The Story
There is a story told by a modern Zen master about the time he was training in Japan as a young man. The monastery he lived in is the most famous in Japan, Eihiji, founded eight hundred years ago by the master Dogen.
Old stone buildings are clustered in a mountainside lush with ancient trees that conceal the complex from the outside world. During the morning meditation the large hall began to shake, and in a few seconds everyone understood a major earthquake was occurring.
The two hundred monks in their black robes began to run outside to find safety by the trunks of the huge trees, and the earthquake continued to rumble the world around them. This master, then just a new apprentice who also served as an attendant to the abbot of the monastery, ran to the abbot's room to help him out.
He burst into the abbot's chambers and found the man undressed and about to enter a warm bath. The attendant shouted to the master to get dressed and leave with him, as the whole building was at risk of tumbling down.
The abbot looked at him calmly and replied that he would leave after his bath, and proceeded to enter the water.
After another minute the shaking of the world subsided; the abbot finished his bath, got dressed with the help of his attendant, and went outside to assess the damage to the monastery. In the end everyone was unhurt and they began to clear the rubble and repair the damaged buildings.
Understanding The Story
There is a special quality which Buddhism places an emphasis upon cultivating, which is called equanimity. This story of the abbot taking his bath is a perfect example of this wonderful trait.
While everyone else in the monastery was running for their lives in a panic, the abbot calmly took a bath.
Sounds foolish, and even irresponsible, but at a closer look it is the only choice he could have made.
He could have run out and risked the hallways or roofs collapsing on him, but leaving the room would have risked his life as much as staying in it, so he stayed. And, his bath was ready - why waste the warm water?
There was nothing he could do for others at that moment, so he took his bath. He knew this was the best choice only because he retained a calm and balanced mind, even in the face of a terrible crisis. That state of mind is called equanimity.
Equanimity - A Clear and Calm Mind
Equanimity is often confused with indifference, but the two couldn't be farther apart. Indifference isn't calm and peaceful, it just doesn't care. Let the walls fall on me, on others, let the world crumble, it's not my fault. Underneath indifference is the pain of being separate from others and the world, so the defence is to pretend not to care.
Equanimity, on the other hand, takes everything in mind as a whole view, and understands the right thing to do by seeing our connection to the world.
The ground of equanimity is the acceptance of what is happening right now, of what is real, and from that place the mind is able to decide what to do. The mind of equanimity understands that anxiety and worry only distort our view of what is real in this moment, and to truly perceive what is right before us we must maintain a clear and calm mind. That mind is founded on caring about the world, on wanting to connect with the world as it is.
The abbot didn't stay in the bath all day, hiding from the work that needed to be done after the earthquake. He did what each moment called to do - when there was a bath to take, he took it. When there was cleaning up to do, he did it. This approach follows the Zen maxim "When hungry, eat; when tired, sleep."
We know what to do and when to do it only if the mind is clear and able to rest in the present moment. Equanimity enables us to remain in the present moment even when that moment is one of great distress, sadness, or pain.
It doesn't mean you don't feel the pain or sadness, but that it doesn't overwhelm you and your ability to clearly perceive the moment. Even within distress there is clarity and calm. Of course the abbot would have felt worry over the monastery and its monks, but either he could have trembled in a corner, or take his bath and live his life.
We know the right thing to do at the right time when we practice the mind of equanimity.
Living In The Here And Now
In our daily life there are innumerable opportunities to develop equanimity. We can do this in two ways, the first as an attitude of the mind, and the second as an awareness of the body. The basic practice of the mind is to always ask ourselves the question: What's happening now? What is my moment? So often we are focused on where we want to be in the future, or what we did in the past. The present moment is washed over by memory and expectation.
As I write this, I am writing this very thought, and not just wanting to finish the article. As I walk to the supermarket I am walking, and not just wanting to get home with my groceries. On and on, the present moment invites us to its real experience. We just need to pause from time to time, answer the invitation and appreciate our present experience as it is.
We practice equanimity with our bodies by returning to the breath throughout the day with our awareness.
How are you breathing right now? How does it feel - shallow, deep, quick, long, congested, warm? Is there some anxiety in your stomach? Is it from a thought about the future? Follow your breath back to the present moment, and your mind will open up to what is real right now. That is equanimity, the mind that rests in the present moment. As you return, you will find it is a very special moment, whatever your personal earthquake may be.