That morning, on his way back to the hermitage,
the young man stopped at a small shop to ask for some water.

The shopkeeper — an elderly, gentle woman — asked:

“It’s been a long time since the master visited. Is he well?”

The young man was in a hurry, so he answered quickly:

“He doesn’t come down anymore.”

The woman nodded,
but her eyes dimmed with sadness.

The young man didn’t notice.
He bowed and continued walking.

A few steps later, he heard her say to someone inside:

“Maybe the master is upset with me…
that’s why he doesn’t visit anymore.”

The young man stopped.

A single hurried sentence —
not wrong, but lacking presence —
had caused a misunderstanding.

He turned back gently:

“Ma’am… the master hasn’t come because he’s been busy tending the medicinal garden these days.”

Her eyes brightened.

“Oh, I see. I thought…”

The young man bowed and apologized for his careless words.

She smiled kindly:

“It’s alright.
It’s just… words sometimes make people think differently.”

On the way back, her sentence echoed in him:

“Words sometimes make people think differently.”

When he reached the hermitage,
the teacher was sitting under the porch, tying a bundle of herbs.

He looked up.

“What is on your mind?”

The young man recounted what had happened.

The teacher nodded.

“Good.
Today you learned the lesson of meditation in speech.”

 

1. Speech carries the mind

The teacher said:

“Speech is not just sound.

Speech is your mind expressing itself.

· A hurried mind → hurried words
· A clear mind → clear words
· A fearful mind → trembling words
· A proving mind → heavy words
· A loving mind → warm words

Speech never stands alone.
It always carries the speaker.”

The young man remembered his rushed sentence —
it carried his haste.

 

2. Jiddu Krishnamurti: ‘Words are the expression of thought.’

The teacher continued:

“Jiddu Krishnamurti once said:

‘Words are the expression of thought.’

When you speak,
it is not only the mouth speaking.

Thought speaks.
And thought comes from the mind.

If the mind is not present,
speech creates misunderstanding.”

The young man nodded —
he had just experienced that.

 

3. Observe the motive before speaking

The teacher said:

“Before speaking, look at the motive:

· Are you speaking to clarify?
· To protect yourself?
· To prove something?
· To avoid something?
· Or to connect?

When the motive is clear,
speech becomes transparent.”

The young man exhaled —
he realized he had spoken “to get it over with,”
not to understand the other person.

 

4. Speech can heal — or harm

The teacher said:

“A word can open a door.
A word can close a door.

A word can lighten a heart.
A word can burden a heart.

Therefore, meditation in speech is like using fire:

to warm,
not to burn.”

The young man remembered the sadness in the shopkeeper’s eyes —
caused by one unmindful sentence.

 

5. Practice: three breaths before speaking

The teacher placed the herbs down.

“From today, whenever you are about to speak,
pause and take three breaths.

During those breaths, ask:

‘Is this word truly needed?
Does it come from clarity?’

If yes → speak.
If no → let it dissolve like a cloud.”

The young man looked up at the sky —
clouds drifting lightly, leaving no trace.

He understood:

Meditation in speech is not speaking less,
but speaking from presence.