Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

The premier who opened the jail

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Having Positive Attitudes towards Everybody | Ajahn Brahm | 12 March 2021

1 min read

Content note: refers to an identifiable public figure (unnamed)

The story — as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

Oh, that time when I went into the jail in Canning Vale and it was the Canning Vale jail at the time. It was really interesting because it was open. I forget the prime minister of honor the premier of Australia which opened that jail but you know had his plaque on the entrance way open by uh premier whatever. But then actually while I was visiting he was actually in the jail at the time was an inmate. Now first of all I thought that was really fascinating. It doesn't matter what position in society you are in Australia. Now if you're even the premier you build a jail you open the jail. It doesn't mean you can never actually go and and get a taste of the thing which you built because you broke the rules. So that was actually quite reassuring.

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 13:54 (to 14:45)

A reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

At Canning Vale prison, the plaque said a former premier had opened it, and that same man was inside as an inmate during Ajahn Brahm's visit. He found it reassuring. No title puts anyone above the rules, or outside our shared humanity. And people who've done terrible things often turn out to be more than their crimes.

In brief (our summary)

Visiting Canning Vale prison, Ajahn Brahm saw the plaque at the entrance: the prison had been opened by a former Premier of Western Australia. And during his visit that same ex-premier was inside — as an inmate. He found it reassuring: in Australia, whatever your position, if you break the rules you can get a taste of the jail you built.

Teaching point

Titles and positions don't define anyone; we all share the same humanity.

When this story may help

  • power and accountability

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Having Positive Attitudes towards Everybody | Ajahn Brahm | 12 March 2021 · 2021-03-12 · ▶ watch from 13:54 to 14:45 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions with machine-added punctuation; words left exactly as captioned.

The narrative is Ajahn Brahm's own telling, quoted from the talk captions. The summary and reflection are Being Mindful Stories's editorial notes. Please credit the teacher and link the original talk. Markdown version

  • The guard who fell asleep

    In brief: Teaching meditation in a high-security prison at Canning Vale, Ajahn Brahm must have a prison officer in the room. The officer closes his…

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    the only time when it was really bad when somebody was snoring was when I was teaching meditation in uh in the prison once, in a high-security prison. And because it was a high-security It's the one one in Canning Vale, I think it's called Acacia now. Is it Acacia? Or whatever. Anyway, they keep on changing the names. But anyway, that when I was teaching in there, because it was high-security prison, you had to have a prison officer with you at all times. So, he had to come in my meditation group. So, as I was teaching meditation, even the prison officer, you know, he was just Well, he's hearing it, so he decided to close his eyes and start meditating as well. And of course, he was the one who started snoring. And it's a very good job I opened my eyes to check because as he was snoring, one of the prison officers, his hand was maybe about 1 in from the keys. [laughter] And I said, "Oh, well, let's look at the prisoner." And he did the Oh. [laughter] So, that's where I the prison officer up. So, there are times when you shouldn't snore.

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  • “Can meditation teach you to fly over walls?”

    In brief: On his first prison visit, at the old Canning Vale jail, over a hundred of about 110 prisoners crowd in to learn meditation; inspired,…

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    this is when I first went into a prison to teach meditation and you cannot make up these stories real life is funnier than any story anyone can concoct because when I went into this prison to teach meditation it was actually the old canning Vale jail I think it's called what's it called now hakia yeah Alvin canning Val and at that time was about 25 to 30 years ago in that time the prison population there was just over 100 Maybe 110. and over a hundred prisoners came to my talk almost the whole prison population the only ones who didn't come were those in solitary confinement or seeing the doctor or something and I couldn't believe just how many criminals were interested in meditation interested in actually doing something with their life improving themselves that was just so inspiring to see and so I really gave the best possible talk I can on meditation I really wanted to actually meet them halfway if they were going to be interested in this and do something with their lives and make themselves better I was also going to help them and I'd only been talking about meditation maybe about 10 minutes when this big guy stood up he was one of the leaders in the prison you know they all have their gangs he's one of the gang leaders he was about six foot four and that was just across his shoulders lots of lots of scars on him and when someone like that I often say when someone like that stands up to interrupt you and say can I ask a question say yes sir yes sir please and he said he said this is on behalf of all the people here is it really true he asked is it really true that through meditation you can learn how to fly over walls sure that did break this up and then I realized why so many prisoners have come to my meditation class stupid they believe that a couple of meditation classes you could do that and they're all out of jail so when I told them look yeah levitation can sometimes happen it's incredibly rare you have to be a really skilled meditator for Life hours and hours to do something like that when I went back next week to continue the cross only three people turned up

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  • The magistrate who spent weeks in jail

    In brief: As someone told Ajahn Brahm (details half-remembered), an Australian magistrate spent three or four weeks in jail — possibly innocent —…

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    there was one magistrate in Australia who went to jail for only for about 3 or 4 weeks. I forget what the crime was. I think she was innocent, but you know, she went to jail anyway. And she said that was the best thing that ever happened to her in her role as a magistrate because once she had experience firsthand of going in those cells with those iron doors closing and being in prison to actually feel it and experience it as a real person in prison, then that totally changed her attitude to her sentencing cuz she knew what she was doing when she sent someone into prison. whether it was for know 4 months or 40 years she knew what it was like

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  • The convict who left his body to watch football

    In brief: A meditation student at Karnet Prison Farm tells Ajahn Brahm that as a boy of five or six, having surgery in what was then Yugoslavia, he…

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    Oh, this one case was of this young man. There was a boy about five, six, seven years of age. He told me this story at length and he was having some operation. This was many years ago in Yugoslavia when Yugoslavia was this one country and he was having an operation and he died on the operating table and he described just how he was floating out of his body and he could see that the doctors who were operating on him were looking at the wrong place. They weren't seeing where the problem was. And so he said that's where he was like dying or was actually dead outside of his body. And then he said all he did a five or six year old boy that's how old he was. He just thought the doctors you know he couldn't speak outside of his body but just thought doctor don't look over here look over there. And immediately that's what the doctor did. And he shouted out hey here's a problem. And because they could see what the problem was that they um solved the problem and he was fine again. He he recovered. But he said to me and he told me this story. He was one of my students meditating in Caret Prison Farm many years ago. He was a a convict in the jail. And he said but he didn't really mind being a convict. He said because ever since that time he came back into his body but whenever he wanted to leave his body he could he could do the old astral traveling make up a mind-made body as we say in in Buddhism and he could leave his body. So he said whenever he wanted to watch a football match didn't matter what prison they put him in he just leave his body and go and watch. he wanted to if he wanted to go and see a a concert by someone in Perth, he didn't even need to to book tickets, he just go there in his astral body and just get, you know, front seat view. And the way he said it and all the other information he gave me, he said, "Yes, okay. I think that's pretty accurate what he was saying.

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