# Itch on your head, scratching your bottom

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Analogy
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-chah-itch-scratch-wrong-place
- Themes: blame, anger, wisdom
- Life situations: looking for someone to blame, workplace mistakes, conflict

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Ajahn Chah's one-liner on blame, applied to the newly built monastery wall a backhoe pushed over: blaming someone is like having an itch on your head and scratching your bottom. The itch doesn't go away — you get two itches for the price of one.

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

he said if you blame somebody who's responsible for pushing that wall over body nana monastery who's responsible for making that big mistake who is responsible for not doing it in time who's responsible for not sending emails correctly who's responsible he said that is like having an itch on your head and you scratch your bum think about it if you've got an itch down here and you scratch your head does the itch go away of course not but you get two itches for the price of one

## Teaching point

Blame doesn't fix the problem; it adds a second one.

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

When a backhoe knocked over the new wall, Ajahn Brahm remembered Ajahn Chah: blaming someone is like scratching your bottom for an itch on your head. The itch stays, and you get a second one. Blame upsets the helpers and fixes nothing. Deal with the problem itself, and remember your own mistakes.

## Source

- [Facing Difficult Situations in Life | Ajahn Brahm | 6 October 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yy0k6zefVM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 12:38 to 13:24: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yy0k6zefVM&t=758s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Living Without Blame | Ajahn Brahm | 05-12-2014](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR5c4h7Tmo0) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:50 to 3:04: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR5c4h7Tmo0&t=110s
- [Menghadapi Situasi yang Sulit Dalam Hidup | Ajahn Brahm | 6 October 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCOm9Cy50Cc) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 12:39 to 13:26: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCOm9Cy50Cc&t=759s