Present Heart: The Universal Expressions of Love, Part 4 - Equanimity

Tara Brach

Buddhism, Religion & Spirituality, Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.8 • 11.3K Ratings

🗓️ 29 May 2026

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Equanimity unfolds as we find a wise balance and spaciousness in the midst of this living, dying world.

This series reflects on four primary expressions of an awake, wise heart: lovingkindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. In each talk we explore the habitual patterning that blocks our full realization of these innate capacities, and the understandings and practices that nurture their unfolding.

In this talk, Tara explores how equanimity—the spacious, awake presence that can hold life just as it is—is an essential foundation for love, compassion, and joy to fully flourish.

Drawing from Buddhist teachings on the Brahmaviharas, we reflect on how equanimity is not indifference or passivity, but a courageous openness that allows us to stay present with pain without hardening into blame or fear. Through stories, poetry, guided reflection, and practical meditation instruction, she invites us to discover the freedom of becoming "the ocean" that can hold all the changing waves of experience with compassion and care.

In this talk, you'll discover:

How equanimity creates the inner balance that allows love, compassion, and joy to mature and deepen
The difference between true equanimity and emotional withdrawal or indifference
How mindfulness and kindness help us move from reactivity into wise, compassionate presence
The practice of "being the ocean, not the waves" when facing fear, conflict, or uncertainty
How equanimity supports healing, courageous action, and a heart that is "ready for anything"
A guided meditation for working with difficult emotions and relationships with awareness and compassion

This talk is especially supportive for anyone seeking emotional balance, mindfulness, self-compassion, spiritual awakening, healing relationships, and finding peace in uncertain times.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Welcome, friends, to the Tara Brock podcast. I'm so glad you're here.
0:11.4	Each week, I share teachings and guided meditations to help us awaken our hearts and bring
0:17.4	healing to our world.
0:24.4	You can learn more our support this offering by visiting tarabrock.com,
0:27.1	where you can also join our email list.
0:32.5	Now, let's explore together
0:34.7	the many ways we can live from the love and presence that's our deepest
0:40.2	essence.
0:47.6	Namaste.
0:48.2	Namaste. Welcome, friends. Today we're on the fourth week of a series of heart reflections.
1:20.6	We've explored loving kindness and compassion and joy. And this one's on equanimity. And people often wonder how did equanimity
1:32.3	get grouped together with the other domains of heart? And it helps to consider what it is that
1:39.8	blocks or closes our heart. In any moment that we're wanting life to be different, that we feel
1:46.7	like life's not going our way. Let's say our body hurts or we feel in some way offended
1:53.0	or criticized by someone, we're anxious about what's around the corner or we feel like maybe
1:59.5	we failed at something. In those moments,
2:01.7	it's difficult to connect with and feel our natural caring and love and tenderness of heart.
2:11.4	So equanimity is the space of awareness that can allow life to be just as it is. So when we're feeling equanimity,
2:20.9	life can be unpleasant, life can be difficult, and there's still enough space, still enough
2:28.0	awareness, enough balance and openness to hold what is arising with care. And that is freedom. That's freedom.
2:38.0	I'll share with you a poem from the poet Kaviri that gives us a sense of this and it's called
2:44.5	equanimity. There is a canyon of painted rocks where the sun always rises, where the sun always sets.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 19 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Tara Brach, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Tara Brach and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.