# Pasta lives

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Joke
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-joke-pasta-lives
- Themes: humour, rebirth
- Life situations: needing a laugh

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

On a retreat where rebirth is discussed, a written question reports two vivid dreams — in one life they were a piece of ravioli, in another a strand of spaghetti. Is this an example of pasta lives?

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

somebody actually wrote on the question a couple of days ago i don't i wonder two days ago that they had a dream one of these because we're talking about reincarnation and their vivid dream was that in one of their lives they're a piece of ravioli weird but you know you've got to respect people's you know views and things it's really disgusting when people say you're crazy no no find out what do they mean this could be something really interesting and they said the night before they dreamt of another weird experience they were a strand of spaghetti and they asked me in the question is this an example of pasta lives

## Teaching point

(A pun; he defends bad jokes as a circuit-breaker for heaviness.)

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

Someone dreamed of a past life as ravioli and another as spaghetti: pasta lives. Ajahn Brahm tests jokes this bad on Friday afternoon visitors first. People groan, then repeat it to their friends. When life feels heavy, a little silliness works like a circuit breaker on stress. Let yourself enjoy a terrible pun.

## Source

- [Facing Difficult Situations in Life | Ajahn Brahm | 6 October 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yy0k6zefVM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 27:38 to 28:27: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yy0k6zefVM&t=1658s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Being Afraid | Ajahn Brahm | 16 March 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYHTHj4PGPU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 13:39 to 15:32: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYHTHj4PGPU&t=819s
- [Freedom | Ajahn Brahm | 5 July 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWyNL4vEClw) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:05:12 to 1:05:49: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWyNL4vEClw&t=3912s