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Story · Ajahn Brahm

Still in the POW camp

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Freedom: The Path To Happiness | Ajahn Brahm | 11-05-2007

1 min read

Content note: wartime atrocities referenced (Changi, the Death Railway)

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

this was the story of those two Australian soldiers meeting together in a reunion, they'd both been in the Second World War, they'd both been in Singapore, the fall of Singapore, and both been put in P.O.W. camps. Well, one met the other, and said, "Have you forgiven the Japanese yet for what they did to us and our friends?" "No! Never! How can you forgive that??" said one of the soldiers. "What about you?" His friend said, "I forgave years ago. But you, my friend, are still in the P.O.W. camp." I love that story, simply because until you forgive -- until he forgave what those guards, those soldiers, did to him and his friends, in the camps in Changi on the Death Railway in Thailand on the Burmese border. Until they forgave, they were still being tortured. They're still in the camps. They can never be happy. His friend had let go and therefore he was free.

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 51:35 (to 52:48)

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

Two veterans of the prisoner-of-war camps meet again. One has never forgiven; the other forgave years ago and tells him: you're still in the camp. Whatever was done to you, or whatever you did, holding on keeps you imprisoned. Forgiveness opens the gate, for you first of all.

In brief (our summary)

Two Australian veterans who were captured at the fall of Singapore and held in prisoner-of-war camps meet at a reunion. One asks the other whether he has forgiven the Japanese yet for what they did. 'No! Never! How can you forgive that?' 'I forgave years ago,' says the first. 'But you, my friend, are still in the POW camp.'

Teaching point

Until you forgive, you remain imprisoned by what was done to you.

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Freedom: The Path To Happiness | Ajahn Brahm | 11-05-2007 · 2007-05-14 · ▶ watch from 51:35 to 52:48 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Caption notes: Manual (volunteer) captions; occasional misspellings kept as is.

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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