Stories for spiritual pride
4 Buddhist wisdom stories for spiritual pride from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- Form is emptiness — the empty platterJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A hungry wandering Zen monk is sent to a famous restaurant owned by a generous Buddhist woman. She will feed him, but first he must teach some Dhamma so she knows he's a real…
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there was a Zen monk who was wandering from place to place and he hadn't got any arms food for a couple of days he was really hungry and then somebody said well you know we haven't got any further so but you see there's a restaurant over there really famous restaurant and the owner of the restaurant is a very generous Buddhist she'll be able to give you something so he went to the restaurant and he asked to see the owner and the owner said our venerable monk so blessed will you come to my restaurant and as what can I do for you in his a world or a bit hungry said I'll but you have to teach some dumb man before you know I know you're a real monk so he stood up and said form is emptiness emptiness is form Sardis I decided she said sit down and he thought wow I've really my lucky day I'm gonna get a good meal today see how she liked that teaching and so she soon came this big platter huge platter so wonder what's underneath the cover which was keeping it warm and she presented that platter to the monk you don't skip half a days and the month lifting it up there's nothing there form is emptiness emptiness is for monk
- One moment of lust — crash landingStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A jungle monk gains the power to fly; the king forces him to the palace as wise advisor. One morning a gorgeous princess brings food as he comes in to land — one moment of lust…
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There was one of these monks and he was living in the Jungle and living in the jungle meditating in those days, people would be able to feed you no problem at all and he had like perfect solitude, meditating day and night really good monk and of course it just happens after time you get these deep meditations and after deep meditations, sometimes you get these powers and actually he could fly through the air. He would just, every morning Just have a flight, almost like exercise but the trouble was, that somebody saw him. This is why, if any of you get psychic powers, please don't do them in public. cos you can always get into big trouble. Every time. So, somebody saw him and of course, the word gets around and when the word gets around, For example, it not the case if you heard that someone at Dhammasara nun's monastery could fly through the air You'd all go down there and have a look and then you'd be hassling the nuns "come on show us, come on, come on" (laughter) but anyway, this monk, soon the word got to the king and the king said, I always wanted to see a real monk levitating. Would you like to see a real monk levitate? Would you? Of course you would, yes So the king would, but we're not going to do it so forget about it (laughter) But this king, You know, if you're the king you got powers so he sent his army up there you know and said, "the king summons you." He said, I don't want to go to the palace, I'm just a simple monk" He said " this is not a request, you're coming" So you know, he brought him to the place. and the king was a really good Buddhist. He actually built a little 'kuti' , a hut for this monk in the forest in the grounds. He said " Monk, just you know, you can just stay here" not you can, you will stay here and I want to just feed you, make merit make good kamma cos you're obviously a holy monk and to ask questions you know, about Dhamma and also get some advice on running my kingdom cos you're obviously wise you're not in it for the money like all my ministers and politicians you know, you're just wise So, I'll feed you. You live here You can levitate and fly through the air as much as you like and I want you to be like my wise advisor. which made a lot of sense. So the monk consented and the king would feed him really nice food he'd be in this little forest in the palace grounds Just like being in the jungle and every morning he would go for his exercise through the air but one day, as he was coming in to land that morning the person who was bringing him food was one of the princesses cos the king couldn't come himself and she was drop-dead gorgeous a hot chick (laughter) and this monk was just coming in to land and he just saw her, just one moment that's all it took just one moment of lust and he lost his ability to fly
- The celebratory pork curry that ended his enlightenmentStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: After four years as a monk Ajahn Brahm had a great satori and thought he was enlightened. That morning, instead of the usual rotten fish curry, there was rare pork curry from…
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When I had my great Satori experience Four years as a monk and everything became really clear I really thought I was Enlightened You can read the whole story, it's very self deprecating until the food came that morning usually we have rotten fish curry for that morning there was another pot of curry It was actually... sorry if you are vegetarian there was no vegetarian food around in Thailand those days and the other food was like a pork curry from town we never have that that is really rare and straight away I thought the heavenly beings are also celebrating my Enlightenment I thought wow this is great because that's such a rare event and I was number two monk and the head monk a local boy actually from that local village he should have liked the rotten fish curry he grew up on it that was a local dish and he never took any rotten fish curry He took -- incredible big ladles no one could eat that much of the pork curry He sloshed it into his bowl. I wasn't concerned about that because there was plenty left you know of the pork curry but what he did next was absolutely unforgivable he took what was left of the pork curry and he poured it into the rotten fish curry; stirred it up and said it's all the same, it's all the same What a hypocrite, if it was all the same why didn't he pour it in and mix it up before he took his and he spoiled my celebratory meal for being .. Arahant doesn't worry about food. That was ... oh no... I am not fully enlightened after all but I really felt like it for a long time had all the.... no sloth and torpor, incredible energy absolutely imperturbable that was great Shame it didn't last that long So that is what these satoris are And the only way you can find out if it is the real thing if it really persist over years So just one great insight not enough
- The monk with the divine ear sat in Ajahn Chah's chairStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A monk Ajahn Brahm knew in Thailand claimed he could hear people talking about 12 kilometres away; when tested it was true — a 'divine ear'. Pride followed: one day he sat in…
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and just to make things interesting there was one monk I knew when I first went to Thailand who had that power he was tested out when he said he could hear people talking about 12 kilo meters away. when he made that claim we said you are crazy he said, no it is true and when we went to check in it was absolutely true he had what they say in the suttas a divine ear this incredible hearing And the problem what happened with him was he started getting this psychic power, obviously with incredible meditation then he thought he was so highly attained and one day he actually sat in Ajahn Chah's chair and said... Ajahn Chah is nobody I am the real Abbot here And it was an example of the pride and ego which sometimes comes up when you start to attain such things which is one of the reasons why in monastic Buddhism they are suppressed If you do get any psychic powers we don't talk about it that much especially if the person is still alive If they are dead we don't mind