Friday

Equanimity in Uncertain Times

Photo courtesy of Aarthi Tejuja

By Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche

There are many layers to the process of enlightened society and how it manifests—and how we manifest it ourselves and in our own lives. Now we are at the point where we are looking at how we can manifest it at an earthly and global level…. We have our own work and jobs and so forth, but I don’t think we can underestimate the power of the drala. I don’t think we can underestimate the power of the Rigden at this particular time.

As the economy seems to worsen and as we go forward, we need to have more equanimity altogether – not a passive equanimity, but more the notion of really being able to mature and understand the insidious level of hope and fear that we experience these days, and how our practices can actually bring about a level of strengthening and stabilization.

My feeling, obviously, is that we do have something to offer, but if we are going to offer it, it cannot just be at just a light level of social decorum. There has to be actually some power and some depth to it. All of us intrinsically see it and experience it, and certainly most of you have experienced it with the Dorje Dradul. But we have to believe in it and deepen it.

If we can demonstrate that principle of equanimity, that would be a lot to offer to the world at this particular time, when there is a lot of fear and a lot of intellectual discursiveness going on. I think this particular grounding principle is the transmission that we can offer to the world.

For further teachings on equanimity in uncertain times, listen to the Sakyong’s shamatha audience, recorded on May 2 in Boulder, Colorado:

These days it is easy to see the practicality of meditation because there are a lot of highs and lows–maybe more lows than highs–and meditation fosters equanimity.

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Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
May 2, 2009
Boulder, Colorado

On April 13, shortly after his return to Halifax from Orissa, India, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche spoke to the Halifax sangha at a Werma feast. This excerpt from his talk is the first of what we plan to be ongoing dispatches from the Sakyong as he visits various centres in the mandala.