In short: equanimity (upekkhā) is a steady, balanced mind that isn't thrown around by gain and loss, praise and blame. It is not indifference: it is the calm that lets love and compassion last. The Buddha told his son to "meditate like the earth" (MN 62) and taught spreading "a heart full of equanimity" to the whole world (AN 3.65).
Meditate like the earth
"Rāhula, meditate like the earth. For when you meditate like the earth, pleasant and unpleasant contacts will not occupy your mind."
MN 62 · The full teaching: meditate like the earth.
People throw flowers and rubbish on the earth, and it doesn't push either away. Equanimity is like that: it lets experience land without grabbing or recoiling.
Read the full guide
A 10-minute equanimity meditation
- Settle (1 minute). Sit comfortably. Feel the weight of your body held by the ground.
- Be the earth (2 minutes). Notice sounds, sensations and thoughts arriving. Let each one land. Silently: "This too is welcome. This too will pass."
- The eight winds (3 minutes). Recall a recent gain and a recent loss, praise and blame. For each: "Gain and loss come and go. They are not me."
- Someone you care about (2 minutes). "I wish you well. Your happiness and suffering depend on your own actions, not on my wishes." This classic phrase lets you care without carrying everything.
- Everywhere (2 minutes). Spread the steadiness outward, in every direction, as the Buddha describes below.
The Buddha's instruction
"They meditate spreading a heart full of equanimity to one direction, and to the second, and to the third, and to the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, they spread a heart full of equanimity to the whole world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will."
AN 3.65 · Equanimity is the fourth of the four divine abodes. The "eight winds" are the eight worldly conditions.
Equanimity is not indifference
Indifference closes the heart; equanimity keeps it open but steady. That is why it comes after love, compassion and rejoicing, not instead of them.
Related: how to handle criticism and praise.
Try it
For a short guided practice with a soft bell, open Practice and choose Breathe.
Questions people ask
What is equanimity in Buddhism?
Upekkhā, equanimity, is a balanced, steady mind that isn't thrown around by pleasant and unpleasant experiences. It is the fourth divine abode (brahmavihāra) and also one of the seven factors of awakening.
Is equanimity the same as not caring?
No. Indifference shuts the heart; equanimity keeps it open but steady. It sits alongside love and compassion, not in place of them.