So another question for you tonight is how many went to see the Dalai Lama when he was

here. Can I see my hands? Not so many. He was here yesterday and at University of Maryland and

it's always wonderful to have the Dalai Lama just in the vicinity. His main teaching always in

some way is that everyone of us wants to be happy. Nobody wants to suffer. I remember in 2005

he was here for a conference and that was the first year that there was a real sharing of how much

science was showing the effect of meditation on mental health and physical health. He had just

come out with a book on happiness. Network news was interviewing him. The big question for him was,

so what was the happiest moment of your life? That was their question. And he sat there and kind of

gave that little mischievous look and he said, I think now. I love that story because as we know the

whole training and meditation is to be able to arrive and come to the one place right here where

it's possible to get in touch with loving presence where it's possible to be creative, where it's

possible to really find happiness and healing. And the really good news is this understanding is

spreading just like people get it that exercise helps our body. This is, I don't know how many of you

know but this is called mental health month. If you're familiar with that but there's a mental health

caucus on Capitol Hill and so this is mental health month and they're paying a whole lot of

attention to this research on the effects of mindfulness on addiction and on emotional healing.

So much so that yesterday I taught a class on Capitol Hill for staff and legislators that they

sponsored. They and Congressman Tim Ryan because they're and now they're beginning to do a regular

class on Capitol Hill, a meditation class for those there. This is good news. Yeah.

Yeah, it's happy making, consciousness, you know. So the Buddha highlights a really great paradox

that is what I want to explore tonight which is that our happiness and freedom arises from what

I'm calling presence which is this awakeness, this awakeness, this openness right here. That's

...