Enlightenment by teatime

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• A retreat at Disney

  In brief: Ajahn Brahm taught a 'Kindfulness' meditation retreat in the Disney hotel in Hong Kong. The first night they meditated in the Sleeping…

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  After leaving Korea I went to Hong Kong to do a meditation retreat. You know where we held the Meditation Retreat in Hong Kong last week-end? In Disney World! I taught a meditation retreat in Disney World, Hong Kong. That's the sort of crazy stuff which I love. So the first night we had the meditation, because it's a Disney World Hotel; they brand, so the first night we had the meditation in the Sleeping Beauty Room! (laughter from the audience) which is not a good place to meditate everyone was falling asleep and nodding. (Ajahn laughs) Sloth and torpor. So we moved to the Snow White Room that was much better. Snow White room was a much better place to meditate because Snow White .. purity, virtue and goodness, kindness. But all the interviews ... when we have a retreat we give personal interviews about their meditation. They chose the interview room to be ... because I was sitting there all the time people coming in to ask their questions when they go out someone else would come in. That was in the Prince Charming Room! (audience laughing) So I sat so many hours in the Prince Charming Room, I thought that was very sweet, and appropriate!

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• How the donkey caught the carrot

  In brief: A stubborn donkey is driven by a carrot dangling on a string from a stick tied to its own back — always two feet ahead however fast it…

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  It's a story, one of my favourite stories of the donkey and the carrot. Those of you who know the story because you've been on the retreats, it's also in the book of "Mindfulness, Bliss and Beyond." You know that donkeys are very stubborn animals, that's why they say in English - as stubborn as a donkey. You hit them with a stick, they won't move. So the only way you get donkeys to move, is you tie the stick to their back, so the front of the stick is about 2 feet, in front of the donkey's head, at the end of the stick you put a string, on the end of the string, a carrot. So there's this donkey, seeing this carrot 2 foot in front of it , craving is what drives the donkey, not fear of punishment. So there the donkey moves forward to try and get the carrot but because this carrot is on the end of the stick, and the stick is tied to the donkey, it doesn't matter how fast the donkey moves forward, the carrot goes at the same speed so it's always 2 foot in front of the donkey's head. But it's stupid enough to think, well, if I run a bit faster I might catch that carrot. You understand the simile - that's called your life [laughter] chasing a carrot. Do you ever get it? Now it's always 2 foot in front, you almost get it, sometimes, just perfection you know, happiness, even deep meditation, it's almost there, and you just go a bit further, and it goes further away from you. But many donkeys have actually heard my talks on YouTube. [laughter] And they now know how to catch the carrot! How to find meaning in life. You know how you do that? The donkey's already been running really fast, and the donkey hears the word, "stop", stop chasing that carrot, "stop" so the donkey stops. You know what happens when you stop? The carrot moves further away than its ever been before. If you've got patience and trust and faith, you've heard Ajahn Brahm, you actually believe he may be on to something, so you stop. And as soon as it's 4 foot away from you, twice as far as it's ever been you get a little bit of doubt, is this going to happen, is it true? But then something amazing happens, the carrot starts coming towards you. And soon it's in its normal position, 2 foot in front of your mouth, but now it's coming at great speed [laughter] towards you, you don't have to do anything, you just sit there, And just at the right moment, you remember the most important phrase, "The door of my mouth is now open to you, carrot" [laughter] And the carrot gets into your own mouth!

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• The moon in a still lake

  In brief: Simile (on a full-moon retreat night): if there are waves or ripples on a lake you can't see a perfect image of the moon and stars; when…

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  the simile I usually give is a simile of a lake if there's waves on the surface of the lake you can never get a a clear reflection of the stars and the full moon and if you look up the sky this evening and tomorrow the the moon is full it's a very beautiful time to start meditating and if you go to one of the the Lakes the lake down the bottom and you look at the image of that Moon if there are waves or ripples in that Lake you can't see a perfect image but you can imagine when that lake is perfectly still when there's not even one Ripple moving across the surface of the lake you get a perfect reflection of the moon and the stars and that's just like the mind to be able to reflect reality to see things as they truly are without Distortion we got to use a mind which is perfectly still so there's not even a ripple on the surface of that mind

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• 'Pass this, and then you'll be happy'

  In brief: As a boy Ajahn Brahm gave up soccer to study, because everyone said that if he passed his O levels (at 14) he'd be happy. Then it was A…

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  I noticed this when I was at university because over in UK, you know, you had to first of all, the first big exams you did were the O levels. That was done usually about 16. I did my O levels when I was 14. And so I work really hard for those O levels because my friends and my families and teachers said if you pass your O levels then you'll be able to get good jobs in life and get enough money you'll be happy at that time I like playing football soccer in the park and I was pretty good you know I I could have been a millionaire by now if id have carried on playing soccer instead of going to [sighs] You seen how much these soccer players get. Anyway, I gave up soccer and just studied and I did very well in my old levels. Was I happy? No, because I had to do more exams, A levels. [clears throat] But A levels were important. You do well at A levels. You can go to university, you can be really happy. So I at that time, as I say, I wasn't chasing footballs then. I was chasing girls. And so you know my family and friends says look stop going out so much just you know just stay at home do your studies get your A levels and then you'll be happy. I I believe them you trusted others. So I did my A levels, did really well and so went to university and that big university Cambridge I mean that's a really big university say wow get your degree from Cambridge and then you'll be happy and that's when I started getting suspicious cuz I saw other people who had got degrees were they happy no they had to do more work either to get an MA or a PhD or something. Or if they didn't do that, they got a job. Were they happy getting a job when you got a degree? No way. They never got enough money. And you had to save up for a car, save up for a place to live. And at that time, you were trying to get just, you know, transport and a place to stay. And also, you know, just trying to get a wife in life if you're a guy. And that was really a lot lot of trouble. I always thought, yeah, once you get a nice wife, I thought, why why do men go to so much trouble getting them? I don't believe it's going to make them happy. So I thought once I get a nice wife and save up to have enough money, nice house, and a car, then I'll be happy. But I did some research. I was smart enough then to know some people who are older. And then what happens? Were they happy? No way. Because once you got married and that was really expensive, you know, you didn't in a bigger house and then you had to have mortgages and have to work hard to pay off the mortgages. You never pay it off because, you know, after four or five years of marriage, you have kids and that's really expensive. And many people kept telling me, "Oh, once the kids grow up and leave home, then I can be happy. And then what happens is by that time most people are close to retirement and they kept saying oh when I retire then I'll be happy I don't have to go to work every morning not so much stress and then when they retire are they happy no that's when I noticed that most of the people who went to especially Christian churches were people who are really old there's quite a few of them here too. You know why? Cuz they think if you go to a church or a mosque or a a temple, then when you die, then you'll be happy.

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