# Opening the car boot (and the nun loophole)

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Joke
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-car-boot-ronnie-nun
- Themes: loving-kindness, humour, power of mind
- Life situations: frustration with things not working

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Youth-group members can't open their locked car boot; Ajahn Brahm agrees to try if Ronnie promises to become a nun, gives the car loving-kindness and it opens first turn — but a lawyer friend spots that no date was set.

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

They where trying to open they're car, I came back from a ceremony and I was just walking down the road here, on a Saturday afternoon and our Kalyana-mitta group, they where about to go out kite-surfing or doing something weird. And anyway, the Boot of their car was locked, tight. And they could not open it! and they where trying for twenty minutes... OH! (Points) She's over there, there you are. How long where you trying to open up that car before I came along? (Lady replies, unintelligible) Only five or ten minutes, yeah How many people tried? (Lady replies, unintelligible) Only two of us, but you couldn't do it? Yeah there we go So I came along, and they said: "Ajahn Brahm, please could you use your powers to open the car?" (Laughs) So I'm always a very kind monk, and very helpful, and so I said: Ok, but one condition, I wanted to make a deal The deal was that Ronnie, at the back there, will become a nun. (Laughs) And she said yes, never ever imagining I could do it. But of course, that's what you do. You give it loving-kindness: Nice car, that was what I did, nice car, and I put the key in and I turned it and it opened straight away. And poor old Ronnie has to become a nun now. Be careful, playing around with monks just, uhhh, it's very dangerous. But fortunately, fortunately one of the other youth group members is a lawyer (Laughs). She saw the loophole straight away which is why Ronnie doesn't have to become a nun yet. She said: "You never mentioned the time, maybe in fifty years or a next life sometime, but, she promised yes she will become a nun but you didn't say when" that was the loophole.

## Teaching point

Kindness and a calm mind can achieve what forcing cannot (told for laughs).

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

Minutes of tugging got nowhere; a bit of loving-kindness and a gentle turn of the key did it, at least as he tells it, entirely for laughs. The useful part is true enough: when something is stuck, a calm mind usually does better than a tense one. And if you ever make a promise to a monk, agree on the date.

## Source

- [Learn to be at peace with yourself | Ajahn Brahm | 6 Jan 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu0RtEG6V4A) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 43:15 to 45:28: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu0RtEG6V4A&t=2595s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Our Mind and Our Health | Ajahn Brahm | 7 July 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irCk-DJXisM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 31:41 to 33:40: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irCk-DJXisM&t=1901s
- [How to Handle Anxiety | Ajahn Brahm | 15 March 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9ZmTRI7NUU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 36:54 to 40:26: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9ZmTRI7NUU&t=2214s
- [Mindfulness and Productivity | Ajahn Brahm | 6 February 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO0A43r2r1Y) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:02:49 to 1:03:48: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO0A43r2r1Y&t=3769s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 20 January 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLN6fGv2BJ0) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:04 to 2:15: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLN6fGv2BJ0&t=64s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 20 June 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7mm9YeHSic) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:10:26 to 1:11:57: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7mm9YeHSic&t=4226s