Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

The parrot that kept vigil

As told by Ajahn Brahm in How to Be Happy in Solitude | Ajahn Brahm | 1 February 2019

1 min read

Content note: animal-behaviour claim (all parrots mate for life) is a generalisation

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

some little time before, we had a gardener who was coming up every day to do some work in Bodhinyana, and he told me the corner of Kingsbury Drive and the South Western Highway, he just noticed as he came early one morning, not much traffic, there was a parrot, was on the branch of a tree, looking down at a dead parrot, which had been hit by a car, maybe early that morning, and when he finished work, he noticed that parrot was still there, looking down, hadn't moved. The next morning, the parrot was still on the tree, looking down. About three or four days, the parrot hadn't moved, looking down at the dead parrot on the side of the road. If that wasn't grief, I don't know what is.

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 48:05 (to 49:01)

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

For three or four days a parrot sat on a branch beside the highway, looking down at its dead mate. If that wasn't grief, Ajahn Brahm says, he doesn't know what is. Animals love and mourn too. Slow down enough to notice, and be gentle with every creature carrying a loss, people included.

In brief (our summary)

A gardener coming to Bodhinyana each day noticed, early one morning at the corner of Kingsbury Drive and the South Western Highway, a parrot on a branch looking down at a dead parrot hit by a car. After work it was still there; the next morning too — for three or four days it didn't move. 'If that wasn't grief, I don't know what is.' Parrots mate for life, he says.

Teaching point

In stillness you notice what nature teaches — animals feel love and grief too.

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in How to Be Happy in Solitude | Ajahn Brahm | 1 February 2019 · 2019-02-01 · ▶ watch from 48:05 to 49:01 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

2 other tellings of this story

Caption notes: Manual (volunteer) captions; occasional misspellings kept as is.

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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