# The happiness licence

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-happiness-licence
- Themes: happiness, guilt, permission, humour
- Life situations: feeling guilty about good fortune, self-acceptance

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Some years ago a person whose life was going well came to Ajahn Brahm feeling guilty about being happy. So on Bodhinyana Monastery letterhead he typed and signed a licence: 'I, Ajahn Brahm, Spiritual Director of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia, hereby grant you permission to be happy' — for them to put on their wall.

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

in fact some years ago I was counseling another person having a very good time but they felt guilty about it, so on our monastery letterhead, you know, nice letterhead, Bodhinyana Monastery Serpentine, I typed out a letter and I signed it, and it was a license. I said this is a happiness license “I, Ajahn Brahm, Spiritual Director of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia hereby grant you permission to be happy” and I signed that for her [laughs], so they could put it on their wall

## Teaching point

There is nothing wrong with being happy; give yourself permission to enjoy it, and permission to have problems too.

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

Someone felt guilty about life going well, so Ajahn Brahm typed an official licence on monastery letterhead granting permission to be happy. Enjoy happiness when it comes. Give yourself permission to have problems too. Both are life. The hard times are like compost; dig them in and they feed the garden.

## Source

- [Kamma without Belief | by Ajahn Brahm | 06 January 2012](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJTCZ1izujg) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 12:38 to 13:16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJTCZ1izujg&t=758s