# “Oh no, not again”

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-joke-newborn-oh-no-not-again
- Themes: rebirth, suffering, humour
- Life situations: weariness with life

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

A baby boy born in a US maternity ward, still attached to the umbilical cord, is said to have spoken words everyone heard: “Oh no, not again.”

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

there was this one story supposed to be true confirmed as best you possibly can a a baby being born in a maternity ward knows a boy so born in a maternity ward in the u.s when the baby came out of the womb still attached to umbilical cord spoke uttered words and the words which it said were just classic it said and everyone there heard it oh no not again

## Teaching point

Birth leads to the same suffering all over again — the first noble truth.

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

The newborn who supposedly looked around the delivery room and said 'Oh no, not again' is a tall tale, but Ajahn Brahm enjoys it: school again, homework again, everything again. He makes the Buddha's first noble truth funny. Life has its hard bits on every round, and a laugh at that helps you meet them.

## Source

- [Out of Body Experiences | Ajahn Brahm | 1 July 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsyT2OaS2Tw) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 47:50 to 48:26: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsyT2OaS2Tw&t=2870s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Buddhism & Cats | Ajahn Brahm | 1 June 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAvaDXittW4) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 11:00 to 11:30: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAvaDXittW4&t=660s
- [Emboldening the Mind with Fizz & Sparkle (9/14) | Ajahn Brahm & Venerable Canda | 10 December 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-inp5ZUac8) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 26:43 to 27:11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-inp5ZUac8&t=1603s