Equal vision

The powerful concept of equal vision (sama darshana in Sanskrit), is not about external equality. We are different in multifarious ways. Sama darshana is about a deeper vision, a deeper seeing. It’s a reminder to acknowledge the soul's presence within all living things. 

It’s one of the principles of a living spiritual practice, and by that I mean, the effort to actually live the teachings, everyday. 

So when I saw the photo of the mega-rich couple on the magazine cover, sharing their story of success, my immediate reaction was blah. Who cares what these fat cats do or how they live? Then I caught myself and did a sama darshina reset.

I needed to look at each face and say - there is a soul within. They are where they are right now, having earned it by their karma. Also stuck within these bodies, like all of us, and though we are different in so many ways, we are the same spiritually. Equal vision. I changed my tone, wished them well, and sent a prayer to the soul within. 

After putting the magazine down, I felt the benefits of the work of equal vision - being able to let my petty opinions go, along with ill-will emotions and instead to offer kindness towards the soul of someone unknown to me personally, a face on a magazine cover. It felt good - almost like a lightness of being, a sense of love. 

To live the teachings, to actually practice sama darshana, will take me some time. There is a constant back and forth, from my first reaction - either attraction or aversion - to settling into a new frame of mind. Yet, even at the beginning stages, I am finding this sama darshana reset, the equal vision paradigm, a deeply rewarding experience.