Throughout all kinds of events, all kinds of situations, no matter where you go, you still have the breath, you still have the body, it’s all right here. You can find happiness wherever you are.

"As Ajaan Suwat used to say, each of us has one person. You’re responsible for yourself. You can’t be responsible for other people, but you can provide a good example. This is what the Buddha did. He showed that a human being can, through his or her own efforts, find freedom from suffering. He didn’t go out and release people from their suffering, but he did show them that there’s a way.

And that was enough. That opened people’s minds to new possibilities. That in and of itself is quite a gift. Otherwise, we go through life thinking, “Well, this is as good as it gets. We might as well learn to content ourselves with fighting over what’s out there.”

The image the Buddha gave is of a pond that’s gradually growing drier and drier, becoming just a puddle. The fish in the pond are fighting over what little water that’s left. As long as you think that the only happiness in life lies getting that water, you’re going to resign yourself to fighting for it. But if you realize that if you develop your sense of inner space like this, become more secure here, more solidly here throughout all kinds of events, all kinds of situations, reminding yourself that no matter where you go, you still have the breath, you still have the body, it’s all right here: Then you can find happiness wherever you are. You don’t have to fight other people, fight the other fish for that little bit of water remaining.

So the focus of the practice keeps coming back here, back here, back here. That way, you don’t get distracted by thinking that the solution to your problems lies outside, because actually the causes of the problems don’t lie outside. The causes are lying inside as well."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Animals in the Mind"