Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

Ajahn Chah plays at being a monk

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Discovering and Following Meaning in Your Life | Ajahn Brahm | 3 May 2019

1 min read

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

remember the time when someone asked him why did you ordained ajahn Chah and yeah snow why did I join shall become a month you know the answer he said that when he was a kid in the villages of Northeast Thailand no just an ordinary dish poor they didn't have any computer games or any games or TVs or radios they just make up games like kids do in poor places of the world so one of the guys when they fed up with playing football or they would play like houses they play monks so one of the kids would volunteer to be the monk and said a giant child always volunteer to play the monk and what he would do he would find a rock he would sit on the rock he get some ground cloth around him and you sit there on the rock but it was only about four or five at the time and he'd ask all his friends to go get him something to eat we said ever since that's hot he always want to become a buck when he grew up

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 14:34 (to 15:51)

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

As a poor village boy with no toys, little Chah always chose to play the monk, wrapped in a cloth on a rock, sending his friends off to fetch him food. He grew up to teach with that same humour. Like his cracked glass, we're all fragile. That's exactly why every day and every person is worth caring for.

In brief (our summary)

Asked why he ordained, Ajahn Chah tells how, as a poor village boy in north-east Thailand with no toys, games or TV, the children made up games — football, playing houses, playing monks. Little Chah, four or five, always volunteered to be the monk: he'd sit on a rock with a cloth wrapped round him and send his friends off to fetch him something to eat. Ever since, he wanted to become a monk.

Teaching point

Ajahn Chah taught with humour and engagement, not just intellectual content.

When this story may help

  • finding a vocation
  • childhood memories

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Discovering and Following Meaning in Your Life | Ajahn Brahm | 3 May 2019 · 2019-05-03 · ▶ watch from 14:34 to 15:51 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

2 other tellings of this story

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, words left exactly as captioned. 'a giant child' = Ajahn Chah; 'that's hot' = that's what; 'buck' = monk.

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

  • Ajahn Chah's one word of English

    In brief: Back from a few weeks in London, Ajahn Chah, who spoke no English, is asked in Thai whether he learned any English words. Yes, one: “cup…

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    actually he did learn one word of English when he went to London for a few weeks when he came back we asked him in TI did you learn any English know any English words when you staying in L he said yeah I learned one word what was that cup of tea That's the only word could go pan lond he he that all the day cup of tea you want a cup of tea have a cup of tea

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  • A Buddha to stop bullets

    In brief: 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…

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    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

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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 naughtiest novice

    In brief: Ajahn Chah, laughing, tells Ajahn Brahm about his naughtiest novice: an old monk slept so deeply in the afternoons that nothing woke him,…

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    remember him once talking about the naughtiest novice he always like talking about these novice marks he said the naughtiest novice remember talking he was just laughing all over said this is what he's done this is on the side this naughtiest novice there was this old monk who was always really really sleepy so he sleep in the afternoon so when he slept he slept so deeply and nothing would wake him up so the no novice got one of these jack fruit seeds now jackf fruit seeds are about this big and he I'm going to tell you this because Adent child told me this he lifted up the back of his saong and tried to put it in his anus you know so be constipated this was a naughty novice and he tried to get it in but it was just couldn't get it in so he tried a couple of times so you can imagine sort of you know what stuff which was smeared on it so the novice started chewing it to make it soft enough that you push it inag fin vanished it so this poor old M when he woke up oh I can't go the toilet I can't get the toilet that was like a naughty novice

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