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Story · Ajahn Brahm

Ajahn Chah reads a palm

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Celebrating Uncertainty | Ajahn Brahm

2 min read

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

You are a monk, I'm sure you can predict the future. Come on, predict the future... and so this man came up to him, and said.. "Read the lines on the palm of my hand", he said. "...and we don't do that ..." (said Ajahn Chah) now that's not the sort of stuff... that you know great monks or teachers or nuns do... We actually teach the dhamma, and just. Man said, "you mean you won't do it?" and Ajahn said "No"... and then the person was prepared... he was very sneaky and he said... he tried to outwit Ajahn Chah... don't ever try to do that... but he tried... he said, "You remember the last sermon you gave? On Gratitude? Now I have been giving donations to this temple for such a long time. I bring food to the temple, I serve on the committee... I look after, Come on Busy Bees, I help out erect the tents on... (clarification) ... Saturdays at 7 o'clock I do All this work for you and this is the first time I've ever asked anything from you Ajahn Chah! And you say No? What type of gratitude is that?" He put Ajahn on the spot... So Ajahn Chah said... "Hmm... you got a point there, you know... gratitude You were really generous, I suppose I should help you back. Give me your hand..." So Ajahn Chah, the one and only time he read the lines on the person's palm to predict his future And he said, "Now because I'm a monk, and I keep my precepts, what I tell you will be the truth." The man, " Yeah I Know... That's why I asked you". So Ajahn Chah... "Are you ready for this?" He, "Yes, Yes, Yes!", Ajahn, "Are you Sure?"; He, "Yes!" So Ajahn started tracing the lines on his palm very slowly... and every now and again... he would stop, and look and sometimes he would smile, sometimes he would shake his head... this poor man was getting so excited... and afraid at the same time this was his future being read and it would be absolutely true whatever Ajahn Chah said no matter what came out, he knew he could trust this monk... and he took for ever to finish reading the palms of this man's hands... and as soon as Ajahn Chah was finished... He, "Yes, yes, yes,... what's my future going to be? Yes, please tell me!" Ajahn, "I just read", "yes, you read the palm" Ajahn, "What I say is going to be absolutely true" He, "Yeah I know that, what's going to be?" He, "I'm so excited... I'm so excited!" but Ajahn Chah was very calm. and it seemed it was for ever before he would get the prediction for his future... and eventually Ajahn Chah said, "Your future..." He said, "Yes, yes, yes...!" Ajahn, "Your future...", He, "Yes!" Ajahn, "Is going to be...", He, "Yes!" Ajahn, "Uncertain!"

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 3:03 (to 6:23)

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

Guilted into reading a supporter's palm for the only time, Ajahn Chah traced the lines slowly, murmuring 'interesting', and finally announced: your future is uncertain. He wasn't wrong. Nothing is fixed in your palm. What you do now shapes what comes next, so take heart; the future is still open.

In brief (our summary)

A lay supporter asks Ajahn Chah to read his palm. Ajahn Chah says Buddhist monks don't do that. The man argues cleverly: you just taught gratitude, I've fed you and driven you around for years, this is the first thing I've ever asked — where's the gratitude? So, for the one and only time, Ajahn Chah takes his hand, slowly traces the lines, stopping now and then to say 'hmm, that's interesting', winding the man up. At last he looks him in the eye: 'Your future, sir, is uncertain.'

Teaching point

The future isn't fated or written in your palm; it is uncertain, which leaves room to shape it.

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Celebrating Uncertainty | Ajahn Brahm · 2018-02-18 · ▶ watch from 3:03 to 6:23 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

5 other tellings of this story

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions with machine-added punctuation; words left exactly as captioned.

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

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