Can equanimity when referring to the path be translated as patience?

The Watercooler
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Can equanimity when referring to the path be translated as patience?

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Hi Joel. The Pali word translated as ‘patience’ is generally ‘khanti’.

khanti
feminine

  1. patience; forbearance; endurance
  2. receptivity; predilection; preference; preferred view; (also khantī)

SuttaCentral

However, the Pali word ’ upekhā’ generally translated as ‘equanimity’ does include the meaning of “to look at” or “looking on”.

PTS Pali English Dictionary

upekkhā & upekhā

feminine“looking on”, hedonic neutrality or indifference, zero point between joy & sorrow (Cpd. 66) disinterestedness, neutral feeling, equanimity. Sometimes equivalent to adukkham-asukha-vedanā “feeling which is neither pain nor pleasure”.

SuttaCentral

Therefore, ‘equanimity’ (‘looking upon’) seems certainly related to ‘patience’ since patience seems to obviously require ‘equanimity’. :dizzy:

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Waiting patiently
Visions of cupcake teasing
Equanimous not.

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I think equanimity implies the absence of craving and aversion, or the absence of wanting and not wanting.

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There are several types of equanimity with different factors. For an accessible introduction, see Analayo, 2008:

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I found this Ajahn Sona talk a quite useful explanation of patience. He also contrasts patience and equanimity in the talk.

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