We always wish things to happen in a certain way. Or pray for the good things to come our way but this does not always follow as we wish. Sometimes events turn sour and we get overwhelmed by it all. And so come the sorrow, those deeply felt emotion which gets the better of us. That is where one has to be alert and not be carried away by emotions.
Equanimity of the mind or mindfulness is that state which is to stay calm even in happiness and in many ways becomes a training ground when the opposite emerges. To be able to keep calm whatever the situation is the way of wisdom as this ensures that the mind is not affected by the upturn of events.
In Buddhist terminology this is known as upekkha or the idea of ‘to look over’ ie to gaze and or to develop that sense of awareness or as Gil Fronsdal, a teacher at The Insight Meditation, California says that The Buddha described upekkha as being “ abundant, exalted immeasurable without hostility and without ill-will.” Barbara O’Brien (2019) on this topic refers to Bikkhu Bodhi, a Theravada Monk who says this equanimity of being is precisely not to be overwhelmed by “ passions, desires, likes and dislikes.” This is more to the point or as The Bikkhu puts it” It is evenness of mind, a state of inner equipoise that cannot be upset by gain and loss, honour and dishonour, praise and blame , pleasure and pain.”
In that same article on defining this word, the author Barbara refers to Thich Nhat Hanh who in his …The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching mention that the Sanskrit word upeksa means ‘equanimity, non-attachment, non-discrimination, even-mindedness or letting-go.
What one needs doing is to be always alert to and realise that there is something higher than the mind which is always restless and turbulent in the world when faced with what is manifested. One who is able to train the mind takes shelter of the real self that essential being or atma as is referred to in Sanskrit.
Actually one does not quite take shelter of the real being which one is but verily sees that every other is in the same situation, in helplessness and being effected in many ways by the march of time. There is a sense of misidentification or trying to not really come to terms to the real being and so one remains confused by adopting a truncated form of being by believing that all one may be is the bodily-self which reveals itself and or perceived most directly which one may take as the real self. In many ways it is a question of perceiving that essentially being.
When the individual realises who one is then one witnesses with an equal vision any and every other regardless of specie that one is simply entangled in the web of desires which is without limit. The other likewise is in a similar position. Wisdom therefore entails that one needs develop a real sense of being rather than the partial format which often gives rise to problematic views. Or one may say there is more to oneself rather than what is most directly viewed.
Such a realisation that one is not an object to be moulded in shape or form often means that there is hope on the horizon as in someways this reconnects us with our being and so it does not waver about hither and tither in the world. It is not that one does not show emotion but it is a question of training and practice. Put it another way, this essentially means realising who one is really, truly and fully in that there may not be mis-identification with the deha or bodily concept of being. Or that one may not be mere thoughts when the mental element about us takes over. Even more to the point, the individual has indeed to truly come to its senses in that it is not being carried over by the whims of the mind. The training is precisely knowledge of who one is initially whereas the practice is to watch over the veil or barriers of the diktat of the mind but simply watching over rather being submerged either way in the extremes of contentment and or distress.
Verily, it is simply a question of being there and witnessing the outcomes to which one goes through.
Naturally, the murmurs about are that all this may be a per impossibile since one is by nature always in and somehow by being entangled in the world order, and this means one is subject to the norms of the way of the world.However our contention is precisely that at the superficial level this may be so but viewed from the transcendental platform, one who is not limited by the norm of the material may see beyond the confines or parochial of the obvious whereas what one may see with a clear vision is that which is not tainted by the superficial.
Arjuna points to Krsna in Bhagavad Gita that the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong…..and controlling it,is even more difficult than controlling the wind…… to which Krsna agrees in his reply to his disciple that may be so but through training and practice it is possible to curb the frailties of the mind.
The call is to align with mindfulness of the form the Buddha refers to or as Krsna says one needs to learn to move away from the level of the mind which makes one realises that one is more than just what is perceived easily. The real me is often illusive.It is through the latter that one may find a way out of the maze. However, in life one remains within the realm of the mind which continually plays tricks upon us.
This equanimity may be adopted when one truly realises oneself or that one may not be a mere superficiality in that one keeps giving the self to that truncated form. It is about that Upekha, mindfulness, training and practice and a realisation of who one is. Is this possible?