Equanimity and Activism: Finding Balance in Teaching Mindfulness

The Common Question

As meditation teachers, we often encounter a particular question when discussing equanimity. When we talk about "allowing things to be as they are," students frequently ask: "How can I allow things to be as they are while also wanting to effect positive change in the world?"

When teaching mindfulness in a class, the question reflects the genuine tension many practitioners feel between the meditative quality of equanimity and their desire to actively address social, environmental, and political challenges. It's a question worth exploring deeply because the answer reveals something powerful about the true nature of equanimity.

What Equanimity Is Not

First, let's clear up a common misconception. Equanimity is not indifference. It is not about ignoring problems or developing a callous attitude toward suffering. In fact, it's precisely the opposite.

Equanimity is not:

• Turning away from difficult realities

• Emotional numbness or suppression

• Passive resignation to injustice

• An excuse for inaction

When we mistake equanimity for indifference, we miss its transformative potential entirely.

The Radical Presence of True Equanimity

True equanimity is radical engagement with reality as it is. It's the capacity to remain fully present with what's happening—especially the uncomfortable parts—without being knocked off balance by reactivity.

Equanimity involves:

• Facing reality head-on, with eyes wide open

• Acknowledging the full spectrum of our emotional responses

• Developing the inner stability to stay present with difficulty

• Creating space for wise discernment about how to respond

The person practicing equanimity isn't ignoring the burning building. They can see it clearly enough to find the exits and help others escape safely.

Equanimity as a Foundation for Effective Action

The most effective activists and change-makers often demonstrate profound equanimity. They face painful realities directly without turning away, but they don't allow themselves to be consumed by rage, despair, or burnout. They're grounded enough to take meaningful action rather than just reacting from a place of overwhelm.

Consider these questions:

• Have you noticed how being truly present with a difficult situation—without pushing it away or getting lost in reactivity—gives you more clarity about how to respond?

• Can you recall a time when accepting the full reality of a situation actually helped you act more effectively?

• What's the difference between passive resignation and equanimous awareness?

Equanimity gives us a stable foundation to act from wisdom rather than reactivity. We acknowledge what is while still working toward what could be.

Teaching Mindfulness: Finding Balance in Practice and Action

Many practitioners find that their meditation and activism inform and strengthen each other. Equanimity helps prevent burnout and compassion fatigue, while engagement with real-world challenges brings depth and relevance to practice.

Some reflections that might help navigate this balance:

1. Clarity before action: Equanimity helps us see situations clearly before we respond, rather than reacting automatically based on conditioning or impulse.

2. Sustainable engagement: The balanced awareness of equanimity allows us to engage with difficult issues sustainably over time.

3. Both/and thinking: We can fully acknowledge what's happening right now AND work toward positive change.

4. Wisdom in timing: Sometimes, the wisest action in a moment might be non-action—not out of avoidance, but out of discernment about timing and approach.

5. Meeting ourselves with kindness: Equanimity includes meeting our own limitations, frustrations, and imperfections with the same balanced awareness we bring to external challenges.

In Your Teaching

When this question arises in your teaching, you might consider asking your students:

"Can equanimity actually make your engagement with the world more effective rather than less? How might the quality of your presence and action change when it comes from a place of balanced awareness rather than reactivity?"

The path of practice isn't about choosing between equanimity and engagement. It's about discovering how these qualities can inform and strengthen each other, allowing us to meet the world's suffering with open hearts and clear minds.