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Story · Ajahn Brahm

The lottery winners who couldn't find their kids

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Putting Meaning Into Life | Ajahn Brahm | 03-12-2010

1 min read

Content note: unverified details (from an email)

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

somebody sent me an email about this couple in the UK who won the lottery. They got instant money, about 40 million GBP. So they bought this huge mansion, one year later they sold that mansion. The reason they sold that mansion was they couldn't find their kids. It was just too big. So there they were in this dream mansion, just what sometimes, you'd drool over, you see maybe in the TV or you see in the magazines or you may go past if you go driving down Peppermint Grove. You'd think - wow wouldn't it be amazing living in a huge place like that with manicured gardens, swimming pools, and with people to serve you whatever you needed. But then, you think about what happens to a person in there. And this was someone who'd been there and done that, because the house had so many rooms, they could never find their kids. Almost had to send a search party out to see which room they were in. And because of that, they realised that something was terribly, terribly missing in their life. Family, relationships, a bit of love.

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 9:04 (to 10:22)

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

A British couple, as an email reported it, won around forty million pounds, bought a dream mansion and sold it a year later because they could never find their children in it. Floor space can quietly push people apart. Before reaching for a bigger life, check that it still keeps the ones you love within earshot.

In brief (our summary)

A UK couple win about £40 million and buy a huge dream mansion — then sell it a year later, because the house is so big they can never find their children. They realise something is terribly missing: family, relationships, a bit of love.

Teaching point

Wealth brings disillusionment; it can't buy what gives life meaning.

When this story may help

  • sudden wealth
  • chasing money
  • family disconnection

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Putting Meaning Into Life | Ajahn Brahm | 03-12-2010 · 2010-12-05 · ▶ watch from 9:04 to 10:22 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

5 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

  • The lottery winner led to jail

    In brief: A happy man of modest means wins a US lottery of over a hundred million dollars; soon his picture is in the paper as he is led to jail.…

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    A classic story is few years ago one of the people who won a huge lottery in the United States hundred million dollars or more , his picture was in the newspaper being led to jail He was a very happy man before he won the lottery and as soon as he won the lottery things started to go wrong in his life Sure before he won that lottery he didn't have much money he had enough to enjoy his life, to be able eat and have a modest little house and go out with his friends but as soon as he became really really wealthy all of his friends he could not trust anymore. all were asking for loans or bits of money here and there it was one of the problems with wealth; even though it promises you so much it tends to limit your enjoyment of the world rather than facilitate it

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  • Families around the toothpaste-tube lamp

    In brief: In his first weeks in a poor Northeast Thai village — no electricity, dirt roads, no TV — Ajahn Brahm walks through at night to a…

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  • Dad's 'Saturday injections'

    In brief: At 10 or 11, Ajahn Brahm makes the primary-school football team, but his father must work Saturday mornings. After kick-off he turns and…

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    that's when I was about 11 years 10 or 11 years of age You know my primary school. I managed to get on the school football team and I was so proud of getting on the school football team playing on a Saturday morning, and when I told my dad I'm on the school football team. He said you are wonderful when you're playing Saturday mornings Is it aha I have to work on a Saturday morning, and if it it eleven-year-olds? You're so crestfallen when he got on The school's he was only at school football team primary school But you felt me something and yet dad couldn't come to see you. Oh, that was so disappointing, but he had work to do So you can imagine my delight? When you had already started playing the soccer game the kickoff had already happened, and I turned around and there was my father He was on the touchline cheering me on oh that meant so much to me And then I asked him after the game said how come you managed to come here? I thought you had to work And he said yes, I did have to work But I know he was always very sick, so I told my boss The doctor had asked me to have a series of injections every Saturday morning He lied he wasn't a very honest man, but he was so kind and I'll give him that You know he was putting his job at risk to see his son play football and That meant so much to me

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  • A map to the toilet

    In brief: Blessing a riverside mansion in Perth, Ajahn Brahm asks the way to the toilet and the lady draws him a map. Ten or twelve bedrooms — and…

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    that house which I went to bless I won't say where in one of the suburbs in Perth was on the river and when I went there, this huge mansion and this is no joke when I went there I was travelling from serpentine I needed to go to the toilet. And when I asked the lady where is the toilet she got out a piece of paper and drew me a map. That's a big house. It's true... that's what ... . But the point was I asked how many people live in this house I don't know how many bedrooms-10 12 bedrooms ..she said just me. I live in this house alone. And you'll find in many of those big mansions may be one person, two at most. Isn't that telling you something? What it's telling you is that in those big places people are imprisoned by their wealth. You know why ... when I asked why don't you have some friends and relations? she said 'I am afraid of my relations'

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