The Perfection of Equanimity - The wise Lomahamsa III

“I slept in a cemetery, taking as a pillow the skeleton of a corpse.

I had evenmindedness with regard to what is clean and what is dirty.”

  We read that the village children conducted themselves in many rude, improper ways, by spitting, jeering, defecating and urinating. They poked blades of grass into the Bodhisatta's ears and they were teasing and mocking as much as they liked. We read that the Bodhisatta thereupon reflected:

“The village children caused me to suffer pain,

whereas those wise people gave me enjoyable things,

such as flowers, unguents and food.

I am impartial and evenminded towards all people;

I have equanimity.

I have moderation in all things, in all circumstances.

I have no specific affection towards those who support me,

nor do I speak angry words or have feelings of vengeance towards those who do not support me.

Thus, I have equanimity towards all people.”
The Bodhisatta was unshakeable and impartial, having no attachment to people who gave him pleasant things, such as flowers, unguents and food, and having no anger towards those who disturbed him and made him suffer.
We read:

“At that time the Buddha taught moderation,

he taught not to cling to the vicissitudes of life.

He was equipped with the requisite of enlightenment that is wisdom

and hence he was impartial towards all beings,

to those who supported him as well as those who did not.

He finally said: ‘I am evenminded towards happiness and misery,

towards honour and dishonour;

I am impartial towards everything,

and this is my perfection of equanimity.’

The perfection of equanimity is evenmindedness,

being without happiness and anguish, like a scale that is well-balanced.

The Buddha showed that he was impartial to all beings and to all vicissitudes of life,

and this degree of equanimity is not common to other people.”

We read in the Commentary to the “Basket of Conduct”:

“The Bodhisatta developed all ten perfections.

Beginning with generosity, he gave away all his possesions and his own body,

without concern over whatever others wanted to do with it.

That is the perfection of generosity.

He abstained from whatever was improper and wrong,

and that is the perfection of morality.

He developed the perception of the foulness of his body,

he abandoned attachment to sense pleasures,

he left his home for the homeless life,

and that is the perfection of renunciation.

He was skilled in the discerning of the dhammas

which are a support for the requisites of enlighhtenment

and skilled in the abandoning of the dhammas opposed to those requisites.

He was skilled in considering the specific nature of beneficial dhammas,

discriminating them from dhammas that are not beneficial,

and this is the perfection of panna.

The disenchantment with sense pleasures

and the endeavour to endure suffering is the perfection of energy.

Endurance and forbearance are the perfection of patience.

Truthfulness in speech and in the practice of abstention from what is wrong

is the perfection of truthfulness.

The firm, unshakable practice of what is right is the perfection of determination.

Loving-kindness and affection for all beings without being selective

is the perfection of loving-kindness.”

  As regards the perfection of equanimity of the Bodhisatta, this has just been explained above.