Learning to be Silent

Four students agreed to meditate together and to observe seven days of silence.

The first day went by smoothly. During the night, the oil lamps were growing dim.

When a servant came by, one of the students could not help but to say softly,

“Fix the lamps.”

A second student immediately remarked,

“We are not supposed to say even one word!”

A third then interjected, “You two are stupid. You are talking.”

The fourth jumped right in, “I’m the only one who has not talked!”