# Seven days without food ended the monks' quarrel

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-kosambi-laypeople-stop-feeding-arguing-monks
- Themes: Vinaya, community, monastic life, conflict
- Life situations: organisational conflict, enabling bad behaviour

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

At Kosambi (he places near modern Allahabad) monks argued endlessly; lay people stopped offering food for seven days until the starving monks settled the dispute. He maps it to not supporting misbehaving monastics — from kindness, not ill will.

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

there's a big Monastery they're having an argument they couldn't settle it so all the lay people decided okay we're not going to feed the monks seven days later the argument was settled the poor monks were so hungry and starving okay we're not going to argue anymore

## Teaching point

Withdrawing support can teach more kindly than angry criticism.

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

In the Buddha's time, quarrelling monks wouldn't make peace, so lay supporters stopped feeding them. A hungry week later, the dispute was settled. Ajahn Brahm says the same applies today: don't support monks who misbehave. Withdraw support out of kindness, not ill will. A firm boundary can teach gently.

## Source

- [Finding fault or finding beauty | by Ajahn Brahm | 5 June 2015](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K8ejLdmOK8) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 16:10 to 16:32: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K8ejLdmOK8&t=970s

Other tellings of this story:

- [MN 128 Upakkilesa Sutta (Imperfections)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myY8aPvbdXI) (Dhammaloka Suttas) — watch from 4:28 to 5:03: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myY8aPvbdXI&t=268s