Stories for choosing a path
4 Buddhist wisdom stories for choosing a path from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- 'I would'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Asked in Q&A what he's been most afraid of: at a friend's wedding reception while at Cambridge, the 19- or 20-year-old lads joke about who'll marry next. Pointing at his friend…
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I was still a lay person at the time. I think some of you heard the story before that uh still yeah still at uh college at Cambridge and still just uh you know messing around in the world but you know just I was pretty much committed to being a Buddhist and maybe in the future being a monk. And then it was one of my friends was getting married. So, you know, we just all went to the the marriage and after the marriage ceremony, we're at the reception just all dressed in nice actually dressed in nice suits. Actually did wear a suit. I think I only wor once or twice anyway. I was not really into suits, but anyway, that uh and they were just, you know, messing around about 19 or 20 year olds. And then somebody asked who's going to be next and then we just pointed to one of my friends still a I know him really well. His name is Jeff. Jeff Perry his name was. If he's listened to this I'm sorry but this happened. He's a good mate. And so they said oh Jeff he'll probably be next. And then know all the the guys said ah no one will marry him. Yeah it's guys being guys. Okay. And just and then they pointed at me. You know, my lane name was Peter. Said, "Oh, Peter, he'll probably be next." And I got the same response. I know I would marry that man, Peter. But you know what happened next? There was this little girl, you know, she was standing right next to me and she whispered into my ear, I would. And I think that's the most scary moment in my life so far. I was terrified. I moved far away as possible and made sure for the rest of the night the next week I wasn't close to her. I don't know. It was really unfair. But, you know, I was only 19y old, 20-y old kid, you know, young man growing up. But that really terrified me. So, I think that was the most scared I've ever been.
- Lost in the mist: follow the streamStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: As a student in the far north of Scotland, the youth-hostel warden sends him up a second mountain alone. At the summit Atlantic clouds roll in within minutes; he can't see his…
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when I was a student I used to spend a lot of vacations up in the Highlands of Scotland I would take a tent and go in solitude for a few days it was maybe a natural monk so on one occasion I was staying at a youth hostel in the far north of Scotland in the mountains and the warden of the youth hostel beautiful day today let's go to a walk up on top of the mountain so we went together that three or four hours we got to the top again a wonderful sunny day in Scotland there was another man who'd it's going to the top of that mountain as well and the warden said no you go by yourself he was a local man he should not have allowed me to go by myself in the wilderness you don't go alone because this is what happened as I got to the summit of the second mountain the clouds came in from the the ocean the Atlantic Ocean and they came in so fast there's a clear sunny day one minute ten minutes later the clouds have come down and I was enveloped in the mist I couldn't even see the hand in front of me I thought I had a sense of direction so I turned around and decided to walk down the mountain again and I came bitter within one step that distance it was a vertical cliff if I hadn't been mindful I wouldn't be here that really scared me this was dangerous I could not see where I was going I was lost with no sense of direction so I stood and thought considered solution to the problem basic science find a stream even a little book because water always flows downhill so I found a little book followed it another little rivulet came into it got bigger and big when I followed it down and down whichever way at me ended I'd follow it follow it with it asleep until it got so low down I was underneath the mist and I could see my directions and that's how I got back a long time later to the youth roster
- The hermit of the NullarborStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Ajahn Brahm's monk's fantasy: living as a hermit in a deep Nullarbor cave with water beneath. Then he imagines what would follow — someone finds him, Channel 9 comes for a…
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I always had these fantasies like going in deep caves. This was my fantasy. Coz when I first came over here I heard there’s some brilliant caves in Nullarbor. And they’ve got water underneath as well. So you’ve got your water, you’ve got seclusion. And I felt sure I can get someone to give me some food somewhere. And I thought I would become like the hermit of Nullarbor. That’s my fantasy. This is what monks dream of. They don’t dream of winning the lottery or finding a beautiful girl. They dream of being a nice hermit in a deep cave in Nullarbor. But then I started fantasizing further: what would happen next? Imagine, if you were like a monk and you’re staying in a deep cave in Nullarbor, sooner or later somebody will find you. And the soonest they find you, they will tell Channel 9. (laughter) And Channel 9 will go out there with their reporters to do like a human interest story about the hermit of the Nullarbor. “And why did you run away? Was it because of a broken heart? (laughter from the audience) Was it because… was it because your business went pear-shaped? Or because some other reason why you just didn’t like the world anymore? Because the Eagles kept on losing, was that the reason why you why you went to be a hermit?” (Ajahn laughing) And then they do an interview, and of course it would go on the TV and of course as soon as the TV would go there and they tell you that there’s a hermit at their Nullarbor, and of course all these tourists will start to come and visit you on the way across the Nullarbor Plain they make a diversion to go and see the hermit of the Nullarbor. Coz that’s very rare to see like a hermit. And so I’ve got all those tour busses coming to see the hermit of the Nullarbor. And then soon they would have to have toilets outside my cave and a little gift shop which has devontiontees. And before long you get those little dolls like the hermit of the Nullarbor with a shaky head. (audience laughing) And so you’d be a tourist attraction. Just like everything else. And that’s what happens with the hermit of the Nullarbor
- The retreat that ended a romanceStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: As a Cambridge student with a lovely girlfriend (not a Buddhist), Ajahn Brahm asks her permission to go on a meditation retreat; she says go. On one meditation it goes so deep it…
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I still remember the time when I had a very wonderful relationship with my girlfriend at the time and then I asked her permission. Actually I asked her so there's a retreat on a meditation retreat. I was a Buddhist at the time and she said yeah please go off have a nice retreat. She wasn't a Buddhist she wasn't interested in that but nevertheless I went there by myself and meditated. What is meditating? Just what I said, just sitting down, letting go of everything, relaxing your body, being happy to be here. And just on one of those meditations, it got so incredibly deep. That was some of the biggest happiness I've ever experienced in my life. Bliss. Many of you may have heard about um hermits or religious people who are getting into these incredible bliss states and what's it like? And of course, just as they say, just so much joy, so much peace, so much love, so much happiness and freedom from everything else. And once you can taste that type of freedom from suffering, otherwise known as bliss, I feel sorry now for that girlfriend. That was the end of that relationship.