# The storm that waited for the ceremony

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-bswa-30th-anniversary-storm-held-off
- Themes: fate, prediction, humour, faith
- Life situations: planning an event, facing pressure to give up, superstition

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

For the Buddhist Society of Western Australia's 30th anniversary Vesak ceremony in Perth's Supreme Court Gardens, the biggest storm ever is forecast to hit at exactly ceremony time. The Premier's office rings three times asking if it's cancelled; an old merchant sailor says the barometer is falling; one of his own monks takes him aside and says he's making an idiot of himself. Ajahn Brahm refuses to cancel. Half an hour before the start the rain stops; after the ceremony it pours, flooding the gardens and the freeway. The next day a party-hire firm's CEO emails to ask who this Ajahn Brahm is — and who's going to win the horse racing today.

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

you know that story in one of the books about when we had our 30th anniversary of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia over Supreme Court Gardens and it was supposed to be a storm that night I mean really big storm like a major storm not one of these ordinary storms we have all the time here biggest storm ever to come to Perth right it's supposed to hit exactly the time we're going to have our ceremony and we had remember I'll go quickly this because many of you heard it before Premier Jeff Gallup he was a premier we invited him he was going to come three times his office called me aam there's a big storm coming you can't continue are you cancelling and three times I said no we are not cancelling one of our members he deceased now he said I was a sailor all my life in the merchant Sean I know these things the barometer is falling that parotic pressure is going down it's going to be a big storm I know these things you have to cancel no one of my M my own monks he took me aside and said a Bram look we really love you we respect you but you're making an idiot of yourself please cancel no and those you were there it was like Miracle just about half an hour before we started the ceremony the rain start stopped we did our ceremony full moon day way sack 19 I don't know when it was 2000 or whatever and it stopped it miracle and then after we finished rain came down Supreme Court Gardens flooded 2 Ines of water those of you are there hasn't done that for years Freeway flooded after the big storm but we stopped it and the following day there was a firm here uh I don't mind mentioning this ree hire they do a lot of party hire stuff and the CEO sent an email and said who is this a Bram we don't know who he is but can you please ask him who's going to win the horse racing today I still got that email somewhere

## Teaching point

Told as a joke against itself: people assume monks have powers to predict the future, which Buddhism does not claim.

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

With the biggest storm on record forecast for the moment of the anniversary ceremony, Ajahn Brahm refused to cancel; the rain held off until it was over. A hire firm then emailed to ask him for racing tips. He tells it against himself. Monks don't predict the future, and good luck is no reason to believe they can.

## Source

- [Destiny, fate or free will? | Ajahn Brahm | 22-02-2015](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThfJtP9w3fI) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 4:04 to 6:21: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThfJtP9w3fI&t=244s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Devotion | Ajahn Brahm | 30-07-2010](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IbAy-OuLfo) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 23:47 to 26:36: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IbAy-OuLfo&t=1427s
- [The Middle Way of Wealth | Ajahn Brahm | 26 January 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnYkOjzYQgU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 26:06 to 31:16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnYkOjzYQgU&t=1566s
- [Buddhist Air Conditioning | Ajahn Brahm | 16 December 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh7RvII8zG0) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 54:34 to 58:19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh7RvII8zG0&t=3274s
- [Serving others and giving back | Ajahn Brahm | 13 May 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5aaJfxPLTs) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 29:43 to 34:14: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5aaJfxPLTs&t=1783s
- [New Year's Eve with Ajahn Brahm | 31 December 2022 to 1 January 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB3nvKjdnRU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 30:32 to 31:53: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB3nvKjdnRU&t=1832s
- [The Calm In The Eye Of The Storm - Session 1 | Ajahn Brahm & Venerable Canda | 25 March 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDjwxxMGo6Y) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 6:13 to 11:43: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDjwxxMGo6Y&t=373s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 6 June 2020](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o69b99Y_wwE) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:09:28 to 1:10:57: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o69b99Y_wwE&t=4168s
- [Meditation and Youth | Ajahn Brahm | 20 March 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPJAYGm_jwY) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 45:01 to 46:15: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPJAYGm_jwY&t=2701s