# Ajahn Liem: easy to train

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-ajahn-liem-monks-easy-to-train
- Themes: control, acceptance, teaching, leadership
- Life situations: managing people, parenting, leading a team

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Abbots in the Thai forest tradition greet each other: “How are your monks — are they easy to train?” Visiting Ajahn Liem, Ajahn Chah's successor, Ajahn Brahm asks, and Ajahn Liem nonchalantly says they're no problem at all. His trick? “If they want to go this way, I let them go this way. If they want to go that way, I let them go that way.”

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

a few years ago I went to see the man the monk who took over from aan cha a man called aan Liam very good Monk and I asked him one day when I was visiting Thailand I said how are your monks are they easy to train and he said oh they're just no problem at all to train and the way he said it was such nonchalance I said well what's your trick how do you train your monks when they're so easy to train so very easy if they want to go this way let them go that way if they want to go that way I let them go that way it's so easy to try

## Teaching point

Encourage without controlling; drop expectations of others.

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

Asked if his monks were hard to train, Ajahn Liem said no: if they want to go this way, he lets them; if that way, that way. It sounds lazy, but he was a powerful teacher. Encourage people without trying to steer every step. Children, staff and partners grow better with room than with control.

## Source

- [Does Life Suck? | Ajahn Brahm | 1-05-2009](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSIEN0pZkxE) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 22:53 to 23:29: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSIEN0pZkxE&t=1373s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Facing Difficult Situations in Life | Ajahn Brahm | 6 October 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yy0k6zefVM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 38:19 to 39:20: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yy0k6zefVM&t=2299s
- [Importance of Pausing and Reflecting | Ajahn Brahm | 31 December 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yifAjwBk1aA) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 50:47 to 51:16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yifAjwBk1aA&t=3047s