# The pipe ad that made beauty follow him

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-pipe-tobacco-ad-beautiful-women
- Themes: addiction, advertising, desire
- Life situations: media influence, craving

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Old TV pipe-tobacco ad: man lights up outside a greengrocer and beautiful women stream out of shop, bank, newsagent to follow him — selling addiction as glamour.

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

this guy lit the pipe and then first of all this beautiful young blonde just left the the shop I think it was maybe just a green grosser shop selling fruit and veg and she followed him. Another one came out of the bank, another one came out of the news agent until after about four or five, no maybe about only one or two minutes had this whole um line of the most beautiful, attractive women

## Teaching point

Advertising sells the delight of attachment and hides the danger.

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

An old TV advert showed beautiful women following a pipe smoker down the street. Young Ajahn Brahm, a Cambridge scholar, bought the tobacco and lit up. Only a dog followed him. We lose our intelligence copying what looks cool, and that's how many addictions start. Laugh at the ad, and see through the next one.

## Source

- [Addictions and Attachments | Ajahn Brahm | 9 November 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFWi_PLP0yI) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 4:27 to 5:01: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFWi_PLP0yI&t=267s

Other tellings of this story:

- [What is Ego? | Ajahn Brahm | 17 May 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5V1tsQHSkk) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 13:06 to 15:50: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5V1tsQHSkk&t=786s