# A Buddhist footy team would always lose

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Joke
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-buddhist-footy-team-always-lose
- Themes: humour, compassion, sport, AFL
- Life situations: competitive culture, religious rivalry banter

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

He once imagined a Buddhist footy team vs Christians/Jews/Muslims — but Buddhist principles would mean giving the ball away out of compassion and deliberately missing goals so as not to disappoint the opposition, so the team would always lose (and maybe that is why Fremantle has too many Buddhists).

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

I once thought of actually starting a soccer team well no footy team know a Buddhist footy team and we know we could play the Christians you know just but you know as soon I decided that wouldn't work cuz I started to think about it you know if you started a Buddhist footy team and you played the Christians or you played the Jews or the Muslims or whatever we'd have to play by Buddhist principles first of all let him go if the other two wanted the ball here take it take it compassion cuz you know if the Buddhist team scored a goal that would really disappoint the opposition so you on purpose you'd kick it so you know it missed the posts out of kindness compassion so if we did have a Buddhist team it would always lose

## Teaching point

Compassion as a scoreboard strategy is a joke that still names the real priority.

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

A Buddhist football team, Ajahn Brahm jokes, would always lose, handing over the ball out of compassion and missing goals to spare the opponents. Then the truth: as a student he coached children with Down syndrome every Thursday. They sensed his heartbreaks and hugged him. They taught him more about the heart than Nobel laureates ever did.

## Source

- [Understanding suicide | Ajahn Brahm | 06-02-2015](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqPCMJH5Emk) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 30:19 to 31:18: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqPCMJH5Emk&t=1819s