# How big is my hand?

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Analogy
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-how-big-is-my-hand
- Themes: perspective, decisions, letting go
- Life situations: difficult decisions, obsessing over a problem

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Simile (shown with his hand): held in front of his face, his hand is so big he can see nothing else. Is it the hand's fault? No — it's just too close. Put it back where it belongs, at the end of the arm: it's the same size, but now he sees everyone and the hand too.

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

The old simile, again this is great for the camera, but it’s terrible on audio: I put my hand in front of my face. “How big is my hand?” is the question. My hand is so big, that I can’t see anything other than my hand right now. Is it my hand’s fault? Is that the problem? No, it’s just too close to me. When I put my hand where it belongs, at the end of my arm, it’s still the same size, but I can see all of you, and I can also see my hand. This is the difficulty when we have these decisions to make, when we hold it so close to us, we cannot see anything else. We got no perspective. We need to somehow to let it go, be peaceful, put things aside, rest, relax, whatever you call it. But stop thinking about the decision you have to make for a couple of days. And when it’s in the place where it really belongs, at the end of your arm, like my hand, then you can see much clearer, and you make a far better decision.

## Teaching point

Problems held too close block perspective; set them at arm's length for a while and you decide better.

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

Held up to his face, Ajahn Brahm's hand blocks out the whole room. It isn't too big, only too close. A worry works the same way. Put it back at arm's length for a day or two, and you'll see it at its true size, along with everything and everyone around it.

## Source

- [Decisions, Decisions, Decisions | Ajahn Brahm | 9 May 2008](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOJVD0Lh-ZU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 36:37 to 37:37: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOJVD0Lh-ZU&t=2197s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Building Resilience | Ajahn Brahm | 8 November 2019](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_znbRN8JRXw) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 25:31 to 26:37: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_znbRN8JRXw&t=1531s
- [How To Deal With Confusion | Ajahn Brahm | 19-12-2014](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lln7FHZv6VQ) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 22:41 to 23:52: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lln7FHZv6VQ&t=1361s
- [How to deal with abusive relationships | Ajahn Brahm | 13-03-2015](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuGKQmP7jZs) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 25:50 to 26:34: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuGKQmP7jZs&t=1550s
- [Real Life | Ajahn Brahm | 3 Jun 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzgG2HBzVDk) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 41:10 to 42:21: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzgG2HBzVDk&t=2470s
- [New Year's Eve (Dhamma Talk, Meditation & Chanting) | Ajahn Brahm | 31 December 2020](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpsBHggU_BY) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 20:17 to 21:57: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpsBHggU_BY&t=1217s