# “What day of the week is it?”

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-ambulance-what-day-is-it
- Themes: simplicity, time, monastic life, humour
- Life situations: culture shock, adapting to modern life

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

As a forest monk he lived without calendars or clocks and sometimes didn't know the month or year. In the first months in Perth, at the small house in North Perth, a visiting Nepalese man has an epileptic fit; the ambulance officer's first question is 'what day of the week is it?' Realising he'd be taken away if asked, he resolves always to know the day.

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

but then the first few months when i came to perth we were staying in a small house in north perth you know lynn knows that she was there at the time and even erica you know you went there there was she's around here somewhere and uh there was a nepalese man who came to visit he had a um you know buddhist background and he had an epileptic epileptic fit just in front of the house so he called the ambulance and then uh first thing the ambulance guy said to him is what day of the week is it and why do you ask that so what if you don't know what day of the week it is they take you away straight away so oh my goodness if you ask me i'd be in big trouble so from that time on i realized i better always at least know what day of the week is

## Teaching point

(Humorous contrast between timeless forest life and modern society.)

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

A forest monk who sometimes didn't know the year learned in Perth that an ambulance officer's first question is what day it is. Fail that, and they take you away, so he resolved always to know. He laughs at how poorly monks fit modern life. Still, there is real freedom in times when the clock doesn't rule you.

## Source

- [Facing Difficult Situations in Life | Ajahn Brahm | 6 October 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yy0k6zefVM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 19:08 to 20:07: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yy0k6zefVM&t=1148s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Happiness and Wanting | Ajahn Brahm | 24 February 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taAa3uWPm2o) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 49:59 to 50:52: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taAa3uWPm2o&t=2999s
- [Buddhist Air Conditioning | Ajahn Brahm | 16 December 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh7RvII8zG0) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 21:31 to 22:12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh7RvII8zG0&t=1291s
- [Buddhism & Autonomy | Ajahn Brahm | 28-01-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cayVaYJK9ww) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 39:34 to 39:46: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cayVaYJK9ww&t=2374s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 27 April 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osdeHD3c5nc) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:10:41 to 1:11:22: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osdeHD3c5nc&t=4241s
- [Friday Night Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 3 June 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDZDkSKViyA) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 0:17 to 1:10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDZDkSKViyA&t=17s
- [Menghadapi Situasi yang Sulit Dalam Hidup | Ajahn Brahm | 6 October 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCOm9Cy50Cc) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 19:23 to 19:59: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCOm9Cy50Cc&t=1163s