Equanimity, one of the four immeasurables, involves recognizing that all beings are equally worthy of loving-kindness, compassion, and joy, transcending social categories and personal preferences to see the fundamental dignity in every person.

The practice of equanimity requires moving beyond conditional regard based on status, appearance, or relationship to oneself. True equanimity sees past external circumstances to recognize the inherent potential for awakening that exists in all beings. This perspective challenges social hierarchies and discriminatory systems that categorize people as more or less worthy of respect.

The story of Svasti offering kusa grass illustrates the Buddha’s embodiment of equanimity in action. Svasti belonged to the “untouchable” caste, considered the lowest social class in ancient Indian society, whose members were often avoided and treated as ritually impure. When Siddhartha accepted Svasti’s humble offering of grass with the same respect he would show to royalty, he demonstrated that social status, wealth, and birth circumstances do not determine a person’s inherent worth or capacity for goodness.

This encounter reveals how equanimity operates not as indifference, but as radical inclusivity—seeing beyond society’s artificial boundaries to recognize the Buddha nature present in all beings. The Buddha’s response to Svasti models how treating others with unconditional dignity can transform both giver and receiver, dissolving the illusion of separation created by social conditioning.

[Required Text: Old Path White Clouds by Thich Nhat Hanh—Chapter Three, An Armful of Kusa Grass, and Chapter One, Walking Just to Walk, the first few pages explaining Svasti’s social background in the lowest “untouchable” caste.]

All social categories are limitations that obscure a deeper truth of who we are. Innate goodness exists in all.

Experience the feeling in the body of being treated with dignity and respect. Likewise notice what it feels like to practice reciprocal altruism.

• What does it feel like to be treated with dignity?
• What is dignity?
• What does it feel like to treat others with dignity and respect?
• Are there people who do not deserve to be treated with dignity?

Analyze the Buddha’s demonstration of equanimity in the kusa grass story by examining how he transcended social hierarchies and caste distinctions; evaluate how treating all beings with equal dignity challenges contemporary forms of bias and discrimination; and implement practices of unconditional respect that demonstrate recognition of innate goodness in all people regardless of their social status, background, or relationship to oneself.