# I'll only go to work on Fridays

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Analogy
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-friday-paycheck-kamma
- Themes: kamma, patience, work, humour
- Life situations: feeling unrewarded, impatience for results

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

A man works hard Monday to Thursday with no paycheque, thinks of quitting, is forced in by his wife, then gets paid on Friday and decides to work only on Fridays thereafter — not seeing that Friday's cheque is the accumulation of the whole week. Image for how kamma ripens.

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

I remember this fellow who went to work on a Monday morning, he worked so hard all day and at the end of the day - didn't get paid. He went to work on Tuesday, worked all day, worked really hard, he said he got nothing for his effort. On Wednesday he thought what's the point of going to work but his wife forced him to go, so went to work on Wednesday, worked hard - still got nothing. Thursday, well nothing much to do, so he went to work on Thursday as well, and on Friday he thought what’s the point going to work but end of the week, nothing better to do, so he went to work, and on a Friday his boss gave him a cheque, and he thought well from now on I'm only going to go to work on Fridays. [laughter] And of course you don't realize that the Friday cheque is accumulating all that you've done before, all of your good kamma which you've done before, that's actually how kamma works.

## Teaching point

Results often arrive later than the work; do not judge the path by today's empty pocket.

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

A man worked all week unpaid, got his cheque on Friday, and decided to work only Fridays. He missed the point: Friday's pay came from the whole week. Kindness works like that, and so does meditation. When a door bangs or a dog barks, choose gentleness. Each moment adds up, and peace arrives in its own time.

## Source

- [Meditation Kamma | Ajahn Brahm | 06-06-2008](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M5Fxmq5c9s) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 39:19 to 40:21: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M5Fxmq5c9s&t=2359s

Other tellings of this story:

- [7 Insight calm & kindness](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJZCnO-tNBA) (BSWA Retreats 2011-15 & Media) — watch from 7:49 to 8:57: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJZCnO-tNBA&t=469s