When trying to think of a Dharma talk for today I noticed the Obama sticker on the back my car that had a photo of him with the one word “hope.” Unlike our Christian brothers and sisters the word “hope from the Buddhist perspective is considered negative - something to be avoided. ” In Christian terms it is usually referred to as ‘hope’ in God. In Buddhist terms it is often associated with the word “fear.”

The problem with “hope” and “fear” is that they are both rooted in the future, rather than the here and now. “Hope” usually refers to an expectation of some future improvement. It assumes that our current situation is somehow insufficient and that some change is required. Hope is often a feeling that we or the present moment are not good enough. The result of this feeling of insufficiency is that we tend to focus on the past or the future rather than on the present moment. So while hope generally has a positive connotation it is in fact a desire for something other than what we have at the moment. This is really a sort of mental poverty - of thinking the current situation is not good enough.

The same is true with fear. Fear is usually also rooted in the future. We are anticipating some future pain or discomfort. Very often we find our fears are unfounded and have done nothing but brought upon stress. As His Holiness the Dalai Lama often says, “Why worry about something? If you can change it, you will. And if you can’t, then why worry about it?”

But is there anything wrong with wanting to improve things? Barrack Obama’s campaign was all about “hope.” I believe one of the reasons he was elected is that the American people have been dissatisfied with the way things had been in Washington - and wanted them better and for that reason one of his campaign mantras was “hope.” So is “hope” really a bad thing? I think from the Buddhist perspective rather than wishing or hoping things are different - the emphasis should be placed upon activity or action NOW. Of actually doing whatever is necessary to make a positive change in the way things are NOW (instead of simply hoping they will change).

You don’t want your expectations so strong that you don’t realize what is going on around you in the present moment. Instead you should directly experience everything around you. Instead of “hope” we should work on developing “confidence” - which is strangely is beyond hope and fear. Interestingly this type of confidence is not about relying on one’s self - but relying upon an intrinsic quality of openness and clarity that is our real being - beyond self.

Chogyam Trungpa said, “Hope and fear cannot alter the season.” Which I interpret to mean that hope and fear don’t change anything - they don’t make things better.

Instead, from the Buddhist perspective, what we need to develop is “equanimity.” Equanimity, from the Buddhist perspective, is accepting things (and the world) as they are, and not as you wish them to be. After all, how can things (and the world) be other than how they are? Some people have the misconception that equanimity is merely sitting around while things happen, escaping from the world or suppressing one’s feelings.

However, there is a big difference between apathy, indifference and detachment and equanimity or non-attachment. Apathy, indifference or detachment is simply not caring. Equanimity or non-attachment is caring, but not being overly attached to the outcome.

Equanimity (on the other hand) doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to affect positive change in the world, or that we don’t make plans or have goals. But rather that we are not overly attached to our plans or to the outcome of our goals. As you have no doubt experienced in your own life, things don’t always turn out the way you expected, but sometimes turn out even better.

A good example of this is in the history of the Rime Buddhist Center itself. As most of you know Mary and I founded the Center in 1993. For the first few years we met at the Roeland Park Community Center - in one of their classrooms. Every week we would haul 6 or 8 meditation cushions along with a couple of laundry baskets filled with the items necessary to create a shrine. We did this for several years and some weeks a few people would show up and occasionally no one showed up. It would be just Mary and myself doing our daily practice. At that time there was a Shambhala (Buddhist) group with its own building in Kansas City, Kansas that I had previously been affiliated with. I knew they were struggling to pay the bills and their membership was declining. So I proposed to them that we would use their facility on an evening that they had no program in exchange for $100 per month to help them with their bills. They agreed and for the next two years we met there. We started inviting some visiting Buddhist teachers and our membership slowly began to grow. It grew to the point that people began to associate our group more with their building than the Shambhala group and when that happened we were asked to leave. I was devastated because I couldn’t imagine going back to the Roeland Park Community Center. To me that seemed like two steps backward - instead of moving forward. One day, as I was driving downtown, I saw the building we are currently in and there was a big “For Lease” banner along with a phone number. I called the number listed and talked to one of the owners telling him our plans. He and his partner loved the idea of turning the 100-year-old church back into its original purpose - a spiritual center. So, we were offered the building at a rent below market value along with a lease/purchase option. So, if we had never been asked to leave the Shambhala Center we never would have found this wonderful old building and we wouldn’t be here today. And it is very likely we would have remained at the Shambhala Center and remained a small group.

How many of you watch the TV show “Extreme Make-Over?” Did you see the episode recently about a young man who was developmentally disabled? He was blind and unable to walk, but was very intelligent and had an uncanny musical ability. The show showed him college - in the marching band no less. He was in a wheelchair, but he didn’t let that stop him. I’ll never forget - he had this wonderful saying - which was really his view of the world. He said, “Set your course, but then burn the map.” In other words make plans, have dreams and goals - but don’t be over-attached to the outcome.

I think that is what Buddhism is really all about. Developing that kind of equanimity. I believe through meditation practice we can learn to transcend both hope and fear - and develop instead the kind of confidence with the intrinsic quality of openness and clarity that is at the core of our real being - beyond self & ego. Developing that kind of equanimity is not easy - but it is possible.