# The jewelled goblet: his last drink

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-cambridge-goblet-last-drink
- Themes: alcohol, mindfulness, precepts, student life
- Life situations: binge drinking, university culture, peer pressure

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

At an Emmanuel College scholars' dinner in Cambridge, after much port and claret, the students must drain a jewel-encrusted silver heirloom goblet brim-full of claret and give a toast in Latin. He wakes the next morning not knowing how he got to his room, with a pool of vomit next to him on the pillow — he could have choked — and feels terrible for 24 hours while everyone says what a wonderful evening it was. It was the last alcohol he ever took.

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

on one occasion the scholars dinner having drunk so much alcohol already we had to do a toast with this goblet silver goblet encrusted with jewels a cottage heirloom that was Emmanuel College in Cambridge and we had to fill with claret if I can remember properly to the brim we had to drain it drink the whole lot and then say a toast in Latin this was supposed to be an intelligent university I decide this this didn't make any sense to me and the following morning I don't know how I got back to my room but I woke up in the morning with a part of vomit on my pillow right next to me I didn't realize that that could have killed me people choked on that and died and I felt terrible for the next 24 hours everyone was saying what wonderful evening that was that was the last time I took any alcohol in my life

## Teaching point

Mindfulness reveals that drinking makes no sense; wise people discover the precepts for themselves.

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

After draining a jewelled goblet of claret at a Cambridge dinner, he woke beside a pool of vomit, felt dreadful for a day, and heard everyone call it a wonderful evening. It was his last drink. Nobody had to forbid it. When you look honestly at what something does to you, the choice often makes itself.

## Source

- [The Importance of Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 07 Nov 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDoKJJdevvg) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:34:02 to 1:35:13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDoKJJdevvg&t=5642s

Other tellings of this story:

- [How to be Free | Ajahn Brahm | 26 November 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeiRya9-vXc) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:26:27 to 1:29:21: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeiRya9-vXc&t=5187s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 14 January 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2Jdee1LDrw) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:05:27 to 1:08:10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2Jdee1LDrw&t=3927s