Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

The bomb next door in the Blitz

As told by Ajahn Brahm in The Nature of Your Mind | Ajahn Brahm | 8 May 2020

1 min read

Content note: war deaths

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

Even my family, parents and grandparents would tell me about life in London during the Second World War during the Blitz where a bomb fell right next to a terrace house. The next terrace house where my mother and grandma were. People in the next house are neighbors. They were instantly killed. My mother had her arm lacerated. She hardly remembers it, but it did happen apparently. And these were the old terrace houses which was only maybe what maybe 5 mters wide, 6 m wide to the next house. And they said there were some of the most wonderful times when even though many people were dying, there's so much kindness and help and joy and even joy as well.

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 59:24 (to 1:00:18)

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

A bomb killed the neighbours a few metres away, yet his mother's family remembered the Blitz as some of their most wonderful times, full of kindness, help and even joy. Fear of death doesn't have to stop living. Whatever threat hangs over your days, care for each other and live fully anyway.

In brief (our summary)

During the London Blitz a bomb falls right next to the terraced house where Ajahn Brahm's mother and grandmother are. The neighbours, only five or six metres away, are killed instantly; his mother's arm is lacerated — she hardly remembers it. Yet his family said those were some of the most wonderful times: even with so many dying, there was so much kindness, help and even joy.

Teaching point

You can live fully, with kindness and joy, even under fear of death.

When this story may help

  • living through a crisis
  • fear during a pandemic
  • danger

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in The Nature of Your Mind | Ajahn Brahm | 8 May 2020 · 2020-05-08 · ▶ watch from 59:24 to 1:00:18 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

6 other tellings of this story

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, words left exactly as captioned.

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 only ones running for shelter

    In brief: A New Zealander, a late member of the society — reportedly the first New Zealander to escape from a prisoner-of-war camp in Europe —…

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    one of our members who was here you know during that time most of these people are dead now you know he a New Zealander you know he escaped from a prison of war camp in Europe apparently the first New Zealander to actually escape he came back over to UK he was in London the first time he heard an air raid siren and you know he was in uniform he was a soldier and as soon as he heard the air raid Simon, he ran for an underground station when he realized that him and his soldier mate were the only two running into the station. and everyone were going around their business as normal. And he felt so embarrassed that the two soldiers were the only ones showing any fear and everyone else and people at the bus stop reading their newspaper, people just walking, chatting to each other, women were doing their shopping and he thought, "Wow, these people are not afraid." And they were so impressed with that attitude.

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  • The dog, the lion and the monkey

    In brief: A dog wanders too far into an African forest and a lion decides to eat him. The dog finds some bones, sits with his back to the lion and,…

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    once upon a time there was a dog who went for a walk in the forest in Africa and he walked a bit too far because a lion saw him and the lion thought that dog will make a good dinner and a dog heard that. How could a dog escape from a lion? But this dog, he must have listened to some of the the uh YouTube talks from here because he was a very very smart dog. I'm sure he was a Buddhist. So what he did, he managed to find some bones and he sat in front of the bones with his back towards the lion totally unafraid. And as the lion was about to pounce, the dog licked his lips and said, "M, what a delicious meal. These lions are very, very tasty. I wonder when I can get my next lion to eat. And the lion heard that, thought, "My goodness, that must be a really vicious dog. He's eaten another lion. I'm not going to be his dinner." And so the lion turned around and ran away. But there was a monkey and that monkey saw that that conversation and he said, "I'm not going to let the dog get away with tricking this lion." So he went up to the line and said, "You've been tricked. you're a fool. You know, this dog, you know, can't eat lions. You know, he just said this to scare you away. And so the lion got very upset and said, "I'm going to go and eat that dog." And the monkey said, "I can't come with you to watch." So the monkey jumped on the lion's back and the lion went straight towards the dog and the dog saw them coming. So he went in front of the pile of bones again with his back towards the lion and the monkey on the back. And as they came close, the dog licked his lips again and he said, "Where's that damn monkey? He promised he'd bring me another lion.

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  • The night they stayed in bed during the Blitz

    In brief: During the London Blitz a couple who had been up night after night with the bombs, and had lost so many people they knew, heard the…

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    I remember one story of a couple who they'd been up for so many nights with the sound of these bombs going off and many people they knew, you know, being obliterated or being very seriously injured. Thousands of people every night for months and they decided the air raid siren went off and they said, "No, that's it. We're going to stay in our own bed tonight and we're going to have a sleep." So even though there's bombs going off off all over the place, they decided, "No, we're going to stay in bed." And they had a good sleep and they woke up in the morning and they were okay. Bang, bang, bang, boom. All night long. They were so tired. What the hell? We could have asleep. And they had a beautiful deep sleep. They felt so good afterwards. You know, doubly good cuz they were alive afterwards.

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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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