Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. Khensur Rinpoche opens this nearly 70-minute talk with a disarming image: equanimity is like the middle of three fingers — the mind that has not gone toward attachment on one side or hatred on the other. After placing equanimity among its Buddhist relatives (neutral feeling, neutral karma) and explaining why it differs from both, he walks through six structured meditations. Three look outward at other beings: all equally want happiness, so discrimination is unjustified; all lack truly lasting happiness, since ordinary pleasures cycle into pain (illustrated vividly by the sitting-then-standing example); all are tormented by unwanted suffering. Three further meditations look inward — every comfort we enjoy traces back to others’ kindness across past, present, and future lives. A short Q&A closes with the enemy-as-teacher principle and how physical suffering can be transformed into spiritual training.
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File: 36 1994 08 14 PT Equanimity.mp3
UUID: 6887b43e-73bd-4100-909e-06a974d538ce
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Public Talks 1988-2003 (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1994-08-14
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 68.9 minutes
Words: ~4,371
We start with brief meditation trying to develop within our mind a kind thought towards others, altruistic motive to help others and this meditation will include meditation on compassion and so forth. In our own case we do not want sufferings and problems but we do want happiness, success, satisfaction. But if we analyze others’ feelings and wishes we would find, like myself, others also equally do not want sufferings. They all equally do want happiness. Therefore one needs to think or may think that may all beings be free of sufferings and causes of suffering, and may all beings actually attain a state of freedom free of all sufferings and their causes.
If one thinks in that way then that becomes a meditation on compassion. And now we do meditation on loving kindness where we think like myself myself who do want happiness all other beings equally do want happiness. Because of such reasons I wish all beings to be with happiness and causes of happiness. So, yeah, that This afternoon the topic of the teaching requested was equanimity generally speaking within wide range of Buddhist meditation on kind thought and altruism there as well is meditation on equanimity. So accordingly we shall briefly first look at what equanimity is and what it is all about.
equanimity is a topic when meditated upon. It is extremely effective for one’s improvement of mind in the spiritual path, also it is of many beneficial outcomes. Even presently speaking by doing meditation on the equanimity one would experience immense peacefulness in one’s mind. Generally speaking, equanimity when understood as not different from the meaning of neutral or neutrality, it has so many so many references. It means differently according to different contexts.
For example, there can be equanimity of feeling where it simply means neutral feeling neither pleasant nor unpleasant. Also there is equanimity of karmic activity or simple activity equanimity where it also simply means a neutral action which is neither spiritual nor non spiritual. Here we don’t take equanimity as being understood in those ways. Instead, equanimity here means a state of mind which is free of hatred and free of attachment. In a way it is a point in one’s mind which is not close to someone or some groups of people and distant towards other groups of people instead it is all without prejudice equally kind and reaching to all other beings.
Now regarding equanimity of thought we can look at in this way say if you have three fingers then equanimity is like the middle finger which has not gone to either of the two sides or two extremes. What are the two extremes? Well here it means either the mind would be attached or with attachment or with hatred. Now let’s look at firstly what happens in the case if one does not have equanimity in state one’s mind is with attachment. Well what happens is if one has attachment then out of that attachment there is definitely restlessness, lack of peace, lack of happiness and so forth.
How that is so is because due to being attached one would engage in all sorts of all sorts of actions which by nature would be to cater for someone one likes or some groups one is attached to and try to defeat and challenge the others one doesn’t like. Therefore it would be obvious one would engage in a whole lot of arguments and fights and so forth caused by such attachment. So that is one possibility if mind is without equanimity in state it is with attachment, what would happen? In the same way, if one’s mind is gone towards hatred, then again that would bring all sorts of problems with oneself. The reason for that is due to hatred one would again engage into all sorts of activities activities which are bound to bring unhappiness to oneself.
There’s no doubt about that how it is so is one out of hatred would fight with others, would argue with others, and even it may end up being so grave as murdering someone or killing someone and so forth. Now this would then mean if we are to train on equanimity we, as a first step, identify that those are the two possibilities the mind could go wrongly. So by identifying that one then makes sure that one’s mind or state of thought does not go towards those two extremes. Through this way if we are able to make our mind not go towards attachment and hatred then we can have a very clean and pure state of mind. An example how pure it would be well it would be like pure water, a pure water which is not made dirty either by filth or made undrinkable due to toxic contamination and so forth.
Instead the water, if it is pure, then it tastes pure water, and if it’s pure water we can use it either for drinking, cooking, or even for washing our clothes and so forth. It can be a usable water. Similarly we can say if the mind is pure like that it then can become a workable mind. Therefore one needs to apply meditational method to make the mind clean, free of attachment and hatred? Well then there would be question how should one what sort of methods are there and how should one apply them?
Well regarding that, one of the main methods is to meditate on equanimity in order to make the mind not go towards attachment and hatred. The meditation on equanimity can be done in two alternative ways. One is the meditation on equanimity by integrating conventional meditation. The second is the meditation on equanimity by integrating the meditation on reality, on the ultimate truth into the meditation itself. So there are those two methods.
With regards to the first method of meditation on equanimity where one integrates conventional meditation itself that as well is of two types one where one does meditation with reference to other beings apart from oneself and that itself is of three different types. And within that there is a second which is by meditating on equanimity in relation to oneself outward towards others, and that itself has three, and altogether there are nine, but we better not go into all that at this stage so that’s where the latter part was it might just confuse instead it would be good we first look at the first three types of equanimity meditation where the meditation is done in reference from the perspective towards other beings out there. Now when one does the meditation with reference to or in relation to other beings then one starts by contemplating on the fact that either it is a human out there or it is an animal, a horse or a dog or whatever types of beings out there, it is the fact that they all equally do not want happiness or do not want suffering, sorry. They all equally do want happiness. Now as there is this fact that all other beings out there, they do equally want happiness and they do equally do not want suffering, suffering.
From my side, if that’s the fact then it is not appropriate from my side to discriminate and through such discrimination to feel attached and liking to some groups of beings and be distant and with hatred towards other groups of beings. It is not appropriate. Also one thinks in that way and to reassert the to reassert that this is very true one applies the reason why it is not appropriate for me to be attached to some and hatred towards others is because of that very reason, that it is the very reason that they all equally do not want suffering, they all equally do happiness that it is due to that very reason it is not appropriate. So that’s how one starts in the first place. Also this way of thinking it is not appropriate to be attached some and hatred towards others with relation to all beings out there that is one meditation amongst the three.
Now then we look at the second meditation within that. In the second meditation one goes through the specifics of the previous one and the specific here is that it is a fact with all beings out there that although they all equally do want happiness they are deprived or they are destitute of happiness. So from that perspective or from that reasoning of specific point that they equally do want happiness but are destitute of it, it is as well not appropriate from my side to be attached to some and be with hatred against others. Of course so that’s what this second part of meditation is. Now of course when here the mention is about others, all ordinary beings out there wanting happiness, but that’s the issue of happiness.
When there’s this mention, of course, it might be asked, they do have happiness. They have the happiness of eating or enjoying their meal, they have the happiness of having a nice sunshine and so forth. But here happiness means the ultimate happiness, the unchanging happiness, a happiness which has more with emphasis no suffering at all, as happiness which is not bound to change into suffering. So happiness completely free meaning of happiness here, and from that point it is true that there is not any ordinary beings out there who has such happiness. They are destitute of such happiness even though they do equally want such happiness.
So that’s the clarification part on it. In the second meditation then one with that reasoning thinks it is not appropriate to be distant to some and close to others. Of course it is quite obvious that few people might think it is not true to say that ordinary beings do not have any happiness at all. It is possible that some people might think ordinary beings also do have happiness and they might think the ordinary beings do have happiness because when they are hungry, if they are given some food then there would be happiness, or if they are thirsty and if they are given some drinks then there will be happiness. Similarly when they are cold and shivering and without proper clothing, if they are given some clothing there would be happiness.
So it is possible by thinking that way to think, oh, it’s not true that they don’t have happiness. But those happiness are not actual happiness they are what in scriptures call the contaminated happiness. Happiness produced by contaminated states of mind — or that’s what is described — we can perhaps say plainly that there are temporary happinesses, just momentarily present in the experience of happiness, but bound not to last. How that is so is if it is true happiness, it should remain unchanging, which then would mean the more we eat, the more happiness there should be, and it should continuously be in that state. But that’s not how it is actually experienced.
The more we keep eating and eating, then that happiness earlier of being filled with the hunger removed would not be there, and it is quite definite that that happiness would change into suffering. When hungry at the initial stage, if we do have something to eat then there is happiness but if we keep eating then there would be stomach upset so there it is bound to be stomach upset so there it is bound to be suffering later. Likewise when we are thirsty first when we drink or when we are thirsty in the beginning when we drink or something well the thirst is quenched and there is some happiness experience but if we keep drinking that’s bound to make us sick and bring our pain, suffering and so forth. Likewise if when we are cold, if we wear some warm clothing in the beginning there is happiness, but if we keep wearing the warm clothing too long then again it will be discomfort of being too hot, so that would not last as happiness. It would change into suffering.
Similarly, when we sit in the beginning, it feels comfortable. But if we sit too long, then our knees will ache and so forth. We would feel like standing up and then while standing up in the beginning it might feel pretty good and comfortable but if we keep standing too long then it will turn into pain and suffering and we might again feel like going back and sitting down. So in brief, all these are examples how a normal mundane happiness are not true happiness because they are they don’t last. And from that point of view, we can say they are very unreliable happiness.
So it is like that up there. So it is like a scale bar where say in our case of example when we sit in the beginning there is bit of comfort and happiness but if we keep sitting too long it will turn into discomfort so it would be like the scale bar going downward and then later if we stand up in the beginning again there would be a bit of comfort but if we keep standing too long it will turn into discomfort, suffering, so forth. Again it’s like this scale bar coming back upward. Of course with the case of having stood up after sitting too long, there is some sort of happiness, but if we analyze it can be more a decrease of previous suffering and not really a true happiness in its nature. So only the previous pain and suffering has eased a bit, but there wasn’t actual happiness.
So all these mundane happiness are called contaminated happiness because they are mixed up with sufferings and they don’t remain lasting as happiness. On the other hand, we have true happiness or the ultimate happiness, unchanging happiness which is once one attains that no matter how long one remains with that, the experience of happiness would not fade. It should always be with oneself. Therefore, as ordinary beings, all sentient beings do not have ultimate un changing happiness. The happiness so called which they have are all bound to transform into unhappiness, suffering, pain, so forth, therefore they are all unreliable happiness.
Due to such reasonings then one reaffirms one’s second meditation thinking that all beings, all ordinary beings, equally do want happiness, but they are destitute of happiness. It is due to that reason not appropriate for me to be attached to some and be hatred against others. I should have an equal or even feeling of kindness and altruism towards all beings. To what’s called support this reason to support this viewpoint, One can look at an example, say, if there are five beggars who are desperately needing a feed. If they come towards you, it is most inappropriate from your side to discriminate and not feed some and to feed others amongst the five.
The very reasoning is because they all equally do not have anything to eat and they and they all equally do need something to eat. So that would be an example to support the case. The third meditation is where one thinks all ordinary beings out there do not want suffering but they are very much tormented by suffering. Because of such fact it is not appropriate for me to discriminate and through that it is not appropriate for me to be attached to some groups and be with hatred against others. Let’s look at the examples If in the hospital there are five patience all equally suffering from chronic cancer, then from one discriminate and through that discrimination to be attentive to some patient and ignore others would be extremely inappropriate.
The reason for that is because all five patience equally are tormented by the same cancer, chronic cancer, and they all equally do want their suffering to be alleviated from that, so it is not appropriate. Beings beings out there although equally not wanting suffering but very much tormented by that it is now not appropriate from my side to discriminate and through that be with attachment to some and hatred against others. Instead I should have an equal benevolent care to all beings. Through such meditation if one is able to bring an evenness of care to all beings then it means one’s meditation on equanimity has become quite good. Therefore those are the three types of meditations based on the perspective whether based on the perspective about others situations and through that way making the decisive awareness arise in one’s mind that it is not appropriate to be with attachment and hatred and discrimination or discrimination of distance and nearness to one and others.
So in that primarily one focuses the meditation to bring equanimity from one side by looking at others equal situation. Now next is the three types of meditation done from one’s perspective and through that from one’s perspective how as well it would not be appropriate to have the discrimination of attachment and hatred, distance and nearness. Meditation on equanimity meditations on equanimity are extremely profound to our meditation in the sense it requires great depth of courage and perspective from the practitioner’s side and that way it is a profound type of meditation and that’s why one finds the finer details of such meditation as the meditation on equanimity are quite exclusively taught in the great the Mahāyāna context of teachings by the Buddha. For people who want to do a brief meditation on equanimity, the previous three should be enough. And maybe perhaps that the previous three, just those three may be suitable for people who don’t have enough time.
People who want to expand their meditation on equanimity a little bit further on top of those previous three, then they can do the next three types of equanimity meditation, and those three are done from perspective of oneself towards others. And how one does that meditation is? One thinks all beings have in the past helped me, had benefited me, they continue to help and benefit me, and in future too they will continue to help and benefit me. If that’s the case then it is inappropriate, not only it is inappropriate, it is extremely mean to, in return from my side for their kindness and help, to have discrimination and be hatred against some, be with attachment towards others. So one thinks in that way and brings about equanimity.
So in this way one does the meditation and so primary what’s called decision is to think it is extremely mean to discriminate from my side from that perspective. I was trying to say it is not cool to do that. In thinking about how others been kind to oneself, one would think how they had been kind to one in the past countless times many times. Of course when there is talk about past and kindness done by others help and benefit done by others in the past this inevitably brings in the assumption that there was a past life, that there was previous life. But it could be possible amongst the people who attend here, there could be some who are not yet comfortable to accept the theory of reincarnation, to accept the theory that there was past life and there will be next life or rebirth, forth.
Yet let’s presently assume that it was correct, that there was a past life and there will be future lives, and Buddha in the first place when teaching these instructions taught to disciples who felt comfortable about such theory, was has taught this, based on that let’s assume for people who are not comfortable for them they can assume that that is fact. Now if that’s additional fact to go with that which is in our countless rebirths in the past we did have parents of whom we were born as a child. And during those countless times we had countless parents who had been our parents, they had been our father, mother and so forth, and if they had been our parents then they would have been kind to us as our parents of this life, from the time of conception in the womb and delivery and so forth. And averagely speaking, if the parents have been kind in this life we can relate it much better even if not we can relate how whatever kind people we can relate in this life are similar that we had same kindness received from all other beings during our countless rebirths in the past.
In our present life, we depend our whole survival and pleasant, our pleasant experience. We experience the comfort we enjoy with, would depend on others for all of these. This applies equally this applies equally even to people who are extremely extremely educated, learned, or if people who are so called extremely brave, extremely brave, that even in their case that the very fact that they are able to survive, the very fact that they enjoy comforts of life and so forth depends entirely on others facilitation, kindness, help so forth. It is not possible for one person to be isolated and be self reliant completely on her or his own. Therefore it is quite obvious that in present case in this life too everything we enjoy so much and our comfort so forth depends entirely on others contribution therefore in that way others are extremely kind to us.
In future too, our whole rebirth also would depend on, would rely on other sentient beings and our survival in the future rebirths as well would depend depend on other sentient beings, other beings contributions, help and so forth and whatever comfort so forth we will enjoy in future they also would come forth depending on others. We can clearly observe that all we wear comes from by depending on other beings, other sentient beings. All that we eat are depend come by depending on other sentient beings, other beings’ contributions. So whatever there is that we depend, whatever there is that we on which we survive we can track down as coming with contributions by others. So others in that way are kind to one’s survival and existence.
Also in this way, all other beings have been kind to me in matters of my happiness and welfare in the past and in the present and also will continue to be so in future. Due to such reasons, it is not appropriate for this it is not appropriate for my side to discriminate with attachment, hatred, nearness, and distance to some and others. So that is one reason from one’s perspective. And perhaps we will limit our discussion this afternoon only to this, because the time is almost being up, and we won’t be able to finish the lot. That’s where the latter part was.
We won’t have enough time to go through the rest in briefing, so we then try to develop an equal feeling of kindness towards others through this additional perspective from one side about one’s happiness, welfare, so forth, being dependent on others. Yeah. Well, we shall have few minutes for questions if you have any questions. The person has done something wrong to us. Person has done something wrong to us or has harmed us or so forth, and then we consider such person, say, an enemy in normal convention.
Now in the advice there to that your enemy is your best teacher, in that case the meaning would be although although such an enemy may keep doing harm and doing all sorts of things to you, but from one side if one looks at it as an opportunity to practice spiritual development such as to meditate on tolerance, patience, then it gives once a chance to train on those meditation on tolerance and patience and so forth. If one does that, then in Buddhist term one would be accumulating merits, which is one would be having having a clear potential developing one’s mind out of which will come happiness and higher states of mental development in future. So one would accumulate merits. That is one obvious benefit. But also by meditating on patience and tolerance that itself is powerful state of mind to compensate for any major wrongdoings or non virtuous actions one has done in the past.
So it is in a way a double function of purification of negativities, purification of negative deposits of actions in the past. So that’s what happens in the present case. Now in the normal case with the teacher, a teacher is someone who explains the way how to train the mind and so forth, gives teachings and sets the example. And if one follows the guidance and the example so forth, then one can accumulate merit, one’s mind, and as well purify past wrongdoings. So the function of teacher in that way which is the normal function and through which one reaps the benefit is equally gained from such situation of dealing with enemy in spiritual way, that there is same benefit.
And in that sense that would be the meaning to look at enemy as one’s teacher and not only as teacher as one of one’s best teachers. Now if your neighbor is that bad then can be seen as a teacher. Both has the same advice. Both are compatible advices because the key thing is to love, to be kind. Happiness comes as a result of virtuous actions and suffering or unhappiness comes as a result of non virtuous actions.
So in a way we can say happiness is a product of good action, and unhappiness is a product of bad actions. Practitioners it is possible when one experiences physical sufferings such as immense sickness that the practitioner can not let the mind be distracted and be tormented by the physical suffering and so that way it can actually transform that into spiritual training and make it a experience of happiness so suffering can be changed into happiness.