# Paid to be shouted at

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-greek-student-paid-to-be-shouted-at
- Themes: anger, attitude, humour, work
- Life situations: being shouted at, angry boss, criticism

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

In ancient Greece a teacher charges his students a few extra coins every time he has to shout at them for doing something stupid. One student pays for years. When he graduates and gets a job in Athens, every time his boss shouts at him he laughs. Asked why, he explains: “When I was a student I had to pay to be shouted at. Now I get it for free!”

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

There was this one, this was ancient Greece and there there was a teacher and he had many many students and he teach them everything. [snorts] But every time any one of those students did something stupid and the teacher would shout at the student, the teacher would charge a few extra dollars. It's reasonable. It's logical. Shouting at someone is a lot of effort. And the know it's not the teacher's fault that the student did something wrong. The student should pay the teacher an extra five bucks or something for being so stupid that the teacher had to shout at him. So this young man, he studied with his teacher for many years. Every time he made a mistake, teacher shout at him, he'd hand have to hand over another five bucks. But when he graduated and got a job in Athens somewhere, every time his boss shouted at him at work, this young man would laugh. [laughter] The boss at him again. [laughter] And they wonder know why you keep laughing at us when you get told off. Could you do that at work when somebody shouted at you? Could you laugh? Or was your partner they shouted at you, told you off and you go? [laughter] Could you do that? He said, "Why are you laughing at it?" He said, "Well, look, when I was a student, I had to be paid when people shouted at me. Now I get it for free. That's why I think it's so funny.

## Teaching point

Change your attitude to what you experience; anger always hurts the angry one first.

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

A student who once paid his teacher a coin for every scolding laughed when his boss shouted at him: now he was getting it for free. Nothing about the shouting changed, only his attitude. Next time someone tells you off, see if you can find the funny side; anger hurts the angry person first.

## Source

- [Having a Good Relationship with Life | Ajahn Brahm | 9 October 2020](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_3C-49o_78) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 27:45 to 29:29: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_3C-49o_78&t=1665s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Emotional Intelligence and Acceptance | Ajahn Brahm | 19 May 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejSaOOQ3VrY) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 22:50 to 24:58: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejSaOOQ3VrY&t=1370s
- [Albany Dhamma Talk & Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 20 September 2020](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt8fuCLt3YM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 2:10 to 3:16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt8fuCLt3YM&t=130s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 13 January 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZXWVa677Ks) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:11:35 to 1:12:43: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZXWVa677Ks&t=4295s
- [Looking Forward To 2012 | Ajahn Brahm | 30-12-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5VsoBHVsKM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 30:07 to 31:58: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5VsoBHVsKM&t=1807s