Equanimity: Balance of Mind and Peace of Heart
An Interview with Rebecca Bradshaw,
Patricia Genoud-Feldman and Annie Nugent

What is equanimity? How is it strengthened, and why is it significant? Insight Newsletter put these questions to three IMS teachers who frequently lead courses at both the Retreat Center and the Forest Refuge. Here are their responses.

Annie: In the language of meditation, equanimity is the term given to a balanced mind. In this state, the mind is non-preferential and non-reactive. It doesn’t cling to pleasant thoughts, sensations or feelings and it doesn’t push away unpleasant thoughts, sensations or feelings. It understands that whatever arises doesn’t last. It is the mind of wisdom.

Rebecca: We can also describe equanimity asthe capacity to connect more fully with what each moment presents, with a heart and mind free of contraction. Only when we learn how to relate skillfully to this world of impermanence, or anicca as the Buddha called it, can we find real peace. We begin to let go of struggling against the ever-changing process of life.

It’s important, however, not to interpret equanimity as indifference or disconnection. It doesn’t imply inaction or an uncaring attitude. On the contrary, injustices must be righted. When equanimity is present, we can act more wisely and more compassionately.

Patricia: Equanimity is often felt as a deep and complete peace. It is a factor of enlightenment and a fruit of our practice. It is what allows the mind to hold steady, no matter what may arise. It is the capacity to be attentive and open to an ever-widening range of experience – without valuing pleasure over pain, or gain over loss. Mindfulness is a key to its development.

Rebecca: In my own life, I have found chronic health issues to be a rich and fascinating area for strengthening equanimity. For example, when there are unpleasant physical experiences, it is very easy to get reactive and extrapolate into the future, imagining how horrible we’re going to feel for the rest of our lives. In such situations, I have learned to quietly ask myself, "Is this particular moment okay?" This can be a helpful mantra to use in many challenging circumstances. I have surprised myself at how often the answer to this question is “Yes.” Then I am more able to focus on the actual moment at hand and how I'm relating to it, without getting swept away. This mindfulness helps develop equanimity, an abiding peace that manifests as the ability to flow gracefully with the inevitable ups and downs of life.

Annie: When I first started sitting retreats, I had a tremendous amount of fear in my practice, with a lot of frightening images coming to mind. The first step that I had to take towards both mindfulness and equanimity was to recognize that fear was present. Sometimes it’s very difficult for us to acknowledge this. Working with mindfulness I came to understand, "Oh, this is simply an image arising in the mind, it’s not a reality." I was able to look those disturbing pictures in the eye and see them for what they were: empty projections. And so their power over me dissipated. I saw for myself how wise attention to whatever is arising helps to bring about equanimity.

Patricia: I had a similar experience in relation to loss. Some years ago, the lease on my apartment was terminated. For a few days I was caught in reactivity – I felt aversion toward the owners, and suffered from the sense of having no secure place in the world. The event brought back childhood experiences growing up in Africa during times of war, when again and again my family had to move to avoid conflicts.  When I recognized these old feelings, I was able to extend compassion towards both the landlord and myself. Out of this, equanimity returned and I could acknowledge that “things are as they are.”  I could then get on with finding skillful solutions to the problem.

Rebecca: If we are willing to explore our reactivity, we will see, over and over again, that it need not run our lives. Equanimity naturally unfolds through repeatedly bringing mindfulness and awareness to how we are relating to our experience in the moment.

Annie: I have found nature particularly helpful in experiencing this balance of mind. When turmoil would sometimes arise on retreat, I would go outside and simply stand there, sensing the earth under my feet and the air around me. I felt its peace flowing into me.

On many other occasions I have sat in the meditation hall, looking at the statue of the Buddha. He would almost come to life; I could feel his strong equanimity as if it were radiating out toward me. And I would become imbued with a little more ease, a little more balance of mind that allowed me to work with the difficulty of whatever was going on within.

Patricia: It requires an unwavering fearlessness to face the reality of life. It’s important to appreciate this as we practice meditation and look directly into our minds – we are undertaking something truly courageous. It’s also important to understand that it takes time for equanimity to unfold; little by little, if we can observe what arises with awareness, we see that everything also passes. As we begin to let go of our reactivity – whether it’s fear, anger, excitement or pleasure – what remains is the peace of equanimity.

To find out when Annie, Patricia and Rebecca will be teaching at IMS, see the Retreat Center schedule and the Forest Refuge Schedule.