# Grasshopper and the pool of acid

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-kung-fu-grasshopper-acid-pool
- Themes: fear, self-fulfilling prophecy, performance
- Life situations: exam nerves, performance anxiety, fear of failure, health anxiety

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

In an episode of 'Kung Fu', the blind master shows the novice Grasshopper a pool of 'acid' with bones at the bottom and a plank across it, then has him practise on a plank on bricks for seven days. On the real day Grasshopper wobbles — commercial break — and falls in. The master laughs: it was only water; the bones were for effect. “Fear pushed you in, fear made you fall, only fear.”

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

I can't help but mention that story which is in "Opening the Door of Your Heart," about the TV story which I saw as a young man called "Kung Fu." I think with David Carradine, I think, if my memory is good. I remember this particular scene which was all about the power of fear. In this particular scene, they took this young monk, this novice monk, he's called "Grasshopper," and he had a master, this blind very very wise Buddhist monk who was teaching him all sorts of interesting things about life. But this was real Buddhism, it was not theory, it was actually life, practice. So in this one episode he took little Grasshopper inside a room, a secret room which was normally kept locked and no novice was allowed to go in. And as he opened the door and took little Grasshopper in, and obviously the camera followed, in this little movie-TV series. And when the lights became easy to see, the master asked Grasshopper, because the master was blind, he said "Grasshopper, what can you see, what can you see?" And Grasshopper, and I looking at the TV, Grasshopper said, "A swimming pool, it's like a pool." And the master said, "Be very careful, but go to the edge, and what you see in the bottom?" Grasshopper very carefully went to the edge of the pool and he said, "I see bones, lots of bones in the pool, master." "Exactly" said the master, "Those are human bones, because that isn't water, that is acid, strong concentrated acid, be careful." Of course Grasshopper stood back, because this is dangerous. "What else do you see," said the master. "I see a plank," said Grasshopper, "stretching from one side of the pool to the other side." "Exactly, said the master, "This is going to be a test for you, as all novices have to pass this test, you have to walk on that plank across the pool of strong concentrated acid, and I don't want you to fall in and add your bones to the bones of all the other young novices who fell in." Little Grasshopper looked very scared, and I must admit, watching the TV, I got scared too. [laughter] "But," said the master "come outside." And outside in the monastery courtyard there was another plank exactly the same size and length, only just put on two bricks. "Practice," said the master to Grasshopper, "you have 7 days, no other duties, just practice walking on this plank, because in 7 days' time you'll have to walk over the acid," strong concentrated novice-eating acid. So he practiced for 7 days, no problem at all, after half a day, easy to balance. But after 7 days it was a real thing, and the master took Grasshopper into the room once again, and the master ordered Grasshopper, "Stand on the edge of the plank." And you could see the novice's legs start to wobble out of terror, 'cause this was not just on a plank over hard concrete in the courtyard, this was over acid and one slip, one little error and he would fall in and die a horrible death. "Walk," said the master. And Grasshopper turned around, and you could read the look on Grasshopper's face, "Don't, please master, don't let me walk." "Walk," said the master, so Grasshopper started walking, unsteadily at first but as he got closer to the middle it was even more unsteady as his legs appeared to start to give way. You could see him shake, and then wobble and then sway, and it really looked like he was about to fall in, and that's when it stopped for the commercial breaks. [laughter] I hated those commercial breaks. So you had to watch stupid advertisements for soap powder and toothpaste before you could go back and find out what really happened to Grasshopper. So after an interminable wait on these stupid advertisements, you were back in that terrifying room. But usually just 3 or 4 seconds behind where they left off, you can start to see Grasshopper, he wasn't swaying yet, he was just wobbling. As he got closer to the middle of the pool, he wobbled and swayed even more and it looked like he was gonna fall in, you know what happened? He fell in, he fell into the pool of acid. And what did the compassionate master do? He just laughed as Grasshopper splashed around, and the master laughed even more, and Grasshopper realized he wasn't being burned. Master said, "Grasshopper, you found out now, it's only water, it wasn't acid, it was just water, and as for the bones, we just threw them down there for special effects, to make you scared. Why did you fall in, little Grasshopper? Fear pushed you in, fear made you fall, only fear.

## Teaching point

Fear makes us bring about what we fear.

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

Seven days of practice on a plank over bricks, and Grasshopper still fell into the 'acid', which turned out to be water with a few bones thrown in for effect. Fear did the pushing. Before an exam, a presentation or a driving test, remember that you've done the practice. Let the bones be bones and walk the plank as calmly as you can.

## Source

- [The Attitude Of Fearlessness | Ajahn Brahm | 21-11-2008](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj2H1sDwG-o) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 22:05 to 28:27: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj2H1sDwG-o&t=1325s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Relax. Everything's out of control! | by Ajahn Brahm | 26 June 2015](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY6Q-OnMTEE) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 26:04 to 33:52: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY6Q-OnMTEE&t=1564s
- [Being Afraid | Ajahn Brahm | 16 March 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYHTHj4PGPU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 16:39 to 24:50: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYHTHj4PGPU&t=999s
- [How to Handle Anxiety | Ajahn Brahm | 15 March 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9ZmTRI7NUU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 5:07 to 14:12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9ZmTRI7NUU&t=307s
- [Confidence, Fear and Anxiety | Ajahn Brahm | 28 January 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnYwHoYJID8) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 32:08 to 39:20: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnYwHoYJID8&t=1928s
- [Choices | Ajahn Brahm | 22 April 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOLJNX3y0-w) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 32:55 to 39:27: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOLJNX3y0-w&t=1975s
- [Why not Us? | Ajahn Brahm | 18-02-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_rd8PBUpwU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 28:55 to 30:26: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_rd8PBUpwU&t=1735s