EQUANIMITY

An online dictionary defines Equanimity as "a state of being calm, stable and composed, especially under stress" it is simply keeping it calm and cool, turning the other cheek and not letting the bullshit push you to lose your balance. In Ifa (Yoruba spirituality) Equanimity is derived through the practice of the four paths towards Iwapele (inner peace or in the Buddist word Nirvana) which includes:
      Worship: paying gratitude (Iba), offering sacrifices(Irubo), and prayers (Adura) to Eledumare, Ori, the Orisas and one's Ancestors.
     Morals: having an upright standing, using ones freewill, skills and power to bring betterment, create oppotunities and brining productivity to yourself and all
       Love: having a pure heart towards yourself as a being and all, seeking to cloth the naked, feed the hungry, visit the sick and comforting the weak. Equanimity, is the mindful presence that neither grasps nor resists experience, is the grounds for unconditional love and wise action.
        Patience: patience is the king of virtues, it is simply trusting the process, remaining undoubtedly unphased by whats to come and what has passed...it is a state of rest in a little boat at the eye of the storm. At the end good things comes to those who sway like flowers kissed by the wind, they spread thier necter into the air and it attract bees of blessing to sting you with thier honey.

Equanimity describes a complete openness to experience, without being lost in reactions of love and hate. It's a powerful quality in its own right, and it fortifies other qualities. It supports wisdom because when the mind doesn't shake, we can stay with the truth of things long enough to have a deep insight. Equanimity has a balance that empowers loving-kindness.

However, one must not confuse the calm acceptance of equanimity with resignation or indifference. The latter two are characterized by aversion to the way things are; then we feel stuck and unable to act. I have been feeling this heavy burden around me of recent, looking for away to shake off the burden i have lifted on myself. Meditating on the cause and attempting to fix the hole through which the cup leaks, inspired me to write a poem (please visit https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt5FeACBzLZ/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=bboahb19j0jm to read the poem) The piece explores the conditioning that entraps us in reactivity, and two primary pathways for coming home to a natural state of balance and presence. Writing it opened my eyes to what has been the wrap in which the weight is packaged in. There's a quotate from the Thai monk Ajahn Chah, It's from his book A Still Forest Pool:
"If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will know complete peace and freedom. Your struggles with the world will have come to an end."