Roshi Joan Halifax, a Buddhist teacher and anthropologist known for her work in end-of-life care, shares her insights on cultivating equanimity amid political chaos. She discusses the importance of balance in navigating today's turbulent landscape and promotes respectful engagement with differing views. Joan emphasizes that equanimity, likened to 'vitamin E,' isn't easily achieved but is vital for personal well-being. Through personal anecdotes, she explores the interplay of emotional strength and openness, and encourages ongoing mindfulness practices for resilience.
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Strong Back, Soft Front
Cultivate a "strong back, soft front" posture, both physically and mentally, to stay grounded yet open.
This helps you face difficulties with dignity and be receptive to suffering without being overwhelmed.
insights INSIGHT
Duality and Intertwining
Equanimity and compassion are not separate but intertwined, like two sides of a coin.
A "strong front, soft back" posture signifies fear and a rigid identity, often seen in politicians clinging to self-preservation.
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Equanimity as Foundation
Equanimity is the foundation for other Brahma Viharas.
Without it, loving-kindness becomes attachment, compassion becomes pity, and sympathetic joy becomes comparison.
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#294: Vitamin E: How To Cultivate Equanimity Amidst Political Chaos | Election Sanity Series | Roshi Joan Halifax It’s part four in our Election Sanity series. Throughout October, we have been trying to help you stay engaged in current events without losing your mind. As you know, we’ve been drawing on an ancient Buddhist list called The Four Brahma Viharas, which are four mental skills that can be enormously useful. Over the last three episodes, we’ve taken deep dives into loving-kindness (or friendliness), compassion (or giving a crap), and sympathetic joy (the opposite of schadenfreude). This week, it’s equanimity, the secret sauce that allows you to apply to aforementioned skills in difficult times. Our guest this week is perfect for this subject, precisely because she freely admits that equanimity -- which she calls “vitamin E” -- doesn’t come easily for her. Roshi Joan Halifax is a Buddhist teacher, Zen priest, anthropologist, and pioneer in the field of end-of-life care. She’s been passionately politically engaged for much of her life-- and, as you will hear, she doesn’t hold back on her own personal views, even as she calls for extending respect to people with whom we disagree. Wherever you stand politically, this interview is filled with practical advice for cultivating equanimity without going dull. Quick reminder before we dive in: our Free Election Sanity meditation challenge starts in the Ten Percent Happier app TOMORROW, you can join the challenge right now by downloading the Ten Percent Happier app and be ready for day 1 of the challenge tomorrow. We're really excited about this Challenge. We designed it specifically to meet you in this moment and help you lean into the commotion of the election, without getting burnt out or overwhelmed. To join the Challenge, just download the Ten Percent Happier app today. See you in there. This interview was recorded on October 7, 2020. Where to find Roshi Joan Halifax online: Website: https://www.upaya.org/about/roshi/ Social Media: • Twitter: https://twitter.com/jhalifax • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joan.halifax Other Resources Mentioned: • Shantideva: https://www.shambhala.com/authors/o-t/shantideva.html • Thich Nhat Hanh: https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/biography/ • Angela Davis: https://www.biography.com/activist/angela-davis • Eli Pariser: https://www.elipariser.org/ • Kazuaki Tanahashi: https://www.brushmind.net/ • Eight Worldly Winds: https://www.lionsroar.com/buddhism-by-the-numbers-the-eight-worldly-concerns/ • Uchiyama Roshi: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/506986.Kosho_Uchiyama Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/joan-halifax-294
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