Real tranquility comes from a deep understanding of all of this, but all too often this ideal becomes some sort of dehumanizing exercise in passivity. Real tranquility often comes naturally, though it may be skillfully cultivated as well. Cultivating equanimity of the kind mentioned later is helpful for cultivating tranquility, as is deepening in 46
The Seven Factors of Enlightenment
pure concentration practices, the second spiritual training. Tranquility, concentration and equanimity are intimately related.
CONCENTRATION
Co ncentrati on we have seen twice before, and we will see it again in much more detail in Part III. One of the challenges of deep tranquility is keeping the mind concentrated. This may seem like a direct contradiction to what I have just said, but there may be stages of practice where there can be so much tranquility that the mind can get quite dull and hard to focus. So, just as tranquility is good for concentration and acceptance, too much is similar to not having enough energy. Remember, balance and strengthen, strengthen and balance.
As these are the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, they apply directly to insight practices, training in wisdom. Thus, the concentration being referred to here is a very different kind of concentration than that used for attaining high concentration states. It is called “momentary concentration.” In the context of insight, concentration really means that we are able to very consistently investigate each sensation that arises, one after the other. In this way, we have stability of our ability to investigate, in that it can happen again and again without interruption, but we are not trying to attain stable states or anything else, as we are doing insight practices.
EQUANIMITY
As mentioned before, concentration can produce great stability of mind, and this can lead to equa nimity . Equanimity is that quality of mind that is okay with things, or balanced in the face of anything, even a lack of equanimity. This may sound a bit strange, but it is well worth considering. Equanimity also relates to a lack of struggle even when struggling, to effortlessness even in effort, to peacefulness even when there is not tranquility. When equanimity is really well developed, one is not frightened of being afraid, worried by being concerned, irritated by being irritated, pissed off at being angry, etc. The fundamental nature of the mind is imperturbable and absolutely equanimous; phenomena do not disturb space or even fundamentally disturb themselves from a certain point of view.
