What is the peaceful heart? What keeps us from it? The near-enemy, the quality that masquerades as equanimity, is indifference. Indifference is a not-caring, it’s a withdrawal. It’s based on fear, it’s a pulling away from the world. True equanimity is being at peace in the midst of the mystery, becoming the witness to it, the one who knows, the loving awareness which is who you really are. You are consciousness that was born into this body, and you get to witness the play of human incarnation. The practice and understanding of equanimity is not to avoid conflict or avoid change, rather it is finding a balance in the midst of it.
The Sacred Pause
March 8, 2021
Because experience happens so quickly, habitual responses can come out of our mouth before we know it. It helps to train ourselves to pause before our response. This is called the sacred pause. Before we speak, we can examine our motivation. Is our motivation one of compassion and concern? Or do we want to be right? Are we open to learn, to see?
