# Declining Amnesty International's dinner

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Joke
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-amnesty-dinner-torture
- Themes: humour, contentment, monastic rules
- Life situations: temptation, restrictions, contentment

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Invited by Amnesty International to speak at a dinner for an anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Ajahn Brahm declines: a monk can't eat in the evening, so he'd sit before an empty plate watching everyone eat delicious food — torture. Amnesty of all people should be embarrassed to contemplate torturing a monk, “you bunch of hypocrites.”

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

a few years ago there was I think the 25th anniversary of the international Declaration of Human Rights and Amnesty International invited me to the dinner to give a speech I had to decline I said to them your Amnesty International of all people you should never invite a monk to dinner cuz if I came I'd have to sit down in front of an empty plate we're not allowed to eat in the evening I'd have to look at all the delicious food you guys are eating and I can't taste any of any of it that's as you would understand Amnesty International that's torture for a month and you should be embarrassed even contemplating torturing a monk you bunch of hypocrites so that's how I declined

## Teaching point

(Told with his luxury-resort 'torture' to show a monk learns to be happy wherever he is.)

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

Ajahn Brahm turned down a human-rights dinner by teasing the organisers: making a monk who can't eat after noon watch everyone feast would be torture. Behind the joke is a real skill. He can sit happily beside a jacuzzi he won't use or in an airport queue. Learning to be content right here makes waiting, and the good times, far easier.

## Source

- [On Patience | Ajahn Brahm | 26-06-2009](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl0Lyxi8nbQ) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 32:37 to 33:33: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl0Lyxi8nbQ&t=1957s