# A monk costs less than a dog

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-monk-cheaper-than-a-dog
- Themes: simplicity, monastic life, humour
- Life situations: money worries, supporting a monastery

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

When monks of the tradition first went to England, supporters worried whether they could afford one. The head of the trust, an economist on the board of the Bank of England, calculated the cost — and found a monk or nun is much cheaper to keep than a dog.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

when the monks in this tradition first went to England, the people there were a bit concerned, I mean, can we... this was in the early days when there wasn't so many supporters. Now, can we afford to look after a monk? You know, how much does it cost to look after a monk and there was this guy he was, he became the head of this trust, which looked after our monastery in England. He was an economist, and he was actually on the board of the Bank of England. He was a professor at one of the universities in England. So you know, he really knew his stuff about economics, so he decided to work out before they invited any monks to their place. How much does it cost to look after a monk? And surprise, surprise, he found out that it's much cheaper to look after a monk or a nun than to look after a dog. Dogs are far more expensive.

## Teaching point

(Lead-in to a joke comparing monks and dogs — huts, bowls, walks, wagging tails — and the unconditional love dogs give.)

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

An economist on the board of the Bank of England worked out that a monk costs less to keep than a dog, and Ajahn Brahm happily runs with it. Little huts, one bowl, walks on alms round, and tails wagging if they had them. Happiness needs surprisingly little. A simple life, one good meal and friendly company go a long way.

## Source

- [How to deal with rejection and lack of self-worth | Ajahn Brahm | 30-01-2015](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enFEj7wKrnM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 15:41 to 16:48: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enFEj7wKrnM&t=941s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Am I Good Enough? | Ajahn Brahm | 28 April 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2mWuCk70Ck) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 17:13 to 20:14: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2mWuCk70Ck&t=1033s
- [Skillful Speech | Ajahn Brahm | 03-07-2009](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92eeS7ZGwlE) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 26:35 to 27:23: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92eeS7ZGwlE&t=1595s