The Perfection of Equanimity - The wise Lomahamsa IV


In the “Conduct of Equanimity” of the “Basket of Conduct”, the perfection of equanimity to the highest degree has been dealt with in order to proclaim the benefit and the power of the excellent qualities of the Bodhisatta. We read:

“He gave up his wealth, his circle of relatives, and he left his home,

in the same way as someone who enters the state of monkhood,

although he did not become a monk.

He lived in the same way as a monk.

The Bodhisatta did not cling to the state of monkhood,

he was averse to favours and praise that accrue to the monk.

The monk must accept the reverence that people show him,

and he strives for the excellence of the status of monkhood.

The Bodhisatta was just a monk at heart,

he had the mentality of a monk,

and in this way he lived in utmost happiness.”
Since the Bodhisatta was averse to favours and praise that come with monkhood, he did not go forth. However, he was a monk at heart and developed kusala; in this way others would in truth respect him, even though he had not gone forth.
We read further on:

“He had the highest degree of contentment with little,

he delighted in tranquillity,

he had no concern for his body and his life,

because his aim was equanimity.

He practised the abandonment of defilements to the highest degree,

he endured the depraved deeds from others.

He had the firm determination to diminish the defilements

which were opposed to the requisites of enlightenment by evenmindedness in all respects.

This caused him to be moderate in everything,

to be impartial towards others who supported him and to those who did not.

His life was like that of an arahat 

and hence he did not cling to the vicissitudes of life.

He reached the peak of the perfection of equanimity,

and as such it is pre-eminently a perfection 

leading to the awakening of a Buddha (Buddha parami).”
The perfection of equanimity includes impartiality towards all beings and this is most difficult to practise.


Topic 286