your moods depend on their actions. You have to learn how to develop the right mood to practice, to energize yourself to practice, so you need for your motivation to come...
Read more