# A dustbin with a hole in the bottom

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Analogy
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-chah-dustbin-with-a-hole
- Themes: compassion, letting go, listening, irritation
- Life situations: being a listener, caring for others, carrying others' problems

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Ajahn Chah's simile: when people dump on you, think of yourself as a dustbin and let them put their rubbish in — but be a dustbin with a hole in the bottom. Accept it all, keep nothing, so you're always empty for the next person. (Ajahn Brahm adds, mid-simile, that people bring him marriage problems though he became a monk to escape them, and jokes about appearing in Hello! magazine's Asian edition after a celebrity wedding.)

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

he said when people dump on you aam you must think think of yourself like a Dustbin like a trash can and you must allow people to put all their rubbish into you look people tell me about their marriage problems I became a monk to get away from that and now and now what happens you know Denis was saying about you know making Hello magazine that's Hello magazine Asian Edition because I did a celebrity Marriage over there so I I can't even Escape they make me sort of do the marriages with Dennis and all but anyway I don't mind I enjoy this stuff it's good fun but what happens is he said you have to be a rubbish bin a trash can but the most important thing when you are a trash can is be a trash can a rubbish bin with a hole in the bottom that's the most important so you accept all the rubbish but you keep nothing it just goes right out afterwards might be a rubbish bin with a hole in the bottom which means you're always empty for the next person who comes down here and dumps some more rubbish inside of you

## Teaching point

Listen with compassion but don't store what others unload; let it pass straight through.

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

When people pour out their troubles, Ajahn Chah said, be a dustbin, but one with a hole in the bottom. Listen fully, keep nothing, and you'll still have room for the next person. Friends, carers and counsellors burn out by storing everything. Let it pass through, and stay open-hearted.

## Source

- [Irritation | Ajahn Brahm | 18-03-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6O42-CAHgo) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 19:53 to 21:17: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6O42-CAHgo&t=1193s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Relax | Ajahn Brahm | 19 May 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97u4C6-HjOQ) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 52:48 to 53:53: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97u4C6-HjOQ&t=3168s
- [Is Everything Interconnected? | Ajahn Brahm | 13 Nov 2015](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbhLYRTbY3s) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 4:25 to 5:09: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbhLYRTbY3s&t=265s
- [Last Clubmed before Rains 2022 - Armadale Meditation Group | Ajahn Brahm | 12 July 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f044xvbwTE) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 59:13 to 59:58: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f044xvbwTE&t=3553s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 7 December 2019](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdLHPJDYsoQ) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:10:24 to 1:11:13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdLHPJDYsoQ&t=4224s