Equanimity: ‘There in the Middleness’

According to Bhikkhu Bodhi, upekkha, the Pali term we usually translate as equanimity, could literally be translated as “there in the middleness.” This points to the balancing power of equanimity. It is also sometimes described as an evenness of mind. When we have cultivated this quality over time in our practice, we are not as easily swayed by the eight worldly winds of gain and loss, praise and blame, fame and disrepute, or pleasure and pain. Another reason this is an important quality to cultivate is related to the law of impermanence, that everything is constantly changing, and therefore unreliable, unsatisfactory, not a true refuge. We will discuss how to keep balance of mind in the face of this reality, as well.