Joke · Ajahn Brahm
The mugged tax minister
Content note: armed robbery (joke)
The story — as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)
he was a minister for taxation and he was walking back from some meeting and he got mugged this guy came up with a gun and told the minister of taxation He didn't know who he was. He said, "Hand over all your money." And the taxation minister said, "Look, I'm the minister of taxation." "Oh, sorry, sir," said the the the thief. He pointed the gun and "Hand over my money," said the thief. "Fair enough.
▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 33:20 (to 33:54)
A reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)
A mugger demands money from a man who says he's the tax minister. Oh, sorry, then hand over MY money. Fair enough. His jokes don't improve, Ajahn Brahm admits. Some things never change. Inside you, the awareness listening now doesn't feel old. The body is only the shell it lives in.
In brief (our summary)
A gunman orders a man to hand over all his money. “Look, I'm the Minister of Taxation.” — “Oh, sorry, sir. Hand over MY money, then.” — “Fair enough.”
Teaching point
(Death and taxes are the two certainties; his jokes don't change much.)
When this story may help
- needing a laugh
- tax resentment
Themes
Source & credit
Told by Ajahn Brahm in One Life, Many Lives | by Ajahn Brahm | 13-01-2012 · 2012-01-14 · ▶ watch from 33:20 to 33:54 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia
Caption notes: Captions attribute the line 'Hand over my money' to the thief; as spoken, the logic is muddled (not changed).
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