Being Mindful Stories

Analogy · Ajahn Brahm

Which of the five horses are you?

As told by Ajahn Brahm in How to deal with abusive relationships | Ajahn Brahm | 13-03-2015

1 min read

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

Once there was five horses and the first horse, a rider would get on its back and just tell it where to go and the horse would comply. The second horse, the rider would have to get out the whip. But there's a shadow fell on the horse and horse. No, I better follow the orders otherwise, you know, I get in trouble. So that's the second horse. He has to only follows orders. is only wise when a shadow of suffering falls on them. The third horse, the owner or the rider has to just tap it slightly, not hurt it, but just tap it, you know, with the whip. And then the horse knows what to do. The fourth horse is so stupid that the owner has to whack it. Ow! But only once. And then the horse realizes a mistake and will never do that again. And the last horse, the fifth horse, whack, whack, whack, whack, ow, ow, ow, ow, and still does the same thing again. So, which horse are you? It's how amazing how many people identify with the fifth horse. Every time you get into trouble, you still don't learn.

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 42:22 (to 43:44)

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

One horse learns from a word, another from the whip's shadow, another from a tap, another from one hard blow. The fifth is beaten again and again and still makes the same mistake. Too many of us are that horse, returning to whatever hurts us. Learn the first time. Leave what harms you, and grow from it.

In brief (our summary)

Five horses: the first obeys a word; the second needs only the shadow of the whip; the third a light tap; the fourth one hard whack; the fifth is whacked again and again and still repeats the mistake. Too many people, Brahm says, identify with the fifth horse and return to abuse.

Teaching point

Learn the first time you are hurt; do not be the horse that needs endless whacks.

When this story may help

  • leaving abuse
  • repeating mistakes

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in How to deal with abusive relationships | Ajahn Brahm | 13-03-2015 · 2015-03-14 · ▶ watch from 42:22 to 43:44 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

1 other telling 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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