Story · Ajahn Brahm
The locust plague that never came
The story — as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)
I remember here in Perth many years ago there was a locust PL I remember in the West Australia you used to get those newspapers and it reached I think um somewhere like in gerton and it was coming to Perth and the next day it was 20 km closer and the next day and the next day and they said it's going to be coming in 2 days time and the next day we've got the paper it's coming tomorrow and nothing happened it was a complete sort of wind up cuz I think you know the Locust whatever they decided to go somewhere else didn't like per I don't know why but whatever it was it's a complete buildup of fear
▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 24:31 (to 25:18)
A reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)
The paper warned that a locust plague would reach Perth in two days, then tomorrow, and then the locusts went somewhere else. So much fear is a build-up like that. Worry harms us more than most of what we dread, and can even make it happen. Notice fear early, while it's easy to brake, and let it go.
In brief (our summary)
Years ago The West Australian reports a locust plague advancing on Perth: twenty kilometres closer each day, arriving in two days, arriving tomorrow. Then nothing happens — the locusts go somewhere else. The whole thing was a build-up of fear.
Teaching point
Most of what we fear never happens; the worry itself is what harms us, and fear can even bring about what we dread.
When this story may help
- anxiety about the future
- news-driven worry
Themes
Source & credit
Told by Ajahn Brahm in The Power of Mindfulness & Compassion | by Ajahn Brahm · 2008-04-03 · ▶ watch from 24:31 to 25:18 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia
Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, words left exactly as captioned. 'locust PL' = locust plague; 'the West Australia' = The West Australian (newspaper); 'gerton' probably = Geraldton.
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