# Next to a media heir at the urinal

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-lachlan-murdoch-urinal
- Themes: wealth, humour
- Life situations: envy of the wealthy

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

At a Parliament House state dinner for Queen Elizabeth II, Ajahn Brahm finds himself at the urinal next to Lachlan Murdoch and thinks he should have brought a donation envelope for the Buddhist Society.

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

once I was I was at Parliament House in in Canberra a state dinner with Queen Elizabeth the second Wow And I went to the toilet like you have to do in the men's toilet in the urinal next to me Was Lachlan Murdoch? And I thought oh, I should have bought a donation envelope for the Buddha Society of Western stupid yeah But I didn't have one with me

## Teaching point

(Aside on meeting the mega-wealthy, leading into how wealth can become a prison.)

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

Standing beside a media heir at a state-dinner urinal, the monk's first thought was a donation envelope. It's a funny picture of how we all look up to wealth. Up close, Ajahn Brahm found that the very rich often live behind guards and walls, in comfortable prisons. Rich or poor, at the urinal we're all much the same.

## Source

- [Stress - Overreaction to Life | Ajahn Brahm | 9 March 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEpeaWywKi4) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 12:26 to 13:01: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEpeaWywKi4&t=746s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Putting Meaning Into Life | Ajahn Brahm | 03-12-2010](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG5IadQxhvE) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 7:50 to 8:05: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG5IadQxhvE&t=470s