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Story · Ajahn Brahm

The patient monk's police escort

As told by Ajahn Brahm in On Patience | Ajahn Brahm | 26-06-2009

1 min read

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

what happened to me last week when I went to Thailand to teach a Meditation Retreat this is know how a monke is patient cuz I landed at the airport and it was a 220 km uh ride to the uh Retreat Center I was giving my retreat so it usually takes about 4 hours hours so what does a monk do for 4our Journey I'll tell you what I did I got police escort we we we we only took me 2 hours that's what happens when you're a patient monk you get there faster than anybody it's very fun being a monk having a police escort but I was very disappointed when I came back to Perth where's my police car actually once when I was in Sri Lanka that was given a police escort down the G a very busy road and so you know I had a policeman in front of me in the car with the cers waiting and I was sitting in the back with know a friend who was a driver and the driver's one I think his brother passed him on the other side of the road he didn't realize he was taking a monk to sort of an important engagement and his his brother seeing his uh uh this know the friend seeing his brother behind a police car sort of rang him on his mobile phone are you in trouble do you want a lawy is anything I could do so that's one of the problem troubles if you follow uh if you're following a police car think people think youve broken the law

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 13:09 (to 14:39)

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

Asked what a patient monk does on a four-hour drive, Ajahn Brahm confessed he'd been given a police escort and did it in two, then missed it badly back in Perth. In Sri Lanka, a friend seeing their car behind the police assumed they'd been arrested. Whatever the speed, you only ever arrive here. Enjoy the journey and the scenery.

In brief (our summary)

Asked what a patient monk does on a four-hour, 220 km drive from Bangkok airport to a retreat, Ajahn Brahm reveals he got a police escort and arrived in two hours — and was disappointed to find no police car waiting in Perth. Once in Sri Lanka, also behind a police escort, his driver's brother passes them, phones in alarm and asks whether he's in trouble and needs a lawyer.

Teaching point

(A joke against himself on patience: wherever you get to, you're always here.)

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in On Patience | Ajahn Brahm | 26-06-2009 · 2009-07-07 · ▶ watch from 13:09 to 14:39 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

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

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