Analogy · Ajahn Brahm
The door prize
Content note: death framed as desirable — needs careful framing for terminally ill or suicidal users
The story — as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)
I remember telling this to imagine that at the end of this talk a special occasion that we were going to give a door prize and the door prize today was a free trip to say let's say um okay because many of you are Buddhists a free trip to India to Dam Salah on a first class uh trip, all expenses paid to see his holiness of Dalai Lama, have a private even uh lunch with his holiness of Dal Lama. And on your way back, you know, through um Singapore, is that a good idea? Singapore. Okay. Through Singapore, you can have uh three days and the six car six-star hotel with a thousand uh sing dollars a day spending money, whatever you want, on your way home. first class all the way and that was the door prize today. Now imagine hypothetically if you won that how would you feel? Would you be excited? you know, would you really be looking forward to actually having a private audience with this Holiness of Dal Lama? Would you? And this wonderful trip and if you said, well, it's going to be in about, you know, 4 months time. Would you be counting down the days, you know, 3 months, only two months to go, one month? Come on, can we get it quicker? And the day before you'd be so excited now, what's what's the difference? What's better? going to see his holdings the Dalai Lama and all expenses paid or going to heaven a great heavenly realm where you don't need money to spend anything you want you just get and you not just see the dollar you can see even all the great monks and the bodhic sattas and I'm going to say the Buddha but people get upset at me so say they can't see 11 but anyway see all these wonderful people up there not just the 14th alam the 13th the 12th 11th the whole series of dalas Wouldn't that be better, go to heaven? So why is it when people got a terminal disease, they think and the doctor says only about 3 months to live. Can I say can you make it quicker please? I want to go to heaven.
▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 57:46 (to 1:00:20)
A reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)
Win a luxury trip to lunch with the Dalai Lama in four months and you'd count down the days. Ajahn Brahm asks, half joking, why a good rebirth doesn't feel the same. He isn't urging anyone toward death; life is precious and help is there in dark times. His point is that dread of dying is largely learned, and a kind life leaves little to fear.
In brief (our summary)
Imagine tonight's door prize is a first-class trip to Dharamsala for a private lunch with the Dalai Lama, then three days in a six-star Singapore hotel with a thousand dollars a day — in four months' time. You'd count down the days. So which is better: that, or a heavenly realm where you can meet all the great monks and the whole line of Dalai Lamas? Why, when the doctor says three months to live, don't we say 'Can you make it quicker please? I want to go to heaven'?
Teaching point
Fear of death is conditioning; a good person can look forward to a good rebirth.
When this story may help
- terminal illness
- fear of dying
- supporting the dying
Themes
Source & credit
Told by Ajahn Brahm in Being Afraid | Ajahn Brahm | 16 March 2018 · 2018-03-18 · ▶ watch from 57:46 to 1:00:20 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia
Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, words left exactly as captioned. 'Dam Salah' = Dharamsala (not changed).
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