# Holy water by the bucket — then she sold it

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-poonsup-holy-water-reseller
- Themes: humour, monastery life, generosity
- Life situations: being taken advantage of, monastery administration

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Thai member Poonsup Wong, always sick, asks Ajahn Brahm for holy water by the 11-litre bucket each week. A Chinese man later rings wanting to buy it 'direct from source, cheap' — she has been dividing the free water and selling it. He stops the arrangement.

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

some years ago, there was a Thai lady who married to a Chinese man. Many of you may remember her. Her name, I don't mind saying this, Poonsup Wong. Her husband was called George. And Poonsup, she was a Thai lady, but always she was always very sick. So much so that, you know, once she asked me, "Can you make me some holy water?" You know, this nam mon which, you know, sometimes you sprinkle people with. I said, "Yeah, sure." She said, "No, not a little bit. Can you make me by the bucket?" You know, like 11-liter buckets, plastic buckets. So, once a week, I'd make her a whole bucket of holy water, cuz I thought she was very sick. I'm a very kind monk. [laughter] So, that's what you want, that's what I'll give you. And that for weeks she was having this holy water by the bucket load. And then I found out what she was up to. Cuz I got a telephone call at Bodhinyana Monastery from a Chinese gentleman. He said, "I want to purchase some of your holy water." I said, "We don't purchase it. We give it away for free. This is like monks. We're not business people." He said, "No, no, no. You sell it." I don't. "It's very good." I said, "I don't sell it." And then uh something started to click in my mind. "What are you talking about?" He said, "I get mine from Mrs. Poonsup Wong. I want to cut out the middle white man or middle woman and get it direct from source, cheap." And I found out what she was up to. The bucket of holy water, 11 liters, she was taking it home and just dividing it up and then just it selling it a odd. She had a nice little order there. So as soon as I told her that was the end of that game.

## Teaching point

Told as warm-up mischief before the will-and-ghost story of the same couple.

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

A sickly supporter asked Ajahn Brahm for eleven litres of holy water every week, until a stranger rang to buy it cheap, direct from the source. She'd been reselling it. He ended the arrangement, and laughs about it still. Generosity is lovely, but it needn't be naive. You can be kind and still notice.

## Source

- [Buddhism and Ghosts | Ajahn Brahm | 10 March 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9fga9-6vFM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 7:55 to 10:06: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9fga9-6vFM&t=475s

Other tellings of this story:

- [How to Face Difficulties | Ajahn Brahm | 17 January 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kywgsnBXlXg) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 16:53 to 17:38: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kywgsnBXlXg&t=1013s
- [Buddhism and Holy Water | Ajahn Brahm | 14-11-2014](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gie7cEcwdk8) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 15:34 to 17:06: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gie7cEcwdk8&t=934s