Stories for prejudice
6 Buddhist wisdom stories for prejudice from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- “Get off my feet”Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: From Ram Dass's writings: a young disciple invites him to her father, in constant agony in hospital with no drug that works. The 'redneck' father sees the long-haired guru in…
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There was this guru, when I was a young man, called Ram Dass – you know, this long-haired hippies, you know, went to India, taking lots of drugs and thinking that was spiritual awakening, a weirdo, but he did say some wise things as well. And he went to United States, got a few disciples, ‘cause he was from Harvard apparently. He got a few disciples and one of his lady disciples said: ‘Look, my father is really sick, in constant pain in hospital, can you come and visit him, give him some counselling?’. So he said: ‘Yeah I'll go in’. So he went into one of these hospitals in the United States. And her father was like a redneck, you know, typical United States Caucasian redneck. So when he saw this hippie in his robes and beads coming in, he just: ‘What are you doing, get out of here! I'm not gonna listen to you, you freak!’ And so, you know, he wouldn't take any counselling. So his daughter started talking to her father. And apparently Ram Dass, nothing else to do, decided to give this patient a foot massage. You know, just something nice to do. And he's giving a foot massage, and for the first time in days, all the patient's pain disappeared. The pain vanished, it was like a miracle. And this guy said: ‘Get off my feet, you freak!’ He'd rather have the pain and have his whole worldview and philosophy intact, then get the pain away and having to face that there was many things in his life which he didn't understand. And that was a good example of addiction to pain, rather than giving up your views about what life is and what the reality is or what religion is. That was really quite an interesting story.
- The 'bikie' who came to the retreatStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A huge man with scraggly hair, tattooed all over, turns up at a Jhana Grove retreat. Stereotyping him as a bikie-gang leader, Ajahn Brahm tells him, “Sir, you've got the wrong…
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this guy turned up to one of my Retreats at jro the opposite side of the road to bodana Monastery but this guy was really big really scraggly hair and was covered with tattoos all over his body and as soon as I looked at him my mistake was judging him stereotyping him he looked like the leader of a biky gang not the sort of people who would come for Meditation Retreat so straight away I said sir you've got the wrong place the prison farm is up the road in that direction totally stereotype I was totally wrong he said no I've joined up for the retreat okay fair enough I said well okay all sorts but you know this guy on the outside he really looked just rough the sort of person you'd be afraid to meet in North Bridge on a a Saturday night you know just by yourself really was really mean looking guy but he got the best meditation on that Retreat when he came to the interviews to tell me what he was doing it's incredible the Bliss and the joy and the Deep meditations was getting and he realized this guy had opened himself up and inside was incredible beauty and I was really admiring just his mind in his meditation excellent
- The bikies' funeralStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A young bikie hits a lamp post and dies; his Buddhist mother asks Ajahn Brahm to support her, and he ends up conducting the funeral in Fremantle. The bikies come in leathers and…
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I remember going to a funeral service. I mentioned this because I was at a funeral service over in Freo um last Wednesday and it was for a bikey funeral. You know, it was real bikes. One of their members had hit a lamp post and died. And the m their mother was a Buddhist and invited me to come to the funeral to, you know, support her. In the end, I ended up doing the funeral service. One of the best funerals I've ever done cuz no bikes. They came in all their leathers and chains and whatever else they had on. and all their their girlfriends again came as if they were going to a dance or a nightclub, not a funeral. They're all dressed up. That was their culture. But I looked a bit weird as well to them cuz I was dressed in brown. And I ended up doing the funeral service. But there was so I always remember it because after the funeral service was concluded, they all came up to me, nice service, sir. Thank you for that, sir. They were just so polite. It totally changed my idea of a, you know, bikey just I was on their side that day
- The cult-buster who ran from the Buddha statueStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: In the early North Perth centre, Western Australia's chief 'cult buster' comes to check the Buddhists out; charmed by the very Australian caretaker he decides it can't be a cult…
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I remember one time this man came, he was a Christian, he was the head cult buster in Western Australia. He was checking us out to see whether we were a cult who indoctrinated people and sort of took over their minds. Well, we do indoctrinate people, but we actually free their minds rather than take them over. When he came in he was met by our caretaker who was a very wonderful girl, and so Australian and so charming he thought, "This can't be a cult," until he went into the room and saw the big Buddha statue. He ran out in fear, he was terrified just because it's a simple Buddha statue. Now you can go in the room next door and see that Buddha statue, and all the time which I've seen that, it has never moved, it's never bitten, it's never done anything, it's just sat there.
- The Muslim family at the airportStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: On a teaching tour of Indonesia, Muslims attend his talks and a veiled family rushes to the airport to have him sign the book they loved and take a last photo together.
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Even like Indonesia, my trip to Indonesia, that's where all the Muslim terrorists are, you know all the Bali bombers, they came from over there, but I had such a wonderful time with the Muslims, they came to all my talks, we had photos together, got interviewed and photographed in the Muslim newspapers. Even one Muslim family, they came to the airport, they just caught me in time, said "Oh, Ajahn Brahm, Ajahn Brahm you must sign our book, it's the best book we've ever had." So this whole Muslim family in the veils and everything, me in the middle with the book, having a last photograph taken together. Isn't that wonderful, when people of different religions can have so much fun together.
- The Muslim woman who said 'oh…'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A young woman in hijab asks him to sign her book; she watches him on YouTube. As soon as he signs, she puts her hand over her mouth and blurts 'oh…' — so excited she forgot…
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one young lady come up to have her book signed and totally ruined my expectations of what a Muslim should be because she came out she was younger and in her hijab very devout woman so can you sign my book and I said yeah I can she says she watches me on YouTube great she might be watching me tonight but if you do please excuse me for letting people know this because as soon as so she signed my book as soon as I signed she said no I signed her book I'm tired come on as soon as I signed her book she put her hand over her mouth and said oh he's signing my book it's the first time I've heard a Muslim say oh she was so excited she's forgot herself and so all my expectations of Muslims being different than Australians totally vanished