Being Mindful Stories

Joke · Ajahn Brahm

“I feel like a newborn baby”

As told by Ajahn Brahm in No Fear | Ajahn Brahm | 20-05-2011

1 min read

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

It reminds me of that story of the two old men sitting down and talking to one another and they were in their sort of 70s or 80s and one said to the other, "Oh, just it's so terrible being old. You know, I just ache all over the place and just, you know, I can't do things like I used to do. life is so difficult being old. And the other friend who was just about the same age said, "What do you mean?" Said, "It's wonderful. I feel I feel like a newborn baby said, "How is that?" He said, "Well, look at me. I've got no hair, no teeth, and I've just wet my pants again cuz that's what it's like when you get old. You keep doing the same old things again and again and again.

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 9:08 (to 9:54)

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

One old man moans about ageing; his friend feels like a newborn: no hair, no teeth, and he's just wet his pants again. Ajahn Brahm laughs at getting old rather than dreading it. You've already come through pain, sickness and loss. Whatever comes next, you can deal with it too, and probably grow.

In brief (our summary)

One old man complains that ageing is terrible — aches everywhere, can't do what he used to. His friend of the same age says it's wonderful: he feels like a newborn baby. How? “No hair, no teeth, and I've just wet my pants again.”

Teaching point

(Humour about the decline of old age, on the way to not fearing it.)

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in No Fear | Ajahn Brahm | 20-05-2011 · 2011-05-21 · ▶ watch from 9:08 to 9:54 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, words left exactly as captioned. Ajahn Brahm's own tag line runs on after the punchline.

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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