# The bomb threat that saved the interfaith service

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-cathedral-bomb-threat-interfaith
- Themes: uncertainty, interfaith, community, humour
- Life situations: plans disrupted, interfaith relations, crisis bringing people together

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

For years Ajahn Brahm chants at the rather dull Commonwealth Day interfaith service in St George's Cathedral, Perth. One year the Dean, John Shepherd, is called away mid-service and announces a police warning: a fundamentalist has phoned a bomb threat over non-Christians being in the cathedral. Everyone evacuates to a hall for tea, and with the schedule gone people really start talking and making friends. It was only a hoax — and the best, truly interfaith service ever; he tells the Dean to arrange one every year.

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

every year every year I used to go to I still do I've been doing this for about 25 years now to this this in George's Cathedral they have a Commonwealth interfaith Commonwealth day interfaith service as I've been going there for many many years and now I do my little bit of chanting someone else does their chanting and you know it was pretty boring but one day one year forget know how many years ago one year we were doing the same old boring stuff you know chanting and same old stuff every year and just a few people the people had to be there because know there their daughter was singing in the choir or you know they were told to go there by their teachers cuz of school groups here and this one year right in the middle of the chanting so the Dean John Sheppard is a good friend he's been to give talks here before he was called away and I realized that something was going on because this was not in the program and he came back again and he interrupted us all and got on the microphone and said we've just been told by the police there's been a bomb threat some sort of know crazy fundamentalist and said it's wrong it it's evil that you have people who aren't Christians in this Cathedral and a piece of taken this bomb threat seriously so we all have to evacuate that was the best service I've ever been because the reason was now the whole plans were thrown into chaos which meant that are now we were being human again and so we went to some hall had some tea you know that's when we started talking to each other because we had nothing else to do said all these people you know because it was an emergency I'm scheduled talking to each other getting really friendly and when we came back to finish the service very quickly because no was only just a scare so I'm looting a ticket ringing up the police there's no bomb in there at all it was a life it was a friendship there was the moving together was interfaith then that was at one time was really interfaith and I mentioned to John Sheppard said he should arrange us every year it was a very vessel as we ever had

## Teaching point

When plans are thrown into chaos, we become human again; the unexpected brings life.

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

For years the cathedral's interfaith service was polite and dull. Then a hoax bomb threat sent everyone out to a hall for tea, and with the programme in tatters, people of different faiths finally talked and became friends. Disruption can strip away the script and leave us human. When plans collapse, look for the conversation they make room for.

## Source

- [Uncertainty | Ajahn Brahm | 15-07-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pswsVGVdISY) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 41:24 to 43:48: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pswsVGVdISY&t=2484s