Stories for second chances
3 Buddhist wisdom stories for second chances from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- Cards from the primary schoolStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Arriving early at Karnet prison farm, Ajahn Brahm is dragged by a prisoner, Nick, to a board covered in cards — and Nick is crying. A primary-school principal, wanting to warn…
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Nick, I remember his name, oh this is, okay I'm gonna go off on a tangent, but this is another emotional story which I really really love. Nick, he came up to me once, because I was at the airport waiting to pick up somebody else, another monk from the airport, and I felt the hand on my shoulder, turned around, it was Nick. I taught him in jail and he looked reasonably, in a really good suit, he said “look I'm doing really well now, thank you so much, I'm still meditating every day Ajahn Brahm! I'm still meditating!” And I always remember Nick because he was inside for dealing drugs. And I also remember this occasion once when I went to teach, arrived five minutes early, he grabbed me and said “come over here” and there was a wall. I was teaching meditation in the education part of the education wing of the prison and on the wall there was this huge number of cards, greeting cards, all to Nick, from little five, little grade five, grade six children: “Nick, thank you for coming to my school
- 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.
- '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.