It's a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately filling up space.

The happiness we seek cannot be found through grasping, trying to hold on to things. It cannot be found through getting serious and uptight about wanting things to go in the direction we think will bring happiness. We are always taking hold of the wrong end of the stick. The point is that the happiness we seek is already here and it will be found through relaxation and letting go rather than through struggle.

So war and peace start in the human heart. Whether that heart is open or whether that heart closes has global implications.

If we Pause and breathe in and out, then we can have the experience of timeless presence, of the inexpressible wisdom and goodness of our own minds. We can look at the world with fresh eyes and hear things with fresh ears.

Meditation practice isn't about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It's about befriending who we are already.

If there's any possibility for enlightenment, it's right now, not at some future time. Now is the time.

How do we cultivate the conditions for joy to expand? We train in staying present.