Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

The homeless man put his sandwich in the bowl

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Investing in Inner Qualities | Ajahn Brahm | 19 June 2020

1 min read

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

There was like a homeless man and he had a sandwich which he I don't know where he got his sandwich from. And he saw the monk and he stopped the monk and said, "Please stop and accept my sandwich." And the monk sort of opened his bowl lid and took a sandwich. Cuz when we go on alms round, we never ask for anything. We don't say, "Give me this, give me that." If somebody wishes to put some food into your bowl, they will do. And that's what he ate for his lunch that day. Not much. Where it came from was so wonderful and beautiful. We always feel that if somebody does a wonderful, kind, generous, sometimes you may say stupid act, that homeless man needed the food. No. The homeless man needed the opportunity to be kind. And that was even more he can get another sandwich somewhere. The opportunity to be kind and generous and do something from the heart. To actually to give instead of worrying about getting. Was something which was inspiring to that homeless man and something which that monk would never forget

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 2:53 (to 4:08)

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

Walking a city street with his bowl, a young monk was stopped by a homeless man who insisted on giving him his sandwich. The monk accepted. The man needed the chance to give. Let people be generous, even when they seem to have nothing. Friends and family are the best insurance anyway.

In brief (our summary)

During a Perth conference a young monk skipped the free lunch to walk St Georges Terrace with his bowl; a homeless man stopped him and insisted on giving his sandwich. The monk ate that for lunch — moved by the chance the man needed to give.

Teaching point

Sometimes the one who 'has nothing' most needs the chance to be generous.

When this story may help

  • receiving help
  • seeing dignity in the poor

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Investing in Inner Qualities | Ajahn Brahm | 19 June 2020 · 2020-06-19 · ▶ watch from 2:53 to 4:08 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, words left exactly as captioned.

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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