May I choose the serenity of equanimity
To be fascinated by worldly things
Is to live a conceptual reality
Constantly sore-buffeted between
Elation and despondency
And the only difference between
Pessimists and optimists is in
The degree of their aversion
To fear of failure and the
Intensity of their desire
Or appetite for success
For both extremes of human nature
Are driven by their perceptions
And must rely on this experiential
Distortion to keep these states going
To live equably, in upekṣā (उपेक्षा)
Is to not cloak facts in perception,
With its likes or dislikes;
Faiths or fears; Hopes and doubts;
Instincts and opinions
To be changeless or imperishable —
Nityam samacittatvam (नित्यम् समचित्तत्व)
For reality is indivisible
Reflected in both
Darkness and light
Bitter and sweet
Opposition brings concord;
Discord forges the fairest harmony
