In the words of Buddha,
Peace comes from within,
Do not seek it without.
Take a breath and let it settle.
Feel the weight of your body on the surface beneath you.
Feel the air moving in and moving out.
Here there is nothing to do,
Nowhere to be,
Just this.
Peace comes from within,
Not in a distant place,
Not in tomorrow's plans,
Not in a past you cannot hold.
Peace is not a destination,
It is the space you create,
Right here,
In this breath.
Let yourself simply arrive,
Feel how stillness is already present beneath the noise.
Peace is not something to chase,
But something to remember.
Breathe in,
Open,
Breathe out,
Soften,
Like a stone sinking into a quiet lake.
Let yourself settle into the depths of now.
Do not seek it without,
As Buddha says,
As the mind may wander,
Reaching,
Planning,
Grasping.
Notice that reaching,
What if you didn't have to?
Let go of looking for peace,
And instead let peace bind you,
And feel how peace rises when you stop chasing it,
Like a breeze that appears when you stop running,
Like still water that clears when left untouched.
Breathe in,
Feel space,
Breathe out,
Feel ease.
Peace is not waiting outside of you,
It is here,
Beneath your ribs,
Beneath your breath,
In the silence,
Between your thoughts,
Rest in it,
As if to be bathed by it,
Not forcing,
Not trying,
Just resting.
Notice the pauses between each breath you take,
The delicate hush that holds each inhale,
Each exhale,
The space that is there,
That silence,
Is peace itself.
Breathe in,
Feel space,
Breathe out,
Feel ease,
Remind you,
Peace comes from within,
Do not seek it without,
No river chases its own flow,
Yet still it moves,
Yet still it knows,
No sky must search to hold the light,
Yet still it glows,
Yet still it's bright,
Peace is not distance,
Not lost,
Not far,
Not something written in dust or stars,
Peace lives in breath,
In quiet,
In now,
Your peace is already here,
It is already found,
May your mind,
Your body and your spirit be abundant with peace,
Today and every day.
