Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

First walk up Kingsbury Drive

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Factors of Enlightenment | Ajahn Brahm | 3 July 2026

1 min read

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

I'm going to walk up the hill today alone." So, I send the car with a driver up ahead. I'm going to walk. And that kind of really shocked me. What I didn't get much exercise, I must admit, because I did walk so slowly. And every now and again, I turn to the left to see the valley, turn to the right and see the hillside. And my goodness, often I had to ask myself, "Where am I?" I could not recognize my location. And I've been living up that uh the top of that hill for about 5 or 6 years by that time. The first time I actually walked up that hill. It looked totally different

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 25:12 (to 26:17)

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

After years of being driven, Ajahn Brahm walked up the monastery road slowly for the first time and barely recognised it. From a car, each new image knocks out the last before you take it in. Slow down or stop now and then, and you see far more of life. Try it on your own street.

In brief (our summary)

Building Bodhinyana, Brahm sends the car ahead and walks Kingsbury Drive alone for the first time after years living at the top — so slowly, turning to valley and hillside, that he barely recognises where he is; the hill looks totally different on foot.

Teaching point

The same road is a new world when you walk it without hurry.

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Factors of Enlightenment | Ajahn Brahm | 3 July 2026 · 2026-07-04 · ▶ watch from 25:12 to 26:17 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

2 other tellings of this story

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions with machine-added punctuation; words left exactly as captioned.

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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