Story · Ajahn Brahm

The Biggest Loser

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Understanding Arguments | Ajahn Brahm | 15-04-2011

1 min read

look I admit I'm a loser I've lost so much becoming a Muk I lost all my money I lost my girlfriends I lost all my possessions I lost my motorbike had a really nice motorbike so really in this whole world because now look at me I just sleep on the floor you know I've just got no possessions I've got no super annuation I've got no TV I've got no mobile phone I've got nothing you know in this Australia you know I claim the title is The Biggest Loser because I've let go so much so why is it that people say you're a loser see people said look at me a from you're a loser say yes thank you so much it's wonderful being a loser come and join me

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 44:03 (to 44:49)

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

Call Ajahn Brahm a loser and he'll thank you. He gave up money, girlfriends and a nice motorbike; no phone, no pension, a floor to sleep on. He claims the title of Biggest Loser. Our culture says losing is bad. Letting go turns out to be freedom. The word only stings if you agree with it.

In brief (our summary)

Challenging the slur 'loser', Ajahn Brahm lists what he lost becoming a monk — money, girlfriends, possessions, a nice motorbike — sleeps on the floor with no phone or superannuation, and claims the title of The Biggest Loser. In Buddhism, he says, losing everything is the point; come and join him.

Teaching point

Reframe the insult: letting go can make 'loser' a compliment.

When this story may help

feeling like a failure
fear of others opinions

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Understanding Arguments | Ajahn Brahm | 15-04-2011 · 2011-04-16 · ▶ watch from 44:03 to 44:49 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, words left exactly as captioned. 'Muk' = monk; 'a from' 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

The torn-up degrees his mother taped back together
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The stolen Harley on the wrong level
In brief: An early member owns almost nothing except his prized Harley-Davidson. In a Sydney shopping centre car park he returns to find it gone,…
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I can't pass by this story of one of the people who used to come here in the very early days. The only thing he was ever attached to, the only possession he had was his Harley Davidson, incredibly beautiful motorbike. And those things are worth 50 60 thousand dollars. even more than that. just a bike; it's just worth a huge amount of money. But that was his pride and joy. He just stayed with friends, He just rented houses with people, wore old cloths but he had his Harley. And he told me once, I think he was over in Sydney somewhere, he went shopping and he parked his Harley in the shopping center. Just may be half an hour that's all it took. He went to buy something when he came back to the car park his Harley was gone. someone has stolen it. And he being a Buddhist for a long time. and he thought 'Am I attached to this', can I let it go; someone has stolen it. He wrote to me about this afterwards; and he said he really thought about it ; it is proving what the Buddha kept on telling me what the monks and nuns always said I don't own these things. It's not really mine and he actually let it go. That's what he wrote to me.. he was so proud of himself All these teachings he had been hearing year after year they finally worked. He lost his only possession, the only thing which was really worth anything has been stolen and he could be at peace with it. Ok I let it go, I can live without a Harley And he was so pleased with himself, he could actually do a letting go. Showed him that he wasn't attached. Some karmic forces which is really weird because as soon as he realized he let it go; that he felt the joy that he wasn't attached it was only then he realized he was on the wrong level of the car park. (laughs) You know what it is you have done that sometimes. And of course when he went back to the correct level , there was his Harley Davidson sitting there (laughs) He says it was a beautiful experience for him. It just tested him and now he knew he could enjoy that Harvey Davidson knowing he wasn't attached. Enjoy the extra months and years which he had with his Harley and he knew that when someone eventually stole it or got it crashed or whatever happen he knew he could let it go. He realized yes he can enjoy without being attached.
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The sniffer dog at Perth Airport
In brief: Back from an early trip to Sri Lanka, his robe smelling of spices and curries, Ajahn Brahm queues at Perth Airport passport control. The…
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that actually happened once I love telling this story I was coming back from Sri Lanka this is one of the early trips to Sri Lanka I don't know what's in Sri Lanka but they got so many scents and curries and you know sometimes you spill things on your robe so when I came through Perth Airport and was queuing up to the passport control and they were taking the sniffer dogs up the lines of passengers up and down up and down they go and when they came to me the dogs stopped and honestly buried his nose in my robe and was wagging its tail ferociously and the hand I tried to put it away it wouldn't go poor poor poor and when it was pulled away the person in front of me looked around and took a step further away from me now we're not traveling with this guy and a World Behind also and everyone was looking at me and then it takes in that you've been through Perth Airport it takes forever on these cues and lines and that gave them time to do a second check they came up again and the dog stopped again now everyone was really looking at me now and of course as soon as you got through the passport control come over here sir and they the Customs officer he was so fortunately you know I don't have suitcases just have my bag actually where is it actually I travel this is all I travel with so it's very easy have a look inside it just takes five minutes had a look inside and he said what's under your rope nothing ever Easter Flash because Navy got Zips and stuff it's so hard to actually turn to take off things I didn't have to take off I just open up and show them yeah it'd be good fun being a mark you could just be a bit you know a bit crazy because you're dressed crazy so people sort of expect it so anyway and afterwards you said well well why did the dog stop at you and I just started to explain about loving kindness and compassion and this Castle though I said get out of here get out of here
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The matchbox on the head
In brief: A malnourished young monk in steamy north-east Thailand — sticky rice with a boiled frog, under four and a half hours' sleep, up at 3 a.m.…
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when I became a monk who was in the jungles of Northeast Thailand I was malnourished one meal a day sticky rice I was a vegetarian I sometimes sticky rice and a frog on top that's all we had sweet yeah for a boiled frog no garlic no sauce notice abortive glutinous sticky rice with a fork on top that was all the villagers had in fact they gave us the best Fox it was disgusting but I was malnourished and in the morning we would get up but we only supposed to meditate to sleep for hours and nights I could never get below four and a half so three o'clock in the morning will be up in the hall to meditate steamy jungles I was made in England I was not used to such hot weather such sticky weather malnourished not enough sleep of course I was sleepy so I had the tricks what we tried to do first of all no use effort didn't work so then I tried a matchbox you take the cover off the matchbox you put the tray on your head because it means if you start nodding you see the matchbox fall on the ground you'd hear it only about three or four days I'd overcome my slot and talker I could put the matchbox on my head for one hour meditate in the morning it never fell off at all amazing until one of my monks took me aside and said this is why the matchbox is not falling off you're still sleepy but instead of doing this you're doing this their mind is so sneaky and tricky so after a while I started contemplating look made in England I'm not used to that climate are not enough sleep not enough our food it's natural so I decided to let go when I let go there's not much energy in my mind so you are dull but you knew you adult and little by little just like when the Sun comes up in the morning and it had evaporates all the mists that burns off the mist because I wasn't wasting energy fighting my sleepiness but just letting it be being kind to it opening the door of my heartless my energy started coming back again him my back straightened up my head lifted up naturally and I was peaceful
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The story — as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)