Equanimity, Reactionless

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BASICS

Happy tolerance during situations with
dualities like happy and sorrow, respect-disrespect, day-night, hot-cold ….
etc. No accumulation/aversion/complaints or storage. Happy acceptance with
proper solution which is Internal peace as always priority

  • Emotional resilience
  • EQ
  • Emotional immunity
  • Shock absorber

E.g. During argument with fool keeping
quit (maintaining inner peace instead external argument win or anger) 

What is Emotional resilience?

1. Accepting reality: You can’t be
emotionally resilient if you’re living in denial. 

         Accept
reality not situation, people, environment …etc. Then either tolerate or change
(or improve) depending upon choiceless or choice full situation

 

2. Cultivating purpose: It\’s a
lot easier to avoid getting lost if you have a purpose.

         This
verse clearly defines the condition for karma yoga: Do your worldly duties, but
your mind should always be thinking of God/Purpose/God like characteristics.
The very instant we forget God/Purpose/God like characteristics, our mind is
taken over by the mighty commanders of material army—desire, envy,
greed, lust, anger, hatred, etc. Therefore, it is necessary that we keep our
mind always attached to God/Purpose/God like characteristics.

 

3. Adapting to change willingly:
Resilient people see change as an opportunity, not a threat.

 

4. Controlling thoughts, not emotions: We
can influence our emotions, but only indirectly by way of how we think
and behave.

 

·       Acknowledge
emotions

·       Observe
emotions with curiosity

·       Face
emotions, do not avoid emotion by avoiding situations, people, environment
etc.

·       Learn
when to quit situation in extreme situations like delhi population.

·       Develop
emotional immunity.

·       Be
alert, attentive, observer (dhrusta,shakshi), then to change emotion
change thoughts with positive thoughts (pratipaksha bhavna) in
order to influence emotions. 

ATC Model

Accept, Life, world, agreeable or disagreeable situations, people, thoughts, environment as it is without resistance, change is basic property of nature (3 gunas). Don’t label them good, bad …etc., they are like that only, continuous changing. This prepares mind for solution.

·       Choiceless situations: Need to happily Tolerate

o   no other option but to accept the situation. You should have the emotional strength to accept these kinds of situations without resistance.

o   I should use true Knowledge to accept situations which cannot be changed.

o   healthy, positive acceptance. Life will become beautiful when I am able to positively accept all choiceless situations.

o   kind of acceptance is a balanced, cheerful acceptance, which will not lead to bitterness, hatred, a sense of victimisation, sense of injustice or produce a negative reaction.

o    we may worry over the situation for a little time, but eventually the mind should be resilient enough that it says “I cannot change this situation, so I’m not going to worry over it any more. I accept and forget.”

·       Choiceful situations:

o   In a choiceful situation, the circumstances can be changed or improved. In such situations the mind should not obstruct our efforts to improve the circumstances.

o   If the mind is weak and preoccupied with worrying over the choiceless, then it will not be available to improve situations that can be changed.

o   Worrying over the choiceless becomes an obstacle in improving the choiceful. Therefore emotional strength is when I accept and forget choiceless situations, and work on situations that can be improved.

And this emotional strength is possible only when True pure deep Knowledge is governing my decisions in day to day life.

Equanimity (Samatvam)

  • The first and the most important benefit is Samatvam means the emotional strength to face the ups and downs of life with equanimity.(Tapah)
  • Assimilated Knowledge becomes a great shock absorber in life. Just as a car which is driven through a pothole ridden road. We cannot do anything about the potholes because it’s not under our control.
  •    But I can put a shock absorber in my car, which is under my control. The potholes are still there, but they don’t trouble me too much now because of the shock absorber.
  •  Similarly, in life I cannot control many situations. There are many factors beyond my control. How my partner will behave with me the next moment, whether I’ll lose my job tomorrow due to company downsizing, or whether I’ll lose money in the stock market. I don’t know what tomorrow holds for me.
  •  Instead of trying to control the whole world, I put a knowledge shock absorber. So even in unpleasant and undesirable situations, I am not affected much because Spiritual-Knowledge cushions me from emotional disturbances.
  • Krishna says that even in the greatest tragedy a Jnani (enlightened person) may perhaps be affected slightly, but the situation will not overwhelm him. Like a cyclist losing his balance slightly, but he adjusts and brings it back under control.