Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

I could only see the names of the stars

As told by Ajahn Brahm in 3 Overcoming thinking - Ajahn Brahm

1 min read

The story — as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

when I was at University there was many societies I joined and one was the Astronomical Society always love stuff like that and I had learned the names of the stars and the constellations that you know whether it was a Galaxy or supernova or I knew all those words and when I went to Thailand and I saw the sky at night I couldn't see the Stars anymore all I could see were the names and everyone else was saying how beautiful it was and I couldn't see the beauty all I could see was like little labels next to every Star and it took me years you know I had to do this deliberately to forget the names to an act of it was an act of will so now I can look at the stars at night I don't know which one is which and I can see how beautiful they are

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 20:41 (to 21:41)

A reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

Young Ajahn Brahm learnt every star's name at Cambridge; later, under a Thai sky, he saw only labels. It took years of deliberate forgetting to see their beauty again. Names and thoughts can hide the very thing they describe. Put the labels down for a while and simply look.

In brief (our summary)

In the Cambridge Astronomical Society he learns the names of stars and constellations. In Thailand the night sky is so labelled in his mind that he cannot see its beauty — only little name-tags. It takes years of deliberately forgetting the names before he can enjoy the stars again.

Teaching point

Names and thoughts can hide the thing itself; silence lets beauty show.

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in 3 Overcoming thinking - Ajahn Brahm · 2014-05-10 · ▶ watch from 20:41 to 21:41 · BSWA Retreats 2011-15 & Media

5 other tellings of this story

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, words left exactly as captioned.

The narrative is Ajahn Brahm's own telling, quoted from the talk captions. The summary and reflection are Being Mindful Stories's editorial notes. Please credit the teacher and link the original talk. Markdown version

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