# Fall in the same hole three times

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Analogy
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-hole-in-the-street-three-times
- Themes: learning, heedfulness, analogy, cancer care
- Life situations: repeating mistakes, recovery

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Analogy: walk down a street, fall in a muddy hole twice with shame, third time walk around it — heedfulness learning curve (from cancer-care wisdom).

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

fall in a hole and it's, you know, it's just really muddy hole, dirty. It takes a really lot of effort to get out of that hole. So the next time they make a resolution, I've got to be more heedful. And they walk down that street and they still fall in that hole and they say, "Oh, I'm a terrible person." The third person, the third time, they go down that same street and now they really are heedful. So they walk around the hall

## Teaching point

The third pass is when heedfulness finally walks around the hole.

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

Someone falls in a hole in the street and feels awful. Next time, they fall in again. The third time, they walk around it. The wisest take a different street altogether. We all repeat mistakes; Ajahn Brahm still does, like telling a marriage joke to a nervous groom. Learning takes time. Never decide you're a bad person.

## Source

- [Water the Flowers | Ajahn Brahm | 12 January 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjgDjKn292w) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 58:40 to 59:13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjgDjKn292w&t=3520s