# Ajahn Chah plays at being a monk

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-chah-played-monk-as-a-child
- Themes: Ajahn Chah, childhood, vocation, humour
- Life situations: finding a vocation, childhood memories

## Synopsis (editorial 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.

## 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

## Teaching point

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

## 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.

## Source

- [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 14:34 to 15:51: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYirce5Un0&t=874s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Growing from Difficult Times | Ajahn Brahm | 21 April 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXZHG7El0lU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 37:34 to 38:33: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXZHG7El0lU&t=2254s
- [Word of the Buddha (Part 10) | Ajahn Brahm | 14 January 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjPefO1w0sw) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 59:02 to 1:00:02: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjPefO1w0sw&t=3542s