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Story · Ajahn Brahm

A Buddha to stop bullets

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Loving Life, Loving-Kindness | by Ajahn Brahm | 20 Feb 2009

2 min read

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

even ajahn Chah the great master is this great story when one of his disciples had been around a long time was drafted into the Thai Army and there's always a lot of problems being in the army sometimes the skirmishes on the border or down the south of Thailand people actually get killed when he joined the army so you've got drafted in the army and he waited to see the very teacher said look can you please give me something to protect me from harm especially from bullets he said I know that you've got these amazing powers I'm sure if you could give me some amulet to wear around my necks a little Buddha to wear around my neck I'm sure that that will protect me from bullets so though we don't get into that you know this is not what a monk is supposed to do we're supposed to teach you how to live a good life and how to look after yourself and take responsibility for yourself you know to keep out of harm's way sort of being mindful being learns when you're in the army because a lot of times people get injured because of stupidity he said no you know there's always things go on go on I might be unlucky I didn't I please give me a Buddha statue and I've been looking after you for such a long time I come to the temple I give all these dollars in a donation box I give you food come on I'm only asking for them for Buddha to wear around my neck you could do that so the great brass said Oh Hey I will give you a Buddha statue to wear around your neck and he said I guarantee they were protected from bullets 100% and they thought wow this great monk with all his powers can bless a little ambulance a bullet a bullet proof ambulance and there was a movie about that bulletproof monk or something but anyway this was a real story I much probably bulletproof mic was was based on I'm not sure I never seen that movie but anyway he said okay I'll give you a Buddha to wear around your neck which will protect you from bullets oh thank you thank you thank you where is it and now John shall see that Big Buddha like the one behind me over here in the main hall put that around your neck and I guess it will stop any bullets

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 5:12 (to 7:40)

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

A drafted soldier begged Ajahn Chah for a bullet-stopping amulet after years of donations. Fine, said Ajahn Chah, pointing at the giant Buddha statue in the hall: wear that round your neck. Nobody asked again. Real protection comes from mindfulness and responsibility, not from things you hang around your neck.

In brief (our summary)

A long-time supporter of Ajahn Chah, drafted into the Thai army, begs him for a blessed Buddha amulet to protect him from bullets — after all the food and donations he's given. Ajahn Chah finally agrees: he'll give him a Buddha to wear round his neck, guaranteed 100% to stop bullets. 'Where is it?' Ajahn Chah points to the big Buddha statue in the main hall: 'Put that around your neck.'

Teaching point

No charm protects you; take responsibility and be mindful.

When this story may help

  • seeking protection
  • magical thinking
  • military service

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Loving Life, Loving-Kindness | by Ajahn Brahm | 20 Feb 2009 · 2009-03-12 · ▶ watch from 5:12 to 7:40 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

3 other tellings of this story

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, words left exactly as captioned. 'ajahn Chah'/'John shall' = Ajahn Chah; 'ambulance' = amulet (not changed).

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 half-million-dollar bulletproof amulet

    In brief: From a Thai newspaper: an army general in Bangkok paid half a million US dollars for an amulet guaranteed to stop bullets. After dinner…

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    this was one case this was in the local paper a few years ago there's one general in the Thai Army in Bangkok I don't know way gotta fart half a million US dollars from but let's not go into that so I'm going to Thailand tomorrow they may be listening on the internet and I can in trouble so he had this emoji what won't get into trouble because he's not around anymore look what happened to you it's but half a billion US dollars on an amulet and apparently he was in his officers mess it had his meal he had a couple of glasses of whiskey and he was boasting sip this Amla over here I bought it for half a million u.s. that's how much it's worth and the reason I spent so much money this amulet will protect me from bullets it's magical and it's been guaranteed sort of protect me from bullets they said here you are and he gave his gun so his junior officer and it ordered him shoot me this is how stupid people get especially where they've had two glasses of whiskey and they have faith in his ambulance shoot me he said and of course the junior officers the army have to follow orders bang-bang it was amazing is a credible the general died

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  • The general's holy water

    In brief: At a time when generals were the power behind the Thai government, a major general comes to Ajahn Chah's hut in Ubon asking for holy…

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    aent think I told that story when this General asked for holy water aent child would very rarely give holy water and one day agent child was a joker but sometimes I thought you really go too far cuz this day this General came up to him and I was there at his H so you know you hang around cuz it's great entertainment sometimes to see what aent child was going to do next and it's major general you know that now again like the generals were in power in Thailand this was a time when they were always in power they had I think a uh lay government but the generals were the power behind the scenes and so this big Major General came up to see aan sha in uban to ask for some holy water I said I Haven got any holy water said no please that child poor they called please some holy water so bow okay bow down and that he spout all this saliva in his General's head and rubbed it in and I thought my goodness you've gone too far this time magenta you really have and this General bought it he said oh s s s I've got real holy water know from the how stupid could you be that's what he did

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  • The monk in the front seat of the bus

    In brief: Thais believe a monk's good karma protects those behind him, so monks are seated at the front of buses. Travelling from Chonburi to…

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    this happened once accurate story I was traveling from chury to Bangkok not a long distance only 2 hours thank goodness cuz as soon as I got in this big bus the bus driver smiled he didn't want to take any money he just put me right in the front seat about that far from the wind screen because there was a movie on that bus which he really wanted to to watch but he was scared of crashes so he always had to pay attention to the road now I was there taking care of crashes he could watch the movie as much as he wanted and I was watching all these big trucks and cars just hurtling towards our buz as was going over the road to the other side fortunately we survived so it's obviously it was true but I tried that once when I was flying in tight Airways I was in economy class and I told the flight attendant you know sometimes uh aircraft crash into mountains so why don't you put me up front and then I can protect everyone behind because you know up front is first class on his business I thought it was a very strong argument but they wouldn't accept it so so I had to stay in economy

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  • The gypsy's curse

    In brief: Visiting his mother in London, Ajahn Brahm answers the door at mealtime to a woman selling 'lucky' heather. He politely declines; she…

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    I can never forget the silly thing I did once when I was visiting my mother in London years ago when she was still alive. I went to visit her and staying in her house. She was making my 'one meal a day' in the morning for me. Now that's very important. If you only eat one meal a day you got only one chance every day you got to make sure it hits the spot. So when somebody rang her door bell I volunteered to answer it so my lunch would not be spoiled. Totally selfish. I went to the door and it was a type of person, anyone from may be the UK might know this, they call them gypsies. They are itinerant people who had been in that country for 100s of years. But they decided, they do not wish to live in permanent houses. They usually live in caravans going from place to place. Good on them, if they want to live like that. But they have a reputation for trying to solicit funds, doing silly things. So it was one of these women, she knocked on the door. She said "would you like to buy some gypsy heather?" Just weed basically. And I was very polite I said "no, thank you" And she said to me "If you don't buy some of this heather I would put a gypsy curse on you" it was a marketing technique. Now imagine somebody threatening to curse me. They didn't know who they were messing with. (laughter) I had my robe on but I stood up really tall in my robe. And I looked her in the eye and said "I am a very senior Buddhist Monk, my curse is a much stronger than yours." That's what I said I overdid it. Honestly, I really overdid it. Because that women, her eyes went wide, her jaw dropped she turned around and she actually ran! She ran away. (laughter) We never curse anybody but I do use that in case people mess with me, then I can always mess back. Because people have all these superstition Buddhist monks... what can they do they don't know, but they tried to mess with me so I messed up with them. I know I shouldn't have done that but actually I am quite happy I did. (laughter) Makes it a good story.

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