As the teachings show us, in order for us to respond to suffering \u2013 our own, and that of others \u2013 it is essential that we very consciously give ourselves permission to pause, to temporarily take some sacred time to shore up our own capacity for wisdom and compassion, so that we don\u2019t allow what\u2019s happening to harden our hearts. This pause is often called \u201csacred,\u201d because when we allow ourselves to enter it, we become better able to not only see what is true, but what is needed.