Closing Mantra: “I am vast as the sky. Thoughts pass, presence remains.”

Opening Story – The King and the Silent Sage

Long ago, a powerful king was restless. Though his palace overflowed with treasures, his heart carried a storm of worries. Silence felt unbearable, and peace always slipped through his grasp.

He heard whispers of a sage who lived quietly at the edge of the mountains. Determined, the king set out with his entourage. After many days, he arrived at a humble hut, where the sage sat, gazing into the horizon.

The king demanded, “Teach me the secret of peace. I have kingdoms, armies, and riches, yet none of it calms my mind.”

The sage simply smiled and said, “Sit.”

So the king sat. Minutes passed. No words were spoken. Only the sound of the wind in the trees. At last, the sage asked, “What do you hear?”

The king sighed. “Birds. Wind. My thoughts, always my thoughts.”

The sage nodded. “The sky is filled with clouds, yet the sky itself is never broken. Your thoughts are the clouds. You are the sky.”

The king sat deeper. The silence grew. After a time, he said softly, “It feels as if my mind is a lantern, slowly lighting a dark room.”

“Yes,” the sage whispered. “Awareness does not chase away the dark. It simply shines.”

The king closed his eyes again. Now the silence felt alive, like the space between notes of music.

When he opened them, he saw the moon lifting slowly above the mountain ridge, silver and serene. It did not chase the sun, yet it glowed with borrowed light, steady and full. In that quiet moment, something loosened in his chest. For the first time in years, his awe was not for gold or power, but for the simple wonder of existence itself — the rhythm of his breath, the warmth of being alive, the stillness that asked nothing of him but presence.

The sage finally spoke: “This is meditation. Not to gain, not to chase, but to remember what has always been here. Vastness. Stillness. Reflection. Awe.”

The king bowed low, knowing he had found the greatest treasure of all — the silence within himself.

Topic 1 – Vastness Beyond Thoughts

Metaphor: Like the sky holding clouds above the ocean, your awareness holds your thoughts without being touched by them.
Reflection: Thoughts come and go, but you remain vast, steady, unbroken.

Quotes

“You are the sky. Everything else—it’s just the weather.” – Pema Chödrön

“Silence is not empty, it is full of answers.” – Unknown

“In the stillness of the mind, I saw myself as I am—unbound.” – Nisargadatta Maharaj

(Pause in silence, guiding students to feel themselves as the sky holding clouds.)

Topic 2 – The Lantern of Awareness

Metaphor: Awareness is a lantern in a dark room. It does not chase the shadows away; it simply reveals what is already there.
Reflection: When you shine awareness on your inner world, fear softens, and clarity naturally appears.

Quotes

“Awareness is the greatest agent of change.” – Eckhart Tolle

“When the mind is lit, the path becomes visible.” – Buddhist Teaching

“Light itself does not chase the darkness. It simply shines.” – David Scott

(Pause, invite them to imagine their breath as a gentle light inside.)

Topic 3 – The Music Between Notes

Metaphor: Music exists not only in the notes, but in the silence between them. Without the pauses, there is only noise.
Reflection: Meditation reminds us that silence is not absence, but presence. The space between thoughts is alive.

Quotes

“Silence is the language of God, all else is poor translation.” – Rumi

“Between the notes, music is born.” – Unknown

“Learn to be silent. Let your quiet mind listen and absorb.” – Pythagoras

(Pause, inviting them to listen deeply to the “silence between the notes” of their breath.)

Topic 4 – The Mirror of the Moon

Metaphor: The moon reflects the sun’s light without chasing or clinging.
Reflection: In stillness, your heart reflects awareness naturally. There is no need to force peace — it is already present.

Quotes

“The moon does not fight. It does not worry. It simply reflects.” – Buddhist Saying

“Be like the moon, calm and unwavering.” – Unknown

“The light you are seeking has always been within.” – David Scott

(Pause, invite students to imagine themselves reflecting light just as the moon does — effortlessly.)

Topic 5 – Awe as a Doorway

Metaphor: Imagine standing in a canyon carved by time, its walls rising high, painted with centuries of wind and water. You did not create it, yet you are humbled in its presence.
Reflection: Awe opens the heart and dissolves the small self. Even the simplest breath, fully noticed, can feel as sacred as standing in that canyon.

Quotes

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.” – Albert Einstein

“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the whole earth revolves.” – Thích Nhất Hạnh

“Gratitude is the doorway to wonder.” – Unknown

Closing Reflection & Mantra

As we close tonight’s meditation, remember: storms will pass, shadows will shift, but within you there is a vastness untouched, a lantern that always shines, a silence alive with music, a moon that reflects without striving, and a canyon of awe that opens the heart.

Together, softly repeat the mantra:
“I am vast as the sky. Thoughts pass, presence remains.”