(upekkhā): Acceptance of self, other, world, and this moment, without push or pull, clinging or aversion
Shinzen Young defines equanimity as the ability to experience sensory events without push or pull. He defines equanimity as a core component of mindfulness, along with sensory clarity and concentration power.
Equanimity is about perceptual non-interference. We allow our experience to come and go, exactly as it is, without clinging onto it if we like it, or pushing it away if we don’t like it.
This is not the same as apathy or inaction. We still try to act virtuously, to behave appropriately. But perceptually, we allow our experience to be exactly as it is.
In this way, equanimity is less of a specific feeling or emotion, and more of a fundamental attitude or stance towards our experience.