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 upon 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)
The near enemy of equanimity is the ordinary indifference of the
uninformed. (Vm 9.101) When a person, hearing a sound with the ear, is
not attached to pleasing sounds and not repelled by unpleasing sounds,
they have established mindfulness and dwell with an unlimited mind. For a
person whose mindfulness is developed and practiced, the ear does not
struggle to reach pleasing sounds, and unpleasing sounds are not
considered repulsive. (SN 35.274)
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The idea of a
near enemy is used in Buddhist commentaries to help define the meaning
of words. A near enemy is something that seems like the right definition
of a word (hence near), but is actually missing the mark and steering us in a wrong direction (hence enemy).
What is being said here is that equanimity can easily be misconstrued
as indifference, while in fact these two are miles apart. Real
equanimity is fully engaged.
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Working with
sound, see if you can hear sounds without favoring or opposing what you
hear, without preferring some sounds and feeling aversion toward others.
You will notice that this requires paying close attention and is thus
far from indifference. When hearing a sound (bird calls, traffic, the
refrigerator), just be aware of hearing the sound with an attitude of
true equanimity: attentive but unattached.
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Tomorrow: Refraining from Frivolous Speech
One week from today: Cultivating Lovingkindness
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