To look at something to see what’s actually going on, you’ve got to get the mind calm and equanimous so that it can admit what’s going on.

"[The Buddha's] teaching you to have a mind on an even keel so that whatever comes up, good or bad, you’re not blown away by it. Otherwise, you won’t be able to see exactly what’s going on.

After all, you want to see cause and effect as they actually happen. And if you like some causes and don’t like some effects, your view is going to be biased. Certain things that you really should know, you’re not going to know because you run away from them, or you pretend they’re not there.

So equanimity is a prerequisite for seeing things clearly. The word is actually related to another word in Pali. Upekkha, in Pali, is equanimity. Apekkha is looking at something. To look at something to see what’s actually going on, you’ve got to get the mind calm and equanimous so that it can admit what’s going on."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Equanimity on the Path"

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