Namo tassa Bhagavato Arahato Sammâ Sambuddhassa!

Equanimity
 By Rasika Wijayaratne 

The reason why we have good days and bad days is actually due to our EXPECTATION that we should ALWAYS have good days but should NEVER have bad days.¹ So we are always WISHING and desiring that every day be a happy and good day and are AVERSE to the idea that we should experience anything bad on any given day. But the reality of our lives is quite the opposite.

The Lord Buddha has explained this by explaining the 'eight characteristics of the world' that we all must face in our daily lives and they are 1. Gain, 2. Loss, 3. Happiness, 4. Unhappiness, 5. Praise, 6. Blame, 7. Fame and 8. Obscurity, the four pairs of opposites. But we only HOPE and expect to have gain, happiness, praise and fame and are AVERSE to the idea of loss, unhappiness, blame and obscurity. This is the reason why we are elated when these four positive conditions exist in our lives and are depressed, dejected and conflict arises in our minds when the four negative conditions exist.

As a result our feelings also go up and down much like a roller-coaster ride. This can be cause of great stress to people and can also induce further fear, anxiety, worry and related stresses into their lives. The solution is to understand that our lives are going to always revolved around these eight characteristics and that there is no escape from them whatsoever (remember that even the Lord Buddha was blamed in his day and there were days when he went without a dana (food) - loss), but to also understand how to deal with these eight characteristics skilfully in daily life which is what practicing the Dhamma is all about.

The skilful way to deal with the eight characteristic of the world is by developing the quality embodied by the Pali word 'upekkha'. Upekkha means 'equanimity' or 'even-mindedness'. The meaning is better described with an example. Let’s take the pair of gain and loss and in real-world terms equate 'gain' as a pay-rise in the work place and 'loss' as being fired from the work place. Now we are all liable to these two outcomes at some point in our lives. So when we gain a pay-rise the skilful means of dealing with this worldly condition is by NOT getting excited, carried away, intoxicated with feelings, etc.; but with calm and the awareness that this situation is also liable to changes in the future as are all conditioned things. Also the skilful way to deal with being fired from the work place is to not be angry, upset, dejected, depressed etc.; but to understand this is one of the eight characteristics of life and this situation being conditioned is also subject change in the future (impermanence – anicca in Pali).

This is the same skilful approach that should be taken with the other 3 pairs of happiness and unhappiness, praise and blame, and fame and obscurity as and when they arise, that is with upekkha (equanimity). They are all impermanent conditions (anicca in Pali) arising and passing away on their own accord, are unsatisfactory causing suffering when clung to (dukkha in Pali), they do not belong to us (not mine nor part of me - anatta in Pali) and we should not react to them strongly either positively (elation) or negatively (dejection). Most importantly we should train our minds to NOT be AVERSE to loss, unhappiness, blame and obscurity nor be ATTACHED to and EXPECT gain, happiness, praise and fame; but to be at peace with all these conditions.

Imagine going on a roller-coaster ride that doesn't go up and down! It would be very peaceful wouldn't it? You could peacefully enjoy the view rather than screaming with fear and excitement. This is what we are aiming for with the development of upekkha. However the ride wont be perfectly flat until we attain Nibbana! This equates to inner peace, stability, joy and a mental state which un-wavers when faced with the eight worldly conditions, which will be source of strength in our daily lives. This way we don't have to worry about having good or bad days but rather look forward to having peaceful and joyful days.

May you be at peace and also attain the lasting peace of Nibbana!

Notes

1. Even if we did not have this expectation we would still have "good" and "bad" days in terms of the eight characteristics of the world, but it wouldn't bother us as much.

Related Youth Articles

1. Buddhist Positive Thinking by Rasika Wijayaratne  [ http://vihara.org.au/go?to=posthink ]

2. Work Stress by Rasika Wijayaratne (on stress in the work place)  [ http://vihara.org.au/go?to=workstress ]

3. Jealousy by Rasika Wijayaratne (an analysis of)  [ http://vihara.org.au/go?to=mudita ]

4. Metta Meditation by Rasika Wijayaratne (basic instructions on the meditation on loving-kindness)

[ http://vihara.org.au/go?to=mettamed ]

5. Sensual Pleasure & Pain by Rasika Wijayaratne (on six sense bases; eye, ear, etc.)   [ http://vihara.org.au/go?to=plespain ]