The True Meaning of Equanimity

Zenfully Quool Quotes by Thich Nhat Hanh

People can steal your phone, computer, or money,

but they can never steal your spiritual practice.

It is always there to protect and nourish you.

Zenfully Quool Quotes Quommentary

by rog

The day before,

I had just discovered that this page,

https://www.facebook.com/nontheologicalcommonsensespirituality/

my new facebook page had been hacked.

The poor excuses for humanity stole about $5000,

apparently the limit facebook allows before they stop future theft.

Of course,

With facebook, it’s all automated.

You can’t even reach anybody to tell them to

immediately stop these transactions.

Yea,

Of course I spent hours searching for ways to at least send them notification,

some “contact” forms promised someone will get back within 24 hours…

It’s been over 48 hours.

So now,

I have to wait up to 90 days to hopefully get reimbursed by my bank.

Oddly,

I called the bank within a hour of when my credit card was being hacked through facebook.

They told me that some of the charges were already approved so,

They make it sound like:

“It would be rude to tell the thieves that they’ll soon

get away with stealing my money…

Then, to not fund them…

That would be rude,

So better just pay the thieves and hope someday I’ll get my money back I was told.

So,

This new avenue to hopefully gain at least a wee bit a marketing presents

has been met with a dreadfully expensive dead end,

while the whole idea is to at least get closer to earning some form of

a humble income.

~

This sentiment Thich points out was the driving inspiration for me

to dive very deeply into my own personal Spiritual Path over 12 years ago

when I came to Maui after 4 of the best years in my life

sailing the South Pacific.

Once arriving on Maui,

I had this feeling of impending doom…

But more like,

An Impending uninspiring series of dead ends

that would  have me running full speed into career dead ends…

100’s and 100’s of them.

I’d try one thing, and two dead ends would pop up.

I’d try 100 things, and a few hundred dead ends would pop.

I know I’m not the only person in the world that enjoys this level of challenges,

but I hope to be of some kindred spirit help in whatever way I can manifest.

~

I eventually needed a way to not let it bother me

so I could keep trying every way possible to earn a living. 

For a while, “Denial” became my best friend.

But that was a bit psycho…

Then I started to learn about ‘Equanimity’…

There’s a very fine line between equanimity and denial…

But a profound difference indeed.

I’ve heard it said that:

“Inner Peace”

starts with these four words…”

“NOT MY Fn PROBLEM”!

Again,

There is a fine line between all three of these “remedies” …

I must have read countless books about how achieving true Equanimity

will affect a perspective that sort of does the ‘trick’ that denial

and stating that some issue is ‘Not my Fn problem…’

But,

It took me a number years of ever deepening ‘Practice’

until I started to understand the true meaning of equanimity.

~

The ‘conventional’ mind is what we use to read information,

like spiritual inspiring texts…

We gain knowledge based on reading those words.

However,

One must put into a life practice that allows the

positive reinforcement of experience

for one to ultimately gain useful wisdoms…

And even then,

These ‘wisdoms’ were gained by the pursuit by one’s ‘conventional’ mind.

True Wisdoms of the profound Spiritual nature

cannot be acquired through the conventional mind.

Only during the highest states of human consciousness

obtained by very deep meditation can one truly, by experience

find the true meaning of ‘Equanimity’.

Basic meditation works right away right from a beginner’s first ‘sit’.

It’s relaxing.

After a period of practice,

one can attain a ‘one-pointed’ focus on a meditation object

of their predetermined choice…

Such as the breath.

One can be aware of potentially distracting objects in the peripheral…

but not let interfere with the intended object of meditation.

After abiding in this ‘one-pointed’ quality of focused concentration….

Amazing things begin to happen with how the brain systems operate.

As each of the many sub-conscious minds fall in line with the

conscious intentions of focus…

They begin to become pacified… or ‘purified’

as meditation traditions state.

Then,

A happiness settles in…

This transcends into a mental Joy…

Then transcends into a physical bliss…

With both mental and physical ‘pliancy’…

Arises…

Equanimity.

Until all that’s left is…

Equanimity.

No happiness is pursued or clung to…

Since one is already has happy as one can be.

No Joy is pursued for the same reason…

It feels like:

Everything is Always Already Alright!

During these deep meditation stages,

the sense of there being the false ‘self’

that we mistake to be the ‘us’ that is charge…

fades from the equation or awareness.

Feelings, senses, and such may arise…

But no longer is it happing to an ego-based identity

that we continuously mistake to be ‘us’.

At first,

when an aspirant reaches the beginnings of these stages

and completes that meditation session…

There is an ‘After Glow’ called Parvastha in Sanskrit, of

happiness, joy, bliss, with a touch of Equanimity.

Over time,

This ‘after glow’ extends longer into one’s normal day…

Until…

One reaches full Enlightenment and it is said this ‘after glow’…becomes…

An Always glow.

This is when the True meaning of Equanimity becomes the normal perspective

through out the rest of one’s life.

~

I am still aspiring to the benefits of full Enlightenment,

but I can say that the higher stages and states of deep meditation

happens naturally…

with just the ‘Right effort’ and continuing Practice.

I feel I have attained what I was looking for all those years ago

in that I can feel deeply within that everything is Always Already Alright.

Without relying on my old best friend ‘denial’ or the sentiment

“Not my Fn problem” …

Even fully Enlightened beings can’t be in ‘denial’ or say that

a life issue or challenge is ‘not their Fn problem’…

we all still have to earn an income and face challenges…

the only difference is…

the challenges of the material world does not effect one’s Equanimity.

That’s the definition of Spirituality.

Our well being is Always Already Alright.

Enduring pain and suffering is an option.

It only affects our ego.

We are NOT our ego.

So…

There’s no problem.

Nameste