Stories for marriage
9 Buddhist wisdom stories for marriage from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- 'Become a monk and I'll cook for you'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: In the early years in Perth, before Sister Vayama came, Thai women married to Australians brought delicious food to the two monks. Some husbands complained, 'My wife never cooks…
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We had complaints in the first years when I was a monk because sometimes we had these Thai ladies married to Australians, and they'd come and bring food to the two monks who were there. This was before Sister Vayama came. And sometimes the Australian men, the husbands, would complain. They'd say, "My wife never cooks anything like that for me! This is unfair!" And the Thai women would say, "You should become a monk. Then I'll cook for you."
- 'I'm marrying your best friend tomorrow'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Dennis, the Buddhist Society's marriage celebrant, came home and told his wife, 'I'm marrying your friend Janice tomorrow.' 'You're married to me — you can't marry my best…
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you know his former wife you know because he's a marriage cbrant you know he went home one day and he said oh I'm marrying your friend uh Janice tomorrow. And his wife said, "You're married to me. You can't be marrying my best friend." He said, "Look, I'm doing her marriage ceremony. I'm marrying your best friend tomorrow. I'm the marriage celebrant.
- Nandivisāla the oxStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A poor farmer, cheated year after year by the village merchant, sits depressed under a tree when his ox, Nandivisāla, nuzzles him with a plan: bet the merchant $10,000 that he…
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a story I hadn't told for years it's a very beautiful story of nandi we saddle the Ox this comes from one of the Buddha's Jataka tales there's lots of stories which the Buddha told know centuries ago some of them are quite boring but some of them had just have a beautiful meaning behind them and this was one of my favorite stories in that collection dandy we silo the Ox there was a very very poor farmer this was set in India so it's all about farmers is a very very poor farmer he had an ox called nan de Sala and he worked so hard trying to make ends meet but being a farmer you know sometimes that the rain ever came sometimes that you know that sir the seed wasn't good enough and more often than not when he did have a good harvest the local merchants in a village just ripped him off you know that's what the merchants were in those days looking after their own profits and just exploiting the people actually supplied the goods of poor farmers so dis after another sort of very difficult year the farmer was quite depressed it is so hard just working his back off trying to make ends meet for his family so he's sitting under a tree becoming depressed and he felt a wet nose on his face there was his ox and his ox said master I can help you what and helps can speak in those days ox is could speak just like in Walt Disney so the RCI can speak now look I've been serving you for such a long time pulling the plow for you and I'm getting tired too and I don't want to spend the rest of my life you know putting the plow to make ends meet I want to sort of retire too and I've got a plan and a plan is this you know I'm a very very strong ox I what I want you to do is that merchant who's been ripping you off for years I want you to go to that merchant and bet him $10,000 $10,000 that not that you're Arc's that's me Andy Masada can pull 100 ox carts all tie together and all full of stones rocks and the farmer said look you can't do that said yes I can and I'm a very very strong I know what I can do now you go and bet $10,000 and if I'm said but I haven't got $10,000 you don't need $10,000 you're going to win it so the farmer he went to that merchant and said I bet you $10,000 the my ox can pull a 100 carts tied together all full of rocks and I Mirta said I don't be stupid no oz can do that my else can $10,000 and the Merton says this these farms are so stupid it's just easy money I know he hasn't got $10,000 but I can these take his land and that's worth quite a bit so he said okay deal and because they needed 100 carts they had to borrow cars from everybody in the village so everybody was out watching to see whether this ox could be so strong and support 100 cars full of stones and once they tired all those carts together and they loaded and full of stones and rocks they tired the big ox to the front cut and the farmer went up there and said right pull those carts and the Ox didn't move kanya stupid ox pull those carts and the ox was stationary he got up a stick and he hit that ox come on pull those carts I'm going to lose everything and the ops couldn't do it everybody started to laugh the farmer started to cry no one could pull such a heavy weight so the farmer was devastated totally destroyed lost everything he sat under the tree and started to weep a few minutes later he felt the wet-nosed in his face why you crying said 90 whistle of the ox because of you you said you could pour 100 carts and you can't OSA 10 no you can't I can then why didn't you because master you shouted at me and then you call me stupid and then you hit me that's no way to treat a friend doesn't matter said the Ox I've got a plan you go back to that virgin and you bet him twenty thousand dollars but I'm nan de Sala can pour those cuts but this time treat me kindly and the father was smart enough to understand so he went back to that merchant I said I bet you twenty thousand and nobody said that's a very stupid farm okay the cars are still there twenty thousand done and they tired the Ox to the first cards and anybody was out watching this stupid farmer and then this time he said dear ox kind ox now if it's not too much trouble for you would you mind just try to pull those little carts a little bit but if it's too much don't bother and then that ox strain every muscle his eyes were like bulging out he pulled and he struggled you know what happened nothing it was too heavy el oscar pull that much so the father said oh look don't worry about it you know just stop here and then the ox tried even harder he pulled and he struggled until the sweat was coming out he know what happened nothing and the the farmer said look stop it you're going to kill yourself it doesn't matter if we're destitute and poor we've got each other and we love each other as well Auguste leave it alone don't try to I don't want to hurt you and because the farmer loved that looked so much that ox pulled every muscle not just in his body but also in his heart and he pulled like no other ox has ever pulled because of the love his master showed him you know what happened Greek when the first excellent and once the first actual moves once he gets started once the friction lessons and all the other cart started to move until in a very short time the first the last cut stood where the first cut had one stood the man one whose bet he had $10,000 which was enough for him and the ox to retire and live happily
- 'Now the drugs are wearing off'Joke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A man coming round from an anaesthetic sees his wife at his bedside: 'My gosh, you are beautiful.' He dozes, opens his eyes again: 'Wife, you're cute.' 'Cute? A few moments ago…
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The story I read recently about the man who just woken up from his operation, just coming out of anaesthetic, and his wife was by his bedside, as you would expect. And the first thing he said when he opened his eyes and looked at his wife and said, "My gosh, you are beautiful." What a wonderful thing to hear from your husband when he just comes out of anaesthetic. And he closes his eyes, and a minute or two later, he opens his eyes second times, and said, "Wife, you're cute." "What would you mean 'cute'? You said I was really beautiful a few moments ago." He said, "Yes, but now the drugs are wearing off."
- 'She gave me the money and sent me'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A man keeps asking his wife if he can go on a weekend meditation retreat; each time there's too much to do — shopping, cleaning, kids' sport, her mother visiting, the shed.…
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There was this guy, good old story. It's years and years ago, we had these weekend retreats; he always wanted to go on a weekend retreat. He told me this story. It's a beautiful story. And when there was a weekend retreat, he said to his wife, "Can I go on the weekend retreat?" "What are you talking about? We got to do the shopping, the cleaning, look after the kids, take them here. Go to the dentist, gotta mow the lawn. There's too much to do." You can understand that. You know, having a family, having a house, there's so much you have to do on weekends. So she said no. But he was very persistent. Any husbands here who wanna go on retreats, this is how it's done. [laughter] He asked next retreat, he asked again, "There's a retreat on, can I go?" "No, of course you can't go! Mother's coming this weekend. The kids need to be taken here and taken there to their sports and there's so much cleaning. You've got to clean up the shed. You promised to do that for weeks." Okay. And he was persistent. This is a trick. Guys. I never been married. But I know all about it, how it works. [laughter] One day he said, "Oh there's another retreat on." I don't know how many times he said this but, "there's a retreat on this weekend. Can I go?" She was so fed up with him. "Ok, you go on your stupid retreat and leave me with the kids on the shopping and the cleaning." He took that as a "yes" and went. [laughter] It's only for the weekend. She was really annoyed at him. But then when he came home, he came home, he was really changed, like soft and kind and lots of loving kindness, and not fault finding and peaceful and very helpful, you know, when you do your little chores in the kitchen. And they learn how to do this and cook that and she was amazed at the change in her husband. Just a weekend and what a most wonderful guy he was to live with. This is absolutely true. The next time there was a retreat, he came on a retreat. "And so, you've got permission from your wife to go on a retreat again?" He said, "No, I didn't have permission to go, she just gave me the money and sent me."
- Something with diamonds in itJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Asked what she wants for Valentine's Day, a wife says, “I need nothing, I've got you.” “Yes, but what do you want?” “Something, anything with diamonds in.” Next day she opens a…
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Like that one of my favorite jokes like the person who asked his his wife, he said, "Valentine's Day tomorrow, darling, what do you want?" And she said, "I need nothing. I've got you." He said, "Yes, but what do you want?" He'd been married long enough to know women. And so she looked at him and said, "Something, anything with diamonds in." So when she opened her present the following day, she found a pack of playing cards. It has 13 diamonds in it.
- The deathbed confessionJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A dying husband confesses to his devoted wife that he hasn't always been a good husband — there was the mistress he never told her about — and yet she was still so kind to him.…
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There was this um husband and uh he was on his deathbed. His wife was just looking after him. And the wife was the husband was saying, "Now darling, you know, I'm about to die soon. So I really should confess. You know, you've been such a wonderful wife to me. But sometimes I haven't been such a good husband to you. Even just you know, the mistress I had. I never told you about her. But you still were so kind to me." And the wife said, "Darling, I know. That's why I poisoned you.
- The three rings of marriageJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Wedding joke: the three rings of marriage are the engagement ring, the wedding ring — and the suffer-ring. Told here with the audience supplying 'suffering' and him correcting it…
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What are the three rings of marriage? You remember that story? The three rings of marriage. First ring of marriage is the engagement ring. Second ring. Dennis knows this one because he used to be the marriage settlement of the Buddhist society. Did this many times. I even remember once when we did a marriage and we just he was just about to declare the husband and wife uh husbands and wives your marriage is complete. Then I had to nudge him. Do you remember that Dennis? When I nudge you said you forgot to exchange the rings. Oh yes thank [laughter] you. But anyway we did that before you actually declared them husband and wife. So thank you Dennis. But anyway, the second ring of marriage is the wedding ring. And what's the third ring of ma marriage? I can't hear you. You say suffering. No, Dennis. Caring. [laughter] I've changed to become more soft in my old age.
- Why the bride wears whiteJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Wedding joke he tells at ceremonies: why does the bride wear white and the groom black? White is the symbol of purity — so now you understand why the groom wears black. Another…
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one of the jokes was now why is it in a marriage that the bride wears white and the groom wears black and the answer is you know this is the answer I've told before it's because why is a symbol of Purity and that's the bride so now you understand why the boy wears black but I heard another another reason why the why the the bride wears white at a at a wedding ceremony and that's because all domestic appliances are white