# Food for the dogs — the first Westerner on alms round

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-first-westerner-alms
- Themes: humour, culture
- Life situations: being an outsider

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

In a remote Thai village where no one had seen a Westerner, villagers stare so hard while offering food that it falls outside his bowl and the dogs eat it.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

I remember one occasion going on alms round in the morning, and I was the first white man they'd seen in the village, and so they were putting food in the bowl, and it's a big bowl and but they were looking at me and all the food was falling outside, the dogs were eating it all, thank you very much, because I was the first Westerner they saw.

## Teaching point

(Scene-setting for his years in an untouched Thai culture; no separate moral.)

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

The villagers were so busy staring at the strange new monk that their rice went to the dogs. Being the odd one out can feel awkward, yet Ajahn Brahm just laughed, settled in, and in time saw the world with Thai eyes. Being new somewhere is a chance to let old views go and learn.

## Source

- [Four Ways of Letting Go | Ajahn Brahm | 09-04-2010](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USC5MJVZLy8) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 49:12 to 49:35: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USC5MJVZLy8&t=2952s

Other tellings of this story:

- [The Process of Rebirth | Ajahn Brahm | 03-04-2009](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWFSAFHpx_U) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 21:24 to 22:00: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWFSAFHpx_U&t=1284s
- [Irritation | Ajahn Brahm | 18-03-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6O42-CAHgo) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 8:43 to 9:21: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6O42-CAHgo&t=523s
- [Cztery sposoby na to, jak odpuścić - Ajahn Brahm [LEKTOR PL]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXR9emyoJlA) (Sasana.pl) — watch from 49:13 to 49:40: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXR9emyoJlA&t=2953s