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How To Be Okay No Matter What | Kamala Masters

Dec 16, 2024

Kamala Masters, a veteran meditation teacher and co-founder of the Vipassana Metta Foundation, reveals the essence of equanimity and its common misconceptions. She shares her journey of integrating meditation into a busy life while raising three kids. Listeners learn about the significance of intentions, the dual nature of karma, and how mindfulness can transform everyday challenges. Kamala also offers practical techniques for cultivating compassion and emotional resilience, making mindfulness accessible for everyone, especially in hectic lives.

59:30

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Episode guests

Kamala Masters

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Quick takeaways

Equanimity is a spacious mindset that enables individuals to embrace emotions without reactivity, fostering a balanced response in life.

The misconception that equanimity is passivity is challenged, emphasizing instead its role in promoting wise and effective action during challenging situations.

Setting intentions is crucial for mindfulness, helping individuals navigate their actions responsibly while understanding the impact of their words on others.

Deep dives

Understanding Equanimity

Equanimity is described as a spacious mind that can embrace all experiences without reactivity. This balance allows individuals to acknowledge emotions such as aversion and attachment without being overwhelmed by them. The concept emphasizes that equanimity is accessible to everyone, not just seasoned meditators, and can be cultivated through mindfulness. By recognizing the nature of thoughts and feelings as temporary, one can learn to respond with wisdom rather than react impulsively.

Intro

2min

Exploring Equanimity and Mindfulness

9min

Cultivating Equanimity and Compassion

16min

Exploring Intentions, Karma, and Equanimity

5min

Intentions and Impact: A Journey in Mindfulness

16min

Cultivating Equanimity Through Meditation

7min

Cultivating Compassion Through Metta Meditation

12min

Empowering Mindfulness Practices for Busy Lives

4min

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Equanimity: what it is, what it isn’t, and how to get it.

Guest Kamala Masters was one of the teachers at Dan’s first ever meditation retreat. In this episode she dives into how to develop equanimity and shares her story of learning how to practice meditation during her everyday life while raising three children on her own.

Kamala Masters has been meditating since the 1970s, first with Anagarika Munindra, who was Joseph Goldstein’s first teacher, and then with the Burmese master Sayadaw U Pandita with whom she twice temporarily ordained as a Buddhist nun. More recently, she’s been training with another Burmese master we’ve talked about here on the show, Sayadaw U Tejaniya. She is a Guiding Teacher at the Insight Meditation Society, and the co-founder of the Vipassana Metta Foundation, which developed the Maui Dharma Sanctuary.

In this conversation we talk about: