Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

The cockroach insurance claim

As told by Ajahn Brahm in How to React to Life | Ajahn Brahm | 30 June 2017

1 min read

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

one was when the air conditioning in fast we didn't know why and we found out a cockroach had crawled into the electrics and got fried and it passed all the electrics of course as soon as we found it we did some chanting for the poor cockroach dying in a retreat center must be really good car if you're going to die anyway as a cockroach next to all these great meditators that was pretty cool for the cockroach bill for about five and so wow how can we pay that so our secretary rang up the insurance agent and so is our air conditioning covered through a cockroach cockroach fryings and the parish he said I didn't lay hard she's here listening said well actually I've never heard that before we never come across that but they looked in there and said it was covered so we've got it all back

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 39:41 (to 40:49)

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

A cockroach crawled into the retreat centre's electrics and fried itself, taking the air conditioning with it. The monks chanted for it, braced for the bill, and found the insurance covered cockroach-frying. Even the burgled workshop came out ahead. Things happen in life. Meet them with a laugh; they often turn out better than feared.

In brief (our summary)

At the Serpentine retreat centre the air conditioning fails: a cockroach has crawled into the electrics and been fried, taking the electrics with it. The monks chant for the cockroach — dying among great meditators must be good karma for it. Facing a big repair bill, the secretary rings the insurer: is cockroach-frying covered? The agent has never heard of it, checks — and it is covered.

Teaching point

Misfortunes can turn out better than expected; meet them with humour.

When this story may help

  • repairs
  • insurance claims
  • minor disasters

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in How to React to Life | Ajahn Brahm | 30 June 2017 · 2017-06-30 · ▶ watch from 39:41 to 40:49 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, words left exactly as captioned. 'in fast' probably = failed (garbled); 'good car' = good karma; 'bill for about five' (amount garbled).

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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