# Hahayana — the book title that stuck

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-hahayana-book-title
- Themes: humour, publishing, Buddhism
- Life situations: creative ideas, teaching

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Idea for a joke book combining Hinayana/Mahayana/Vajrayana into Hahayana — title first, book maybe never; the laugh is the teaching.

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

a combination of uh Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana, which became Hahayana, yes. Hahayana Buddhist teachings of Ajahn Brahm. [laughter] And then I've never got that far, but never mind

## Teaching point

Sometimes the title is already the Dhamma.

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

Ajahn Brahm once dreamed up a joke-book title combining Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana: Hahayana. He never wrote the book, but the laugh stuck. Asked who leads Buddhism, he points out the Buddha named no successor, only the teaching and the training. Follow the Dhamma, not a personality, and keep laughing.

## Source

- [Checking Your Expectations | Ajahn Brahm | 17 December 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DEK6Ag_0go) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:30:05 to 1:30:27: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DEK6Ag_0go&t=5405s