Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

The gentleman who helped the homeless man in Hampstead

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Buddhism and Atheism | Ajahn Brahm | 16-04-2010

2 min read

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

I remember, the monks, when I first went to England, told me this old story. They said that once... When they first went to England, they were staying in this old house in Hampstead. And these were forest monks, monks who lived in big jungle monasteries where you could walk and it was nature, there were animals, some animals you didn't like, like mosquitoes. But you know, there was a sense of freedom and it was bright and it was warm, and it was lovely. And now they were transported to England in the wintertime when it was gray, when it was raining. And it never even rained property. It's called drizzle, it's not really raining not being dry, it's halfway in between, can't do anything sort of fully. And just everything was gray and dull in that place. I'm not going to tell the old gray joke I have told that too many times. But everything is gray and boring and dull and depressing. And one of the monks was looking through the window one morning, feeling very sort of homesick for the jungles and brightness of Thailand. And he saw just in the early morning drizzle, cold. He saw a homeless man, who was hunched in a doorway, trying to escape the worst of the cold and the rain. And I used to know those people; these are people who would overcome the cold of the night by taking the cheapest form of alcohol which was known as methylated spirits, woods spirits in the United States, ruins your health, it kills your liver. But I know many people like that, the meths drinkers, and they stank. And he saw that morning, this English gentleman, you know, traditional; probably you don't have this anymore, bowler hat, furled umbrella, nice suit and overcoat going to work in the city. The sort of person you used to see on the movies a long time ago, apparently don't exist anymore. But well dressed, well groomed on his way to work. And he saw this gentleman in this very clean clothes, stop at that doorway, and just bend over to that homeless man who'd been out all night. He couldn't hear what was said. But he saw next, this man in this beautiful suit, put his arm around that homeless man, that stinky, dirty man, and gently pick him up and take him to a cafe to get some breakfast. And he said at that moment, the greyness and the coldness and the dullness of London just vanished. It was beautiful. He saw an act which uplifted him; an act of kindness and care, because that man would have the smell on his clothes as he went to work. He'd probably be late., but he said, doesn't matter what my boss says, there was a person who needed some kindness, needed some food, needed a friend, doesn't matter if I'm late, doesn't matter if I kept the smell on my clothes, it can be washed off later. It was worth doing an act of kindness.

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 18:34 (to 21:44)

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

A homesick monk at a London window watched a city gentleman in a bowler hat put his arm around a homeless man and take him to breakfast, late for work and smelling of the doorway. The grey city lit up. Ajahn Brahm calls an act like that holy. Smells wash out; the chance to be kind may not come back.

In brief (our summary)

Thai forest monks newly arrived in a grey, drizzly London winter are staying in an old house in Hampstead. One homesick monk, looking out of the window early one morning, sees a homeless meths drinker hunched in a doorway — and a smartly dressed city gentleman, bowler hat and furled umbrella, stop, bend down, put his arm around the dirty, smelly man and take him to a café for breakfast. At that moment the greyness of London vanishes.

Teaching point

An act of kindness is what a Buddhist could call 'God' — something holy you can actually see and touch.

When this story may help

  • feeling homesick
  • depressing surroundings
  • seeing someone in need

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Buddhism and Atheism | Ajahn Brahm | 16-04-2010 · 2010-04-17 · ▶ watch from 18:34 to 21:44 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

2 other tellings of this story

Caption notes: Manual (volunteer) captions; occasional misspellings kept as is.

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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