Stories for judging others
8 Buddhist wisdom stories for judging others from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- Angulimala: 'I have stopped. You stop.'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Angulimala, a serial killer in the Buddha's time (some say 999 victims, more likely 99), ran after the Buddha to kill him, but however fast he ran he couldn't catch up. He…
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One who stands out was Angulimala. He killed Some people say 999. That seems a little bit much, but probably 99 human beings. A serial killer. Eventually, the Buddha converted him. Interesting what happened there. I often tell this in retreats. The Uh Angulimala was actually running after the Buddha trying to kill him. And no matter how fast Angulimala ran, the Buddha used some psychic power so the Angulimala couldn't catch him. So this Angulimala, the serial killer, shouted out to the Buddha, "Stop! Stop!" And the Buddha turned around and said, "I've already stopped. You stop." It wasn't just stopping running. It was stopping the way the mind just tries to do things, judge things, change things, improve things. Stop. And that was such a powerful, unexpected command by the Buddha. Angulimala did that. He stopped. He became a monk. And stopped all those what we call defilements, became fully enlightened by stopping.
- The 'scatty' monk emptied his wallet at the refugee campStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Proud young Brahm criticises a Thai monk for carrying money; the monk shares breakfast, takes him to a Lao refugee camp after the Vietnam War, and empties his wallet for the poor.
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scatty wag monk he has money he shouldn't have money he should be strict like I was because I was a very proud monk in those days and sometimes Pride leads to arrogance and because you're arrogant you tend to criticize others not really understanding what they're doing or why they're doing but then he was just so kind to me he sort of shared his breakfast with me and then he said you want to come to the refugee camp cuz this was just after the time of the Vietnam War and there was many laian refugees just close to his Temple and so I went there to visit and sure he had a wallet and it was full of cash but he literally turned it upside down and emptied it and just gave it to the the poor refu
- The cow that criedStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: After a meditation talk at Karnet Prison Farm, a prisoner — a murderer, born in Northern Ireland — asks to see Ajahn Brahm. His prison job is slaughtering animals; they always…
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there was a prisoner over there who came to see me after I gave a a a talk on meditation. He wanted a private interview because he was very upset that he was a slaughterer in that prison, and he was about to slaughter a cow. All the cows would be screaming and hollering and trying to escape, but one cow came in which didn't quiet which didn't quiet at all, which came in I I'm going to tell the story now. I've already started. Of all the cows and the sheep and other animals which this guy had to slaughter, that was his job in Carnat Prison Farm. He was a prisoner. He was a murderer, actually, he told me. And now he got this job of killing cows and sheep, the slaughterer. He said, "All the animals who came in would always cry and struggle to escape. They needed dogs and these electric shock cattle prods to force them into the enclosure into the place where the executioner stood with his electric bolt gun. And he said that every animal would always scream and try and escape. He said on this one day this cow came in without making any noise, head down, and just walked one foot after another slowly and positioned itself voluntarily to stand underneath the platform where its executioner stood. And this cow this cow then lifted its head and looked this prisoner in the eye. Straight eye contact. This was so weird, so unusual, that this man, who was born in Northern Ireland, he told me that he was stabbed when he was 7 years of age. That was his first stabbing. When the school bully came up to him and asked for the money he had for his lunch. He said, "No." And the school bully took out a knife. "Give me your lunch money." He said no a second time. The bully never asked a third time, but plunged the knife into this boy's arm. He was badly wounded with blood streaming down his arm. His first thought was to run to his home, which was just around the corner, where his father was unemployed. He ran into his house, screamed to his father, "I've been stabbed! I've been stabbed!" His father looked at the wound and took him into the kitchen, but not to dress his wound, but to take out another knife from the kitchen drawer, give it to his 7-year-old son, and ordered the son, "Go back into the school and stab the boy back." And he said that was how he was brought up. And that's why he'd been in prison many times. And he confessed to me that he'd killed people. He was a murderer. And now he was killing cows. When you find out where these people come from, their upbringing, sometimes your view of these people as bad people just disappears. Your whole perception of them changes. You think about them in a different way. But anyway, with the cow, as this cow got eye contact with this prisoner, the prisoner couldn't move. He was frozen. He'd never seen such a thing before. He couldn't pull the gun to execute the cow. He didn't know how many minutes passed by, but then something very strange happened. He noticed in the left eye of the cow, just above the lower eyelid, there was liquid welling up, getting more and more and more. And you all know how big cows' eyes are. The water got so much above the left eyelid, bottom eyelid of the cow, that it started to drip over the edge and down the cow's cheek. The cow was crying. He got so confused. Soon he noticed the same was happening in the other eye. On the lower eyelid of the right eye, there was more water coming until that too was far too much for the eyelid to hold. And that too started to stream over the right eyelid and down the cow's cheek. The cow was crying. He swore, threw down the gun, and told and said, "That cow ain't dying." When he came to see me, he said he was now a vegetarian. Here's a murderer who is now a vegetarian cuz he saw a cow cry.
- The magistrate who spent weeks in jailStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: As someone told Ajahn Brahm (details half-remembered), an Australian magistrate spent three or four weeks in jail — possibly innocent — and said it was the best thing for her…
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there was one magistrate in Australia who went to jail for only for about 3 or 4 weeks. I forget what the crime was. I think she was innocent, but you know, she went to jail anyway. And she said that was the best thing that ever happened to her in her role as a magistrate because once she had experience firsthand of going in those cells with those iron doors closing and being in prison to actually feel it and experience it as a real person in prison, then that totally changed her attitude to her sentencing cuz she knew what she was doing when she sent someone into prison. whether it was for know 4 months or 40 years she knew what it was like
- The noisy breather on the Sydney retreatStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: On a nine-day retreat in Sydney one man breathes so loudly that a meditator complains. Ajahn Brahm explains he has a terminal tumour blocking both nostrils and has come as a last…
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At meditation retreats I always remember this one man when I was teaching a Meditation Retreat in Sydney many years ago and a 9-day retreat. You know that people are supposed to be quiet when they are meditating but this man (Ajahn breathing noisily) He was breathing so heavily through every meditation sitting so much so that someone came up to me to complain Can you please tell this person to keep quiet. I am trying to meditate. He had a tumor in his nasal passages blocking both nostrils. It was terminal; the doctor had given up surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy So the doctors have abandoned him and he came to the meditation retreat as a last resort So when I told all the meditators that, they felt very embarrassed and guilty that they were complaining about somebody who got only few weeks to live. He told me that; on the last day of the retreat (Ajahn making the sound) breathing loudly again but not thinking being silent; he had a 'pop' He said he could breath again. That's what he said 'a pop' as his nasal passage cleared but only for about 5 or 10 minutes then it closed again. That was an amazing thing which happened I thought that meditation was working but he left it a bit too late. I never thought he would survive. Few years later teaching meditation in Sydney, this guy came up to me 'do you remember me?' I said 'of course I don't remember, who are you? ' As a monk I am honest He was that man. He cared with his meditation and his nose had cleared and now he was going around teaching people how to be peaceful, how to be silent. because his cancer had got into regression even though he should have been dead years ago.
- The retreat cook on work releaseStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Without a cook for a nine-day retreat at Jhana Grove, Ajahn Brahm finds Carl, a brilliant cook who does everything alone. At the closing thanks he has gone — back to the prison…
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We were teaching a retreat many years ago and we couldn't find a we couldn't find a uh a cook for the retreat. So I managed to to grab this guy to do the the cooking for us. And he was brilliant cook. He did it all by himself and he did a wonderful job. And at the end of the retreat when we start to thank people, he disappeared. He'd gone. They said, "Where's Carl? We want to say say thank you to him." And so he's back in kind of prison farm now. He was on work release. And I told people then that Carl was in prison for multiple rape. And straight away people said, "I jump on. You mean you let a multiple rapist come and cook for us for 9 days? Isn't that dangerous? I said, "No, look, I know him. He wouldn't hurt the fly. He never did. He did those crimes when he was uh young and involved in drugs. He wouldn't do anything now. He never did. But the main purpose of not telling them first of all and telling at the very end was to say just how How unfairly do we judge people? He's changed. He's uh paid for his crimes. Maybe not paid. I'm not sure. But he's certainly just leaving him in jail to rot is not going to help anybody. But let him come out. He's I think he's Where is he working now? He's got married to a nice uh girl now. And I think he's working. He's in the northern suburbs somewhere. Osman Park. No, not Osman Park, but somewhere around that area. Really nice guy.
- The woman who fell asleep in the meditation hallStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: During Friday meditation a woman lies down, points her feet at the Buddha, falls asleep and snores — breaking every rule of etiquette — and neighbours wake her. Ajahn Brahm…
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I remember some years ago, somebody was just over there and they fell asleep during my talk and started snoring, really snoring loudly, and somebody woke them up. And I told them off afterwards, you shouldn't wake them up like that. We found out afterwards they were having horrendous domestic violence. And they came here, and they felt safe in this room. They felt so safe, they hadn't slept don't know how many days you can imagine with domestic violence, even if it's not happening to you right now the memory of that makes you so tense. You can't get a good night's sleep and they came here they felt so safe. It was the first time they've slept in I don't know how long. And I said, "let them sleep". If anyone snores here during one of my talks well done, let them sleep. You don't know where they've come from. At least they realize this feels a peaceful place and they're protected. They don't feel fear. That's actually why they slept.
- 'Whatever you're doing, come and do it again'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Years ago a senior prison officer at the Canning Vale jail phones Ajahn Brahm insisting he come back to teach himself, not send other monks. Why? In his whole career, he says, he…
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I remember just uh getting this phone call years ago from one of the prison officers in the jail in Canning Veil. I think that's Hake. I'm not quite sure. They keep changing the names of the prisons. But anyway, in that prison over there, there was one of the prison senior prison officers and they really they wanted they made sure they wanted to talk to me. And I said, "Why?" He said, "We want you to come back to our prison to teach your meditation or whatever you're teaching over there." I said, "Look, I'm really busy these days. Got so many other duties. I usually send other monks to actually to go there." And he said, "No, we want you." I said, "Why?" He said, "Because something has happened. I've been in this prison service all my life." He said, "And I've noticed that every prisoner who comes to your class, everyone once they're released from jail never comes back again. Zero recidivism." I thought, "That's impossible." Said, "What have I been doing?" He said, "I don't know what you've been doing, but come and do it again, please.