# The actuary they called “Flash”

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-cambridge-friend-nicknamed-flash
- Themes: alcohol, inhibitions, humour, precepts
- Life situations: drinking at parties, peer pressure

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Visiting England, Ajahn Brahm meets a Cambridge friend he hasn't seen for 40 years — now a highly respected actuary, among the top in Europe. He reminds him of his student nickname, Flash: one night at a party he got drunk, went into the toilets and came out with nothing on. 'Better not talk too much about that, Ajahn Brahm.'

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

a couple of years ago I met one of my friends when I was visiting England. He's an old friend from Cambridge days. Now that was about 40 years now. Now he's this highly respected businessman. He's an actuary. An actuary is this mathematical geniuses who work out just the odds of you know falling off a building. It works out the the the probabilities for insurance companies. And he was one of the top if not the top actuary in the whole of Europe. And so when I met him we hadn't seen each other 40 years. A highly successful very sort of good man. And I reminded him of the nickname we had for him at Cambridge which was Flash. And the reason we called him Flash was because one night at one of the parties we had he did get drunk. He went into the toilets and he came out with nothing on. That's why we called him Flash. And he said, "Better not talk too much about that Ajahn Brahm.

## Teaching point

Alcohol removes inhibitions indiscriminately — including the ones worth keeping.

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

Forty years on, a top European actuary still winced at his old Cambridge nickname, Flash, earned by leaving a party bathroom without his clothes. Ajahn Brahm teases him kindly. Drink doesn't choose which inhibitions it removes, and some are worth keeping. Let go of the ones that hold you back; hold on to the ones that look after you.

## Source

- [Sex and Booze | Ajahn Brahm | 01-07-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKQfkUXfx4Y) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 6:54 to 7:55: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKQfkUXfx4Y&t=414s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Secular Mindfulness | Ajahn Brahm | 27 October 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGjXEM1HZ54) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 34:31 to 35:03: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGjXEM1HZ54&t=2071s
- [2022 January (1/19) | 9 day Retreat | Ajahn Brahm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSl9f1_vJNA) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 18:45 to 19:26: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSl9f1_vJNA&t=1125s