# The glass is already cracked

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Analogy
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-chah-cracked-glass
- Themes: impermanence, relationships, care, death
- Life situations: divorce, caring for a relationship, grief, ageing body

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Ajahn Chah's simile, holding up a glass: it has a microscopic crack — the crack of impermanence. Because it will break if dropped or kicked, we care for it; if it were unbreakable plastic we could kick and squash it. Relationships and bodies are cracked from the very beginning; that's why we look after them.

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

This was a simile I just, I don't know, I give this every other week. The glass is cracked. Can you see the crack in the glass? I gave this at a funeral recently. Can you see the crack in the glass in the front? Because the crack is microscopic, that's why you can't see it. But it's there, this actually came from Ajahn Chah, this story. The crack is there because if I drop this or someone else kicks it, it will break. It's the crack of impermanence, anicca. I know this won't last. Because this won't last, because it's impermanent, that's why I care for it. I can't kick it or mistreat it, it will break. But if this was plastic, if it was unbreakable, permanent, I wouldn't need to care for it. I could kick it, drop it, squash it and it would just rebound again, being unbreakable. It's because it's breakable, that's why we care. Because relationships won't last. They're cracked from the very beginning, that's why we care for them. Always looking after them, just like we look after this cup or this glass, because we know it's fragile. Your body is fragile, it's cracked. One day it will break, you will die, that's why we care for it. So the idea of marriage, divorce, being karmic, it's because we never realise that match is cracked, we should have taken better care of it.

## Teaching point

Impermanence is the reason to care, not to despair.

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

Ajahn Chah would hold up a glass and point to a crack too small to see: it will break one day. That's exactly why we handle it carefully. Bodies, marriages and friendships are cracked from the start. Not a reason for gloom, but a reason to treat them gently today, while they're still whole.

## Source

- [Am I Good Enough? | Ajahn Brahm | 28 April 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2mWuCk70Ck) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 56:44 to 58:23: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2mWuCk70Ck&t=3404s

Other tellings of this story:

- [The Negativity of Positivity | Ajahn Brahm | 23-04-2010](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FjmTHULtrM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 29:48 to 32:20: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FjmTHULtrM&t=1788s
- [Discovering and Following Meaning in Your Life | Ajahn Brahm | 3 May 2019](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYirce5Un0) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 14:03 to 16:41: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYirce5Un0&t=843s
- [The Happiest Years of Your Life | Ajahn Brahm | 17 April 2020](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3I_zAh512k) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 53:50 to 56:01: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3I_zAh512k&t=3230s
- [A Buddhist Perspective on Monogamy | by Ajahn Brahm | 29 May 2015](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb6vCzllyw4) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 18:54 to 19:35: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb6vCzllyw4&t=1134s
- [Fun Finding Mind | Ajahn Brahm | 8th April 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxTmtmw6J_A) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 39:12 to 39:51: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxTmtmw6J_A&t=2352s
- [Devotion | Ajahn Brahm | 30-07-2010](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IbAy-OuLfo) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 51:00 to 52:29: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IbAy-OuLfo&t=3060s
- [Transcending Disasters | Ajahn Brahm | 25-02-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk49Udlvlbk) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 36:42 to 37:28: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk49Udlvlbk&t=2202s
- [Sisi Negatif Dari Positif | Ajahn Brahm | 23-04-2010](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoQ7jFQqyz8) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 29:47 to 31:56: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoQ7jFQqyz8&t=1787s