# The lottery winners who couldn't find their kids

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-lottery-couple-lost-kids-mansion
- Themes: wealth, family, disillusionment, meaning of life
- Life situations: sudden wealth, chasing money, family disconnection

## Synopsis (editorial 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.

## 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.

## Teaching point

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

## 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.

## Source

- [Putting Meaning Into Life | Ajahn Brahm | 03-12-2010](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG5IadQxhvE) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 9:04 to 10:22: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG5IadQxhvE&t=544s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Living Simply | Ajahn Brahm | 7 July 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQJJYmFTlMI) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 25:49 to 26:45: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQJJYmFTlMI&t=1549s
- [Wanting For Nothing | by Ajahn Brahm | 02-10-2012](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JXoSyx-G-Q) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 6:27 to 8:15: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JXoSyx-G-Q&t=387s
- [Learning How to Relax | Ajahn Brahm | 10 June 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6PgjTeBjQE) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 40:46 to 41:52: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6PgjTeBjQE&t=2446s
- [The Winners and The Losers | Ajahn Brahm | 07-01-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2sP0_KeNeM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 33:49 to 34:31: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2sP0_KeNeM&t=2029s
- [Albany Dhamma Talk & Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 20 September 2020](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt8fuCLt3YM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 11:10 to 12:32: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt8fuCLt3YM&t=670s