RIGHT INTENTION
Cultivating Equanimity
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Whatever you intend,
whatever you plan, and whatever you have a tendency toward, that will
become the basis on which your mind is established. (SN 12.40) Develop
meditation on equanimity, for when you develop meditation on equanimity,
all aversion is abandoned. (MN 62)
Equanimity is the way to purity for one who has much attachment. (Vm
9.108) When a person, tasting a flavor with the tongue, is not attached
to pleasing flavors and not repelled by unpleasing flavors, they have
established mindfulness and dwell with an unlimited mind. For a person
whose mindfulness is developed and practiced, the tongue does not
struggle to reach pleasing flavors, and unpleasing flavors are not
considered repulsive. (SN 35.274)
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We all
naturally have many attachments. Much of the time we cherish these and
feel they are the very things that make life worthwhile. In the Buddhist
analysis they also cause us suffering, lead to bodily and mental
troubles, and cause a lot of harm in the world. The emotional stance of
equanimity is a way of fully experiencing things without being caught by
them, of tasting their flavor without attachment or revulsion.
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Experiment with
your experience when you are tasting and consuming food. It is usual to
like some things and dislike others, but what if instead you had
equanimity toward what you are eating? This doesn't mean eating bland
food; rather, it means not focusing on preferences but fully
appreciating the pleasant flavor of some bites and the unpleasant flavor
of others. Notice the different textures without favoring or opposing.
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Tomorrow: Refraining from Frivolous Speech
One week from today: Cultivating Lovingkindness
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