Clarify My Mind: 10 of 12: Equanimity

Equanimity is composure, calmness, and a balanced outlook that helps me hold disturbances and all experiences in life with a peaceful heart.

One aspect of it is acceptance – accept the reality of life as it is. Life is living through me. All things emerge and pass away – joys and sorrows, agonies and ecstasies, fun and frustrating events. Can I avoid the struggle of resisting them, or fighting with them, or denying them? Acceptance can save me the pain of navigating life with an inaccurate map of virtual reality that doesn’t align with what is here and now. Once I shift my focus away from resisting or complaining, space opens in my mind for insights to emerge. It can help connect with peace and harmony from inside.

Detaching from the drama of emotions and reactive thinking patterns and seeing it all objectively as a witness can help cultivate equanimity. When I can train my mind to be aware without getting caught up in the objects I see or experience, it’s like navigating the terrain without thinking, labeling, liking, or disliking what I see along the way. It’s about witnessing experiences without judging them as good or bad, and observing the drama without getting caught up in it. It can open space between thoughts, allowing my mind to focus on the present moment and unlocking liveliness, peace, vibrant joy, and healing from within.

I am spacious awareness. I am like a big open sky, and the weather of experiences – thrilling and challenging – passes through and dissolves like clouds emerging and disappearing on the horizon. When the plane of my mind is flying through clouds of thoughts, that’s all it can see. When I steer the plane to rise above the clouds, there is deep, crisp, open blue sky all around, and a beautiful view of the clouds below.

Awareness and acceptance can clarify and refine my understanding of reality – they can help me detect and release the habitual patterns that lead to chronic stress, unhealthy emotional patterns, and other forms of suffering.

I got it from several mindfulness trainings that I can hold pains, aches, and physical sensations in my body with awareness and loving care – with each breath I can breathe healing vibrations into it. For a strong emotional reaction to a memory or an interaction, it’s not what might have happened or another person – it’s my state of mind and fears and build-up from the past that can trigger the reaction and reactive thinking patterns. Can I hold my mind, body, emotions, and all I might be experiencing in the moment with loving compassion? I can experience it all in the spacious awareness, observe it as a witness, accept it, and let it pass through – it can help me see the reactions and disturbances with a peaceful heart.

What are your thoughts?