# Giving up tea for three months

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-gave-up-tea-for-rains-retreat
- Themes: addiction, renunciation, humour, monastic life
- Life situations: habits, caffeine, testing self-control

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

People told Ajahn Brahm he was addicted to tea. So he decided to give it up for the three-month Rains Retreat. The monks begged him not to: another monk had tried it and was 'a pain in the butt' to live with for three months. He did it anyway — and was very happy and peaceful, no problem at all.

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

Believe it or not, that one year people kept on telling me: ‘Ajahn Brahm, you’re addicted to tea. You always have your cup of tea. Cup of tea in the morning, cup of tea in the afternoon.’ I said: ‘okay, I'm going to give it up for three months’. And then all the monks came up to me and said: ‘Please don't do that’. I said: ‘why not?’ - ‘Because’, they said, ‘another monk tried that and he was a pain in the butt for three months without his tea - he was such an awful person to live with’. 'Well no', I said: ‘I'm going to try it to see if I'm addicted to it.’ So I gave it up for three months. I was very happy, very peaceful, no problem at all.

## Teaching point

Test whether you're addicted by giving something up temporarily.

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

Told he was addicted to tea, Ajahn Brahm gave it up for the three-month Rains Retreat, despite monks warning that the last abstainer had been unbearable. He was perfectly happy. Giving something up 'forever' is scary. Try a week instead. It shows you how attached you are, without the fear.

## Source

- [Dealing with addictions | by Ajahn Brahm | 19 June 2015](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9eiGPAIyK8) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 10:25 to 11:00: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9eiGPAIyK8&t=625s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Energy in our Body and Mind from Inspiration | Ajahn Brahm | 2 November 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWz3LAAj-J0) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 3:32 to 4:20: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWz3LAAj-J0&t=212s
- [Real Happiness | Ajahn Brahm | 22 November 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKpp1Z-6kA0) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 17:17 to 18:13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKpp1Z-6kA0&t=1037s
- [How to be of Service | Ajahn Brahm | 11 June 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgKWRJ3Po44) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:05:43 to 1:06:05: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgKWRJ3Po44&t=3943s