EQUANIMITY (UPEKṢĀ) IN MAHĀYĀNA THOUGHT

ANALYSIS OF THE CONCEPT AND NOTES ON SOCIAL BELONGING

Authors

  • Ethel Beluzzi
  • Geovana Moretto Universidade Metodista de São Paulo
  • Nayara Takahashi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15603/2176-1078/er.v39n3pe2025-028

Keywords:

equanimity, upekṣā, Mahāyāna, Nāgārjuna, social belonging

Abstract

This article examines the concept of equanimity (upekṣā) in the Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition and proposes a reflection on its application as an ethical foundation for social belonging. The research draws upon three fundamental texts: the Akṣayamatinirdeśa-sūtra, the Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra, and the Lamrim Chenmo, which offer different hermeneutical perspectives on the practice and meaning of equanimity. In Nāgārjuna, equanimity is described as the transcendence of attachments and aversions arising from the feelings of love, compassion, and joy, constituting the foundation for the mind of awakening (bodhicitta). In the Akṣayamatinirdeśa-sūtra, it is presented in three dimensions: in relation to afflictions, to protect oneself and others, and concerning the timely and the untimely. Tsongkhapa, in turn, defines it as “immeasurable,” since it frees the practitioner from afflictions and fosters a stable and impartial attitude toward sentient beings. Finally, it is argued that the cultivation of equanimity enables an equitable form of belonging, capable of sustaining social relations grounded in respect, balance, and mutual recognition.

Author Biographies

Ethel Beluzzi

He holds a bachelor's degree in Philosophy from the University of Campinas (2011), a bachelor's degree in Theology from Dom Bosco University (2023), a master's degree in Philosophy from the University of Campinas (2014), and a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics (Translation Studies) from the University of Campinas (2018). He also holds an MBA in Data Science Analytics from the University of São Paulo (2024) and a certification in Buddhist Theology from the Pramāṇa Institute (2018). He serves as a professor at the Pramāṇa Institute (Buddha-Dharma Association).

Geovana Moretto, Universidade Metodista de São Paulo

Holds a bachelor's degree and a teaching license in Geography from the University of São Paulo (USP, 2020). She is a master's student in Religious Studies at the Methodist University of São Paulo, in the area of Religious Languages. She is enrolled in the Buddhist Studies program jointly offered by the University of Kelaniya (Sri Lanka) and The Buddha-Dharma Centre of Hong Kong. She also participates in the free undergraduate program in Buddhist Theology at the Pramāṇa Institute of the Buddha-Dharma Association. Since 2022, she has been a Geography teacher in the public school system of the State of São Paulo. She is a member of the Buddhist Philosophy Study Group at the Center for Modern and Contemporary Philosophy Studies (CEMODECON). She began her Buddhist studies in 2014 under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Plínio Tsai (UMESP/CEMODECON-Unicamp) and became a novice nun (śrāmaṇerī, rabjungma) in 2020. Her research focuses on Chinese Buddhist collections, with an emphasis on the theory of inter-relational networks, religious hermeneutics, and the analysis of the relationships between tradition and modernity.

Nayara Takahashi

Master’s student in the Graduate Program in Religious Studies at the Methodist University of São Paulo (UMESP) and undergraduate student in Philosophy at Academia Atlântico (in partnership with Uningá). She holds a bachelor’s degree in Theology from the Catholic University Dom Bosco (UCDB), completed the free undergraduate program in Buddhist Natural Theology at the Pramāṇa Institute, and holds a bachelor’s degree in Control and Automation Engineering from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), as well as an MBA in Industrial Automation from PECE-POLI at the University of São Paulo (USP). She currently serves as secretary of the Buddha-Dharma Association (BUDA) and as national secretary of the Lay Dominican Fraternity of Brazil, in a volunteer capacity. She is a member of the Brazilian Association for the Philosophy of Religion (ABFR) and the Brazilian Society of Logic (SBL), and participates in the research group “Buddhism with Brazilian Characteristics,” supervised by Prof. Dr. Plínio Marcos Tsai at UMESP, and in the research group “Analytic Thomism: Metaphysics and Philosophy of Religion” (not registered with CNPq), supervised by Prof. Dr. Fábio Bertato, at Academia Atlântico (AA) in partnership with the Institute of Philosophy and Theology (IFT).

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Published

2025-12-19

How to Cite

Beluzzi, E., Moretto, G., & Takahashi, N. (2025). EQUANIMITY (UPEKṢĀ) IN MAHĀYĀNA THOUGHT: ANALYSIS OF THE CONCEPT AND NOTES ON SOCIAL BELONGING. Estudos De Religião, 39(3), e2025–028. https://doi.org/10.15603/2176-1078/er.v39n3pe2025-028

Issue

Vol. 39 No. 3 (2025): Estudos de Religião, set.-dez. (publicação em fluxo contínuo)

Section

Dossiê Budismo e Religiões Globais em Diálogo: Caminhos para a Justiça Social

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