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Story · Ajahn Brahm

Magnolia Flora took the CD

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Meditation, Kindness and Energy | Ajahn Brahm | 12 May 2023

1 min read

Content note: illness

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

I still remember this lady came up to me after the talk and said, "That was a very good talk. I work in the publishing industry. If ever you want any of those uh talks published, please let me know. And all I did next, and this is no exaggeration, I reached into my bag, this bag or similar one, and I took out a CD. So, here you go. And that's opening the door of your heart. I still remember her name because she had this wonderful name, Magnolia Flora

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 19:33 (to 20:18)

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

After a talk at Melbourne University, a publisher asked if Ajahn Brahm's stories could become a book. He reached into his bag and handed her a CD of them: the start of 'Opening the Door of Your Heart'. Years later she told him the book helped her through cancer. Be ready to give. The gift may already be in your bag.

In brief (our summary)

After a Melbourne University talk, publisher Magnolia Flora offers to publish; Brahm pulls a freshly typed CD of his stories from his bag — Opening the Door of Your Heart begins. Later she uses the book through her own cancer.

Teaching point

Sometimes the gift is already in the bag when the right person asks.

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Meditation, Kindness and Energy | Ajahn Brahm | 12 May 2023 · 2023-05-13 · ▶ watch from 19:33 to 20:18 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

2 other tellings of this story

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions with machine-added punctuation; words left exactly as captioned. Cancer follow-on in same talk kept in synopsis; span ends at name for uniqueness.

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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    she gave me a pair of socks. I never wear socks. Very, very, very, very, very rarely, but she gave me some socks. She knitted them herself. So, I put them on for the Friday night talk. And during the Friday night talk, you know, it's just I'm getting old. You have to move every now and again. And I was moving and I just put a foot out with a sock on. And I remember you actually you said he's wearing my socks. He's wearing my socks

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