Springtime is a time of renewal and rebirth following a long cold winter. Every spring as I see the buds first beginning to show on the trees and the crocus and tulips pushing up through the earth I can’t help but be reminded of the Buddhist doctrine of reincarnation. If these plants that died back and became dormant for many months of winter can be re-born why is it so difficult to believe we don’t do the same? For me springtime is not only a reminder of rebirth, but also of renewal.

From the Buddhist perspective we have lived billions upon billions of years - literally countless number of lifetimes. So, there is this continual cycle of birth, life, death and then rebirth over and over again. Birth and death are a constant process. This same cycle is happening in every moment. For example, we give birth to a thought, it is here for a moment and then it dies away. It also happens over a longer period of time as well. We are similar to but not the same person as we were last year or five years or even ten years ago. We are always changing as our karma unfolds propelling us into new situations and new understandings of ourselves. So, change is a constant part of our lives.

With change comes the possibility of renewal and transformation. Through meditation we can transform our mind. A daily meditation practice awakens our compassion and introduces us to a far larger view of reality. When we see the world in a more spacious way, it opens us to new possibilities. His Holiness the Dalai Lama said, “If we have a positive mental attitude, then even when surrounded by hostility, we shall not lack inner peace. On the other hand, if our mental attitude is more negative, influenced by fear, suspicion, helplessness, or self-loathing, then even when surrounded by our best friends, in a nice atmosphere and comfortable surroundings, we shall not be happy.”

But how exactly do we achieve such a positive mental attitude, and how do we sustain it? In Buddhism this kind of sustaining positive attitude is called equanimity. Equanimity is the last of the stabilizing factors; the final factor of enlightenment. The usual image used to illustrate the quality of equanimity is that of a mountain. A mountain sits there as the sun shines on it, the rain falls on it, it gets covered by snow, and struck by lightening. What does the mountain do? It remains unwavering. Likewise through meditation we can also train our mind to develop equanimity. We find that as we release our concept of “self” and of clinging that there is a profound feeling of equanimity that arises. It is through our meditation practice that we begin to see how temporary and ungraspable every aspect of life is and we begin to feel a deep sense of letting go of our attachments to various aspects of our self.

So, this spring, as you look around at nature as it reawakens from its deep winter sleep, and undergoes its perpetual rebirth and renewal, realize that we too have the capacity for change in every moment. We have the capacity to transform our mind from negative emotions and cultivate the openness and spaciousness of equanimity.