Equanimity

“Samattvam yoga uchyate” says the Gita.  Equanimity itself is yoga.  To maintain our balance amidst the roller-coaster ride of life requires effort, purity and understanding.  In the second chapter verse 14 of the Gita it is said – “He who remains unaffected by the pairs of opposites is the noblest amongst men and such a person is fit for immortality” 

Poojya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda used to give the example of a mysore doll in his talks.  We may not be able to maintain equanimity all the time.  Atleast we must learn to live like a mysore doll.  The mysore doll has a round base. Whenever it is tapped from one side it swings from one side to another but very soon it comes back to balance.  Same way we must learn to quickly regain our balance and equanimity inspite of  life’s turbulence. 

Here are a few methods to develop equanimity:

Acceptance

• Resistance to what life brings to us creates agitation.  Life will bring varied experiences to everyone.   We must accept life as it is and move with the flow.  Accept people, objects & situations as they are.  This does not mean any complacency or inability to improve etc.  Having accepted what has come to us, we have the choice to do what we want with it.  Eg.  An accident or a loss in business or sickness can cause pain. But suffering over it is optional.  A wise person will accept the disappointment and do what needs to be done to come out of it. But will not lose one’s balance, become dejected etc.    Same is applicable for successful situations too. 

• Lot of our energy is wasted when we resist and brood over – “Why me?”  We cannot accept life and fight with what has come and try to reject it, neglect it or run away from it.  We must have the readiness to accept anything and everything.  Whenever the mind says – “Why me?” we must ask – “Why not?” 
• A farmer was asked – “What weather will it be today?”  The farmer said – “Whatever I like.”  The questioner was surprised and asked- “How?” 
  Farmer replied – “Since I know that I can’t always get what I like, I have started liking whatever I get.”
  
• What does not allow us to accept life as it is?  Our own insistence.
  We insist on certain things in life and if we can’t attain them or if they are not according to our wish we lose our peace.  Eg. A boy who insists on being a topper is sad if he discovers that he got 2^nd rank. But a boy who has just managed to pass is much more happy.  Why? The first boy was too insistent.  Nothing wrong in aiming to be at the top but when the results come cheerful acceptance should be there.  Our sorrow is directly proportional to our insistence. 
  
  Time-tested guaranteed formula for sorrow- 
  Insistence + Resistance = Sorrow.
  The Formula for Happiness -  Acceptance + Independence = Happiness. 
• How to accept life as it comes?

                                               i.     Self-Acceptance:  Let us accept ourselves as we are. Let us not fight with ourselves or indulge in self-praise. Progress in sadhana is faster when there is self-acceptance.  When we dislike ourselves or fight with ourselves we don’t have energy to face life with equanimity.  “Love Thyself”

                                             ii.     Karma:  What has come to me is my own past karma.  Let me go through the results in dignity.  Let me not complain and crib.  Through my present self-effort I can create a glorious future.  Let me focus on free-will.

                                            iii.     Surrender: God knows what is best for me.  I accept everything as HIS will and HIS Prasad.  “Let thy will be done.” 

                                            iv.     Values:  Hold on to certain universal values. Gita gives us a lot of lists of values to cultivate.  Identify a few values as ‘MY CORE VALUES’ and hold on to them without compromise.  This will make the mind disciplined. 

                                             v.     Handle disappointments with Courage(Dhairya) and Tolerance (Titiksha).  Handle elation with Alertness(Savadhani) & Self-Control(Samyam).  It is easier to handle disappointment.  We can easily get carried away by success, break rules and indulge.  Hence we must be alert and aware.

                                            vi.     Learning Attitude:   We can learn from every experience as the students in the school of life.  One who has this attitude will never be disturbed.  Every moment is an opportunity to learn.  “The world is a gym for mental training” said Sw.Vivekananda. 

                                          vii.     Having an inspiring ideal:  If we keep ourselves inspired by a higher ideal we will be able to keep our calm.  Lack of inspiration makes us petty and we become irritable, fault-finding and are stuck with narrow vision. 

                                         viii.     Get out of the Memory Trap: Psychological Memory creates desire and brooding over it we get bound.  Having learnt from the past, lets drop the regrets.  Having an inspiring ideal/goal lets Look Ahead. When both these are done with the attitude of detachment, mind transcends fear of future and regrets of the past. Such a mind can be equanimous.


Complete Acceptance of life as it is, is Total Detachment. Deeper the detachment, greater the acceptance, Higher the Equanimity, Purer the mind & Steadier the Contemplation. Abidance in Self-Knowledge happens then. Acceptance to Abidance is the pathless Journey to arrive Here & Now.