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Story · Ajahn Brahm

'Dogs don't have money'

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Right Listening | Ajahn Brahm | 8 June 2018

2 min read

Content note: racial abuse (reported speech)

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

this one American soldier. He was an Afro-American and he got on a cycle rickshaw to be taken from the base over into the town. And so as he went in the cycle rickshaw, just happily just enjoying the scenery, the rickshaw driver just happened to pass some of his friends. Now rickshaw drivers, it’s usually very very hard work, don’t get paid that much, and so maybe it’s because of you know their difficult life that many of them just manage to survive the day by drinking cheap whiskey. He passed many of his friends who had been drinking by the side of the road, and because they were half drunk, they were quite offensive and they saw this black African-American soldier in the back of the taxi, and one of them shouted out very offensively “where are you taking that dirty dog to?” That’s really sort of bad, but this was about 35, 40 years ago, 44 years ago, when I first got there, but this African-American soldier, he wasn’t moved at all. He was just looking at the scenery, just smiling, just enjoying himself. So the driver assumed that he could not understand the local language because this was done in Isan language, a dialect of Thai, Laotian mostly. And so the driver decided to have some fun at the soldier’s expense. And said “See how dirty this African-American soldier is, I’m going to take him into town and throw him in the river for a good wash, hahahaha.” So, the soldier being called a dog, being called dirty, he was just looking at the scenery, smiling, and when he got to the middle of town that is when the soldier got out of the rickshaw and walked away without paying. At which point the rickshaw driver shouted out in the best little English he’d learnt over those years, he said, “Soldier! Fare! Pay money!” At which point the soldier turned around and said in perfect Thai Isan language, “dogs don’t have money.” [laughter] So that was used by Ajahn Chah by saying that if someone does call you a dog, it does mean you don’t have to pay

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 16:35 (to 19:33)

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

A rickshaw driver insulted his African-American passenger to amuse his friends, then asked for the fare. The soldier answered in perfect local dialect: dogs don't have money. Ajahn Chah loved it. Rather than react with anger, listen carefully and respond with wit. And give people the benefit of the doubt.

In brief (our summary)

Near the US base by Ubon, around the end of the Vietnam War, an African-American soldier rides a rickshaw into town. Drunk friends of the driver shout from a bar, 'Where are you taking that dirty dog?' The nervous driver joins in: 'Look how dirty this dog is. He's black. I'm going to throw him in the river for a good wash.' Everyone laughs except the soldier, who just looks at the scenery. In town he gets out without paying; when the driver calls 'Sir, money, money', the soldier turns and says in perfect Isan: 'Dogs don't have money.'

Teaching point

Respond to abuse with wit and calm rather than a fight.

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Right Listening | Ajahn Brahm | 8 June 2018 · 2018-06-08 · ▶ watch from 16:35 to 19:33 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

3 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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