# Teaching 650 schoolchildren to meditate

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-650-children-meditate
- Themes: fear, meditation, teaching, courage
- Life situations: teaching or presenting to a group, trying something bold, introducing meditation to children

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

As a young maths teacher, Ajahn Brahm uses a week of school assemblies to teach 650 high-school children to watch the breath; they all do it and spontaneously applaud after five minutes. Only when a teacher asks what he'd have done if one child had giggled does he break into a sweat.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

But, I had to take the school assembly, there were 650 children, high school, and I decided to take the school assembly for one week, and teach 650 children how to meditate. The first lesson was just meditation on the breath, and those 650 children, when I said "sit up straight," all the children sat up straight. When I said "close your eyes," they all closed their eyes. When I said "let go of the past and future, watch the present moment and watch your breath," 650 children just were watching their breath. After 5 minutes they spontaneously clapped. The teachers afterwards asked me, "What would you have done if one child hadn't cooperated," and I broke out into a sweat. Because all it needed is one child to start giggling or laughing and it would've broken the spell

## Teaching point

Fearlessness lets you attempt things that work precisely because you didn't freeze over what might go wrong.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

A young maths teacher led 650 teenagers into five minutes of silent breathing, and they applauded. Only later, asked what he'd have done if one child had giggled, did he break into a sweat. Sometimes not rehearsing every way it could fail is what lets a thing succeed. When you try something bold, leave the giggling child out of your imagination.

## Source

- [The Attitude Of Fearlessness | Ajahn Brahm | 21-11-2008](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj2H1sDwG-o) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 4:45 to 5:43: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj2H1sDwG-o&t=285s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Having a Good Relationship with Life | Ajahn Brahm | 9 October 2020](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_3C-49o_78) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 16:05 to 18:57: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_3C-49o_78&t=965s
- [Dealing with Fear | Ajahn Brahm | 25 Nov 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymIPqrdbNz8) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 12:30 to 16:48: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymIPqrdbNz8&t=750s
- [The Nature of Suffering | Ajahn Brahm | 10 February 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwvMmZICc1Y) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 37:56 to 39:14: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwvMmZICc1Y&t=2276s
- [Winning and Losing | Ajahn Brahm | 02-07-2010](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo7fnJ4DYLk) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 22:22 to 22:36: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo7fnJ4DYLk&t=1342s
- [Kamma in Buddhism | Ajahn Brahm | 19 July 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWS4doOX25I) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 34:02 to 34:41: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWS4doOX25I&t=2042s
- [Wholesome Family Relationships | Ajahn Brahm | 9 February 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0Yy2sz47iY) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 59:04 to 59:48: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0Yy2sz47iY&t=3544s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 28 April 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Wh_1IheXao) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:09:17 to 1:10:57: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Wh_1IheXao&t=4157s
- [Ajahn Brahm's 73rd Birthday - Fundraising for Bodhinyana Great Southern, Albany | 11 August 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHRtrs72-4w) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:42:57 to 1:43:38: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHRtrs72-4w&t=6177s