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Story · Ajahn Brahm

The first beer tasted awful

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Control and Freedom | Ajahn Brahm | 05-01-2007

1 min read

Content note: underage drinking; crude language

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

one of my experiences as a young man is being like 14 years of age, being rebellious, you know, being with my mates, a bit of peer pressure, but also being rebellious, going to take my first glass of beer. The drinking age was 18. I was only 14. Sneak in there. I can take a glass of beer thinking how clever I am, how rebellious. And taking my first glass of beer I couldn't believe just how disgusting that tasted. I did see in the newspapers there was a uh suggestion of actually Perth drinking recycled waste water. You mean from your toilets. And that's what I thought beer was, somehow recycled from the lavatory. Cuz that's that's what it tastes like. Even actually people do call it piss in Australia. So that must have been that must have been recycled from somewhere. But it tasted awful. But because my culture, this was in London, said that beer is fun, beer is good, beer is what you're supposed to enjoy and you spend a lot of money and many evenings drinking the stuff, it only took me about three or four months to start to like the taste. And once I became a monk and I looked back on that experience, I thought why did I like that? Because I had to. I completely reconditioned myself to go against my natural instincts of disliking the taste of beer to actually thinking it was delicious. And being a monk when you stand back and you watch these things, how much more of what I think I like is actually been conditioned into me cuz I have to like it. Cuz my society says I must like it.

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 18:01 (to 19:50)

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

His first beer at fourteen tasted vile, yet within months he'd taught himself to love it because everyone said beer was fun. Looking back, Ajahn Brahm wonders how many of his likes were simply handed to him. Pressure to marry, earn and fit in works the same way. Check what you actually want for yourself.

In brief (our summary)

At 14 in London, rebellious and egged on by mates, he sneaks his first glass of beer (the drinking age was 18) — and can't believe how disgusting it tastes, like something recycled from the lavatory. Because his culture says beer is fun, within three or four months he has conditioned himself to like it. As a monk he looks back and asks how much of what he likes was conditioned into him.

Teaching point

Much of what we think we freely like has been conditioned by society.

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Control and Freedom | Ajahn Brahm | 05-01-2007 · 2007-01-12 · ▶ watch from 18:01 to 19:50 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

3 other tellings of this story

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, 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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  • The jewelled goblet: his last drink

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  • The actuary they called “Flash”

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  • Singing the anthem of his own free will

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