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Story · Ajahn Brahm

The kung fu pose

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Expectations Cause Suffering | Ajahn Brahm | 24 June 2022

2 min read

Content note: bluffing a gang is risky — not advice to imitate; he says he does not know whether it was stupidity or courage

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

I told him the story of when I was uh over in London visiting my mother and that's where I grew up in London in West London Actton. part of that area was very rough and I just in the afternoon I was walking from my mother's house or rather flat apartment to the Sri Lankan temple to give a talk that evening and I decided to go the shortest way which was also past this block of flats for poor people which was known as a hot bed of crime. Basically, it was like a nogo area unless you knew who you were and where, you know, and the other people knew you. So, I was walking along the street minding my own business. And this gang, maybe first of all, a dozen or maybe 14 or 15 guys came out just to meet together to, you know, find out what business they were going to get up to that evening. And as they saw me coming towards them, just walking peacefully, minding my own business, then they realized I was a Buddhist monk cuz they started chanting Buddha. Budda, Budda, Buddha. As I got closer, it became louder and faster. Buddha, Budda, Buddha, Buddha. They were trying to intimidate me. But even I was alone and these were many young you must call them thugs just they were waiting for me chanting louder and louder Buddha Buddha. I had a choice. I could turn around and just go back and go another way. I could cross the road to the other side of the street. That is not my character. My character was that I walked towards him calmly. When I got to within about five or six meters of them, they're really chanting loud now. Buddha, Buddha, Buddha, Buddha, and I raised my arms in a kung fu pose. At least what I saw on the TV as a kung fu pose. You know, sometimes I actually did that sometime. I don't know if it was stupidity or courage, but I don't know, but it worked. and and I just walked the same pace with my arms like this [laughter] and they parted and let me right through. They didn't hit me at all or harm me at all. They could have wasted me so easily.

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 6:00 (to 8:48)

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

Surrounded by a chanting gang in west London, the monk kept walking, struck a kung fu pose he'd only seen on TV, and they parted to let him through. He still doesn't know if it was courage or stupidity. Don't copy the stunt. Do notice how freeing it is not to care what people think while you go about something good.

In brief (our summary)

Walking from his mother's flat in Acton to give a talk at the Sri Lankan temple, Ajahn Brahm takes the short way past a block of flats known as a no-go area. A gang of fourteen or fifteen young men gathers and starts chanting 'Buddha, Buddha, Buddha', louder and faster, to intimidate him. Rather than turn back or cross the road, he walks calmly on and, five or six metres away, raises his arms in a kung fu pose he'd seen on TV — knowing no kung fu at all. They part and let him through.

Teaching point

Confidence and not caring what others think can carry you through; he 'just knew how to play the game'.

When this story may help

  • intimidation
  • being different
  • walking in unsafe places

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Expectations Cause Suffering | Ajahn Brahm | 24 June 2022 · 2022-06-24 · ▶ watch from 6:00 to 8:48 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

5 other tellings of this story

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions (machine-punctuated); words left exactly as captioned. 'Actton' = Acton.

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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