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Equality Is Not Inert Passivity to Circumstances · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  Achieving the balance between equality and inert passivity is
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  difficult for the human mind, as we tend to prefer clear black
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  and white choices rather than any kind of nuanced approach.
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  Equality refers to the psychological poise with which
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  one receives all impressions, sensations, circumstances, and
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  forces that act upon the being. This does not imply that one
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  must meekly accept whatever comes as the will of the divine.
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  The equality and ability to maintain calm is a function of
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  the external nature. This allows the secret to
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  maintain his aspiration and focus toward the divine.
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  It is the psychic being in contact with the divine that
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  knows the thing to be done. Outer circumstances do not
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  generally favor the transformation process that the
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  psychic being has accepted, and thus opposition, difficulties,
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  obstructions will frequently arise as the existing forces of
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  the status quo try to maintain their control and ascendancy.
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  It is the very process of the evolution of consciousness and
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  the transformation to not accept what comes from the existing
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  modes and ways of the world and the forces at play there, but to
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  accept, introduce and move into action the higher forces trying
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  to manifest. In his book The Mother, Sri
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  Robindo addresses this precise point.
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  Quote Note that a temasek surrender, refusing to fulfill
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  the conditions and calling on God to do everything and save
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  when all the trouble and struggle is a deception and does
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  not lead to freedom and perfection.
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  End Quote, Sri Robindo writes. Quote Equality is a very
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  important part of this yoga. It is necessary to keep equality
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  under pain and suffering, and that means to endure firmly and
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  calmly, not to be restless or troubled or depressed or
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  despondent, to go on with a steady faith in the Divine will.
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  But equality does not include inert acceptance.
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  If, for instance, there is a temporary failure of some
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  endeavour in the Sadhna, one has to keep equality, not to be
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  troubled or despondent, but one has not to accept the failure as
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  an indication of the Divine will and give up the endeavour.
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  You ought rather to find out the reason and meaning of the
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  failure and go forward in faith towards victory.
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  So with illness you have not to be troubled, shaken or restless,
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  but you have not to accept illness as the Divine will, but
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  rather look upon it as an imperfection of the body to be
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  got rid of as you try to get rid of vital imperfections or mental
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  errors. End Quote reference.
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  Srioro Bindo, Bases of Yoga, Chapter 1, Calm, Peace and
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  Equality, pages 15 to 16.