Class Mantra:
“With kindness and courage, I remember who I am.”

Opening Story: The Golden Buddha
Begin with a story from Thailand that sets our theme:

Hundreds of years ago, a golden Buddha statue stood in a Thai monastery. When a Burmese army threatened to invade, monks covered the statue with thick clay to hide its value. In the chaos that followed, all the monks who knew the secret were killed, and for generations, people saw only a plain clay statue—never realizing the treasure hidden inside.
Centuries later, during a move in 1957, the statue cracked and revealed the gold beneath. The monks patiently and reverently chipped away the clay, like loving archaeologists restoring an ancient treasure, until the golden Buddha shone in all its glory.

We, too, often forget our own gold beneath the layers of habit, self-protection, and conditioning. Meditation is our practice of gently, bravely, and kindly remembering who we truly are.

Topic 1 – The Layers We Wear (5–6 minutes)
Reflection:
Over the years, we collect habits, roles, and stories that sometimes hide our true nature. These layers often helped us in the past but can now cover up our light.

Metaphor:
Like an old wall painted over again and again—the original mural is still there, waiting to be seen.

Quotes:

Nothing can dim the light which shines from within. – Maya Angelou

Your life is your message to the world. Make sure it’s inspiring.

Never assume that loud is strong and quiet is weak.

Life only demands from you the strength you already possess.

Topic 2 – The Weight of Conditioning (5–6 minutes)
Reflection:
Much of our “clay” comes from outside—family, society, teachers. Meditation helps us notice what we’ve inherited and what we might be ready to set down.

Metaphor:
Like a suitcase passed down through generations, filled with things we never chose. Some help us; some we can put aside.

Quotes:

Understand your own self first, then you will be ready to understand everything else.

In a forest of a hundred thousand trees, no two leaves are alike. – Paulo Coelho

May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears. – Nelson Mandela

Do what is right, not what is easy nor what is popular. – Roy T. Bennett

Topic 3 – The Armor of Self-Protection (5–6 minutes)
Reflection:
Sometimes, the layers we wear are armor—built from hurt, fear, or disappointment. What once protected us can keep us from real connection.

Metaphor:
Like a turtle with a heavy shell, safe but unable to feel the sun or move freely until it risks opening up.

Quotes:

May you always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

Never regret anything that made you smile. – Mark Twain

The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of us, but those who win battles we know nothing about.

At the end of our lives, we will all be asked, ‘Did I live? Did I love? Did I matter?’

Topic 4 – Chipping Away with Compassion (5–6 minutes)
Reflection:
Restoration is gentle work. Like a careful archaeologist, we approach ourselves with patience, reverence, and curiosity. Each act of self-kindness uncovers more of our treasure.

Metaphor:
Like restoring a stained-glass window—each gentle touch lets more light shine through.

Quotes:

It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure. – Joseph Campbell

The physical body is only an instrument used to play the projections of one’s soul. – David Scott

Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life.

When you realize nothing is lacking, the whole world belongs to you. – Lao Tzu

Topic 5 – Remembering the Gold (5–6 minutes)
Reflection:
No matter how many layers we’ve added or how long it’s been, our inner gold is untouched and always there. Our work is simply to remember.

Metaphor:
Like music beneath static—if we listen carefully and clear the noise, the original song returns.

Quotes:

Happiness is here and now. – Thich Nhat Hanh

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. – Mahatma Gandhi

I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive. – Joseph Campbell

May your soul awaken to the gold within you.

Topic 6 – The Courage to Be Seen (5–6 minutes)
Reflection:
Letting our true self be seen takes bravery, especially when the world expects us to stay hidden. When we share our gold, we invite others to do the same.

Metaphor:
Like the first flower blooming after a wildfire—fragile, bold, and bringing hope.

Quotes:

Be a voice, not an echo.

The wound is the place where the light enters you. – Rumi

Shine like the whole universe is yours. – Rumi

Never assume that loud is strong and quiet is weak.

Topic 7 – Sharing Our Light (5–6 minutes)
Reflection:
When we reconnect with our gold, we naturally want to honor it in others. Even small acts of presence and kindness help others remember their own treasure.

Metaphor:
Like embers lighting new fires—when we share our warmth, we help others discover theirs.

Quotes:

Mother Teresa taught that the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in something you are passionate about.

Die with memories, not dreams.

Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. – Joshua J. Marine

At the end of our lives, we will all be asked, ‘Did I live? Did I love? Did I matter?’

Topic 8 – Living from the Treasure (5–6 minutes)
Reflection:
Every act of kindness, honesty, and love is living from our gold. The treasure isn’t just for us—it’s meant to be shared, making our lives and the world richer.

Metaphor:
Like drawing water from a deep well—each bucketful nourishes us and everyone we share it with.

Quotes:

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. – Mark Twain

Your life is your message to the world. Make sure it’s inspiring.

May you be happy. May you be peaceful. May you live with ease.

Life only demands from you the strength you already possess.

Closing Practice & Mantra (2–3 minutes)

Invite students to rest quietly, feeling the breath move in and out.
Repeat the mantra softly:

“With kindness and courage, I remember who I am.”

Encourage them to carry this mantra into their week, gently chipping away at old layers, and living from the gold within.

The story of the Golden Buddha.

In 1957 an entire Monastery in Thailand was being relocated by a group of monks. One day they were moving a giant clay Buddha when one of the monks noticed a large crack in the clay. On closer investigation he saw there was a golden light emanating from the crack. The monk used a hammer and a chisel to chip away at the clay exterior until he revealed that the statue was in fact made of solid gold.

Historians believe the Buddha had been covered with clay by Thai monks several hundred years earlier to protect it from an attack by the Burmese army. In the attack, all the monks had been killed and it wasn’t until 1957 that this great treasure was actually discovered.

I was able to share the story of the Golden Buddha at the end of a talk I gave recently when a woman in the audience asked “Is it just a utopian dream to think that I can find my ‘why’ at work? Where do I even start looking for my purpose?”

I explained that it’s already right there inside each of us, that it’s not necessarily found in another job, a new company or another country. It’s always been there and it’s way closer than we think.

What happens over the course of our life however is that we pile layer upon layer of clay over our own Golden Buddha. The heaviest layer of clay is of our own doing – it’s our own limited thinking and our unconscious conditioning. The other layers of clay get added on from external influences (parents, schools and teachers, bosses and co-workers, society, the media, the church, government and corporations). Eventually we are so laden with clay that we forget that the Golden Buddha is there all the time.

The secret to finding our Golden Buddha, our higher purpose, lies not in the future, but in our past. All we need to do is start chipping away at the clay and rediscovering those things we were passionate about as we grew up. We reconnect with why we first went into our profession or that job we really, really loved. We recall the times when we were in flow and time stood still. We chip away at our clay with a therapist or a trusted advisor. We get curious and we do something, anything. Action always precedes clarity. Action reveals the Golden Buddha.

At a company level, we also need to reclaim our Golden Buddha. I believe that most organisations are founded with a golden intent. They are started with a higher purpose to improve humanity and not damage the planet, however over time the clay appears in the form of poor management, flawed systems, board pressure, shareholder expectations or venture capitalist demands. The most vital role for leadership is to unearth that higher purpose again and make it both the glue and the guiding North Star of the company.

Imagine a world where every person and every company could return to their natural state, their Golden Buddha. Just imagine.

Be a voice and not just an echo.

“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.” – Maya Angelou

Understand you own self first, then you will be ready to understand everything else.

“The physical body is only an instrument used to play the projections of one’s soul.” – David Scott

Life only demands from you the strength you already possess.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” ~Mahatma Gandhi

“In a forest of a hundred thousand trees, no two leaves are alike. And no two journeys along the same path are alike.” – Paulo Coelho

Never assume that loud is strong and quiet is weak.

Mother Theresa taught that the best way to find yourself is to loose yourself in something you are passionate about. In her case it was serving others.

At the end of our lives we will all asked, “Did I live… Did I love… Did I matter?”

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” ~ Mark Twain

“Until you’re broken and face The Dark Night of the Soul, you do not know what you are made of. At the darkest moment comes the light.” – David Scott

“I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.” – Joseph Campbell

“Your life is your message to the world. Make sure it’s inspiring.”

. “Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” ― Joshua J. Marine

“Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds.”

“Do what is right, not what is easy nor what is popular.” – Roy. T. Bennett

“It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.” – Joseph Campbell

“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” – Soren Kierkegaard

Die with memories, not dreams.

Never regret anything that made you smile. – Mark Twain

May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears. – Nelson Mandela