# Ajahn Chah: you're leaving in two hours

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-ajahn-chah-sent-in-two-hours
- Themes: unexpected, teacher, monastic life, fear
- Life situations: sudden change, relocation

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Training under Ajahn Chah, a peaceful monastery stay could end with him saying you are going to another monastery — not next week, in two hours — with no chance to prepare.

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

I was brought up like that by my teacher ajanta you know you never knew what he was going to do next you never knew where you're going to stay next I was telling this to the monks you'd be happy in a monastery just meditating nice and peaceful and then agent child my teacher would this is how we were trying to come up to you and say oh you're going to the other part of time I'm sending you to another Monastery I'll say well next week no two hours and before I knew it I was in another Monastery the other side of Thailand it had no possibility of preparing yourself you had to be totally open to anything happening totally prepared for the unexpected

## Teaching point

Resilience is learning to meet the unexpected without collapsing.

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

Ajahn Chah would tell a monk he was moving monasteries, not next week but in two hours, across Thailand. No preparation possible. That training taught Ajahn Brahm to be open to anything. Life is unpredictable and death can come at any time. Accept that, and every moment feels more alive.

## Source

- [Life Is A Series Of Unexpected Events | Ajahn Brahm | 3 March 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B30aqzhP5mc) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 22:06 to 22:56: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B30aqzhP5mc&t=1326s