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Hi, this is Margaret Maloney and welcome to the Death Dhamma Podcast. In a series I used to read, occasionally one character would say to the other, may you live in interesting times. It was understood that this was a curse, where interesting times meant chaos and difficulty. Well, we do live in interesting times. I mean, don't we always? So this season, together we'll explore equanimity and chaos, recognizing that many aspects of life are beyond our control. Let's find a sense of balance and peace amid external chaos. Welcome back. Here we are again with the Death Dhamma Podcast and our quest and our work with equanimity, which is not apathy. It's not indifference. It is in fact a special kind of love, a way of loving indiscriminately, which might sound like a funny use of the word indiscriminately to use a, let's say, without bias, without prejudice, without discrimination. How is that? Right? It allows us to extend love through love and peace. We love together. We love together in the same way. In this way, we won't burn ourselves out. It's love without anxiety or reactivity. It's why so often I think of it as being calm. You'll hear me talk about calm, being calm. Another useful understanding is that upeka, and that's the Pali word that we translate as equanimity, can also be translated as to see, or to see over, or to see an entire situation without bias, to observe without being caught up in what we see. Ah, well that seems handy these days, right? I mean, maybe, you know, if you're feeling bombarded, right, let's think about our current situation, and in terms of feeling bombarded and what's happening, and I am specifically talking about politics here in the United States, remember that this is a purposeful strategy meant to wear us out, to try and get away with, I'll say, as much as possible, as quickly as possible. And to try to move us to a place of either acceptance or weariness, or both. You may have lost your job, or you are afraid that you'll lose your job, or your house has burned to the ground, or floods or ice storms have wreaked havoc. Equanimity doesn't mean to ignore these things, to pretend none of this is happening. It doesn't mean to be unprepared. And it doesn't mean to think that, you know, you're part of some special chosen group and that you will not be impacted by what is going on around you. It doesn't mean you have to accept it. It doesn't mean you have to accept these things, but it does mean to act from a place of centeredness and calm. The purpose of equanimity is not necessarily to resist or protest against what you perceive to be injustice. The purpose is to develop that wisdom and the ability to love without bias in order to be able to live without being ruled by your passions, by being ruled by your likes and your dislikes. Rah! Binging and aversion. We've spoken about this before, haven't we? And that is what helps to take you away from suffering. And I think it's important to point this out, this definition, this truth behind what equanimity really is, because I know that during this season on the Death Dhamma Podcast, our discussions are going to be more focused on finding balance during difficult times. Well-developed equanimity does keep you centered in the midst of how things are. And because I'm still practicing and working with equanimity, so often my thoughts are around remaining calm in order to maintain the resilience to do the work to support the causes that I believe in or for you that you believe in. Now, all of this is true even if you do not live in a situation where you think you are fighting for your democracy or for the rights of yourself or for others. Sometimes it feels like life is just throwing stuff at you. And it's weakening you. I recall when my friends told me that after losing the two people I was closest to when they died within five days, my friends told me in this, I'll say, interesting kind of way, I was good. As in, now nothing else difficult is going to happen to me, right? Because why would life, or really we meant karma, right? Why would karma throw anything else at me? And I understand that they wanted this to be true. And sure, I would like that to have been true also. But we don't know. There are no promises and guarantees. So build your strength. And by strength, I mean your ability to take what karma is throwing at you and to accept it as calmly as possible. There will be wobbles, right? Okay, what do I mean by wobbles? By wobbles, I mean those are moments where you feel freaked out, or mad, or sad, or frightened, or apathetic, or any and all of those things and more. I'm struck by an odd analogy. So thank you for humoring me. If you watch sports, let's say baseball or American football, there's this moment. The ball is in the air. It's coming towards your favorite team member. And you don't know if he or she is going to make this catch. It's not an easy catch. This is a difficult play. And you see your team member reach out. You see the ball in his or her hand. And for a split second, this could go either way, catch or drop. But he or she makes the catch. And the reason that he or she makes the catch is all of the practice, all of the training that has come before this moment on the field. So equanimity and having the wobbles, if you will, is you are the player, the ball is coming your way. And you are pretty sure you can make the catch. But as you grab the ball, there is the moment where you feel it slipping out of your hands. But then you have it. With equanimity, this trying situation occurs. Something difficult happens, right? And upsetting emotions start to surface. And then you take a deep breath and you can acknowledge that this thing has happened. And since now we are speaking about equanimity and not sports, it might take more than a deep breath. It may take time on the cushion. Or a walk out in nature, a call to a friend, or a moment with your furry four-legged friend. That's your practice. That's your training. Keep with it. Do not let anything deter you from the path. As the Buddha says, life is short, practice ardently. In this sports equanimity analogy, I mentioned a difficult play. Not just something easy like the ball comes right to you, you know, or to your player slowly and right into their hands. But guess what? Sometimes the easy play, the easy catch, it gets missed, right? We call those errors, typically. To the shock and dismay of your player and the fans, the play is flubbed. Some days a relatively minor thing might cause you to lose your cool. You miss the green light. You drop your coffee. Nothing that's going to change your life or your world, but somehow you let it take control of your emotions. This, too. It's not easy. It's part of your practice. How to consistently handle the every day. In his famous quote, Anton Chekhov delivers a profound insight into the human experience by stating, Any idiot can face a crisis. It's day-to-day living that wears you out. True enough. The theory is that we can all rise to the occasion when faced with difficulty. When faced with a life-altering event. We can tap into hidden reserves of courage and determination and strength. But, the mundane and monotony of everyday life gradually erodes our energy and enthusiasm, leading to weariness and exhaustion. So, on the field, your player pulls on all of his or her or their strength to make that difficult catch. And then misses the obviously easy play. This brings some things up for me. Eventually, if faced with a crisis every day, you might weaken. And if ever you face a crisis every day, you might weaken. Every day you are faced with a crisis. If this becomes the day-to-day, then it will wear you out. But it doesn't always have to wear you out. You will not catch every ball, going back to my sports analogy. But you can approach each play, each ball that is tossed your way, from a place of equanimity. So stand up for what you believe in. Take care of yourself. Take care of your loved ones. And help to take care of those who are unprotected. Take care of yourself. Take care of your loved ones. And help to take care of those who are unprotected. Work on your equanimity so that you can do all this from a place of calm. This will help you keep your focus. This will help you keep and build your resilience. And as you have and will continue to hear me say, pace yourself. You've been listening to the Death Dhamma Podcast with your host, Margaret Maloney. Thank you so much for being here. Come find me on margaretmaloney.com. M-A-R-G-A-R-E-T-M-E-L-O-N-I.com. And until we meet again, may you be well, may you be happy, may you be at ease, and may you be free from suffering. Bye for now.