A small child carried a candle through the darkness at night.
The flame was steady and bright, softly illuminating the path before him.
As he walked, he became frightened that the light might go out.
So, wanting to protect it, he placed his hand tightly around the flame.
Immediately the light became dim.
The more he covered it, the less it could shine.
Soon he began stumbling in the darkness and cried out:
“Where has the light gone?”
An old man nearby watched quietly and then said:
“The light has not disappeared.
You are the one covering it.”
Slowly, the child loosened his hand.
At once the flame shone clearly again, lighting everything around him.
Reflection
Awareness is always present.
Like the flame, it does not need to be created, improved, or achieved.
Yet the mind grasps,
fears,
clings,
and covers what already shines naturally.
Then, surrounded by the darkness it helped create, it begins searching outside itself for the light it believes has been lost.
But the light was never absent.
Only covered.
Nothing new is gained.
The covering simply falls away.