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Story · Ajahn Brahm

“That monk, he's on the gear”

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Learn to be at peace with yourself | Ajahn Brahm | 6 Jan 2017

2 min read

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

One time, I was visiting a prison in UK You know, we spend a lot of time in prison as monks, I often tell people: Visiting prisons, I always would keep a log of how many hours and minutes I spent doing community work in prison to be used as credit, in case I ever got sentenced for something (Laughs) look, I've already done about... the equivalent of about two or three months you should take that off (Laughs). But anyway, I was inside this jail, cause it was a ceremony, somebody had sweet talked the British government into putting a Buddha statue In the middle of an open prison, a big one! And you know, it's very easy for people to sponsor a Buddha statue especially inside a prison, wow, it's amazing! And so we did a installation ceremony. And for those who ever come and see some of the Buddhist rituals, one of the favourite ones is actually we go around three times flowers, candles and incense, we go around It's like an act of worship, reverence you know, it's interesting, where this comes from we don't know but they also do that in Mecca, when they go around the, whatever it's called ...the Kaaba, always go three times around, wearing white this is incredible similarities between our different traditions where they came from I don't know, but it's... that's Buddhist Anyhow... There we where, going round three times, and I was inspired I was happy, Amazing, something good being done in a prison! Not just locking people up and reenforcing how guilty they should feel but no, just something which is inspiring and I was just so happy with a big smile on my face much more than I usually have cause, you know, more inspiration and at the corner of my eye I saw these two prisoners they just got nothing to do, nothing was on the TV that night so they just hung out to see what the hell was going on with these crazy people with brown robes and a Buddha statue so just, you know, having a quick look and then I heard them, one looking to me... looking at the other prisoner and pointing to me he said: "That monk, he's on the gear" (Laughs) If you don't know what gear means you know, it's like, some sort of drug cause that's the only thing they could explain the happiness from just some medication; it's not medication! you know, it's meditation, not medication

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 24:56 (to 27:27)

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

Ajahn Brahm was simply delighted that something kind was happening in a prison, and the only explanation two watching inmates could find was drugs. Joy from a peaceful mind can look suspicious in a world that hunts for it in things. You don't need a substance or a purchase to light up; stillness and a little inspiration will do.

In brief (our summary)

At a Buddha-statue installation in an English open prison, Ajahn Brahm is beaming as he circles the statue; one watching prisoner tells another that the monk must be on drugs.

Teaching point

“it's not medication! you know, it's meditation, not medication … you don't need that stuff to be happy.”

When this story may help

  • seeking happiness in things
  • addiction
  • unhappiness

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Learn to be at peace with yourself | Ajahn Brahm | 6 Jan 2017 · 2017-01-06 · ▶ watch from 24:56 to 27:27 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

5 other tellings of this story

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

  • Two fingers to push up a smile

    In brief: As a student, his meditation teacher tells him to smile at himself in the toilet mirror every morning. Ajahn Brahm protests he'd scream at…

    Read full story

    Because this is what I was taught for two years by a meditation teacher when I was still a student Said when you get up in the morning, what do you do? And go to toilet great. Is there a mirror in your toilet of course there's a mirror in the toilet and my teacher? Toby I want you to look at yourself in the mirror and smile at yourself And I told my teacher get real. I'm a student. You know you look at teenagers or 20 year olds What do they look like in the morning? Really grumpy miserable me Especially they've been drinking alcohol staying up late at night like I used to do it no Stace I said sir if I looked at myself in the mirror in the morning first thing. I probably scream And he said smart yourself Impossible and that's when he told me things this great teacher simple Two fingers and push up That's what he taught me So I did that for two years Two years I followed that and every morning You got up there and looked at the mirror Impart to fingers up and this saw this stupid young man Smiling making a face in the mirror and when you when you do that. You know if I make a face. Yeah, it's working You're smarting now You do that to yourself everybody don't need anybody and then after a while you smile smile smile. I started laughing at myself I laughed at myself every morning for two years

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  • “They're all Buddhists” — the expensive clinic

    In brief: A very wealthy Kuala Lumpur businessman tells Ajahn Brahm he paid a fortune for therapy at a famous US clinic, even meeting the founder of…

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    This incredibly wealthy businessman, you know, he came up to me and he said he'd just been to the Mayo Clinic in Cleveland where all the film stars and pop stars, you know, go. It cost fortune to go to that clinic for therapy. Had depression, anxiety, I forget what it was, some addiction. And he went to this place cost him an absolute fortune. He had actually because he had money he had a personal in interview with John Kabbertson the guy who founded the mindfulness movement. And when he came back he said ajan bra all these guys here they're all Buddhists every one of them. And he said they teach the same thing as you do only not as clear. And he said I'm crazy. I spent all this money going to United States and I can hear better from you. He said, "Yeah, I teach these guys. You go to the source and it's really cheap when you come here.

    Open story page·Watch this telling

  • The bottle ghost

    In brief: Told in Asia, where people fear ghosts: the most dangerous ghost in the world, one he has seen many times. It possesses people — they…

    Read full story

    I like telling the story of the bottle ghost. I get really serious because it's one of the most dangerous ghosts in the whole world. And I like many people say they don't believe in ghosts. But there's evidence for this ghost. I've actually I've Okay. I've seen it myself many times and I've seen what it what it does to people. You know, it it actually possesses people, the bottle ghost. And they they they don't act in the normal way. They're they're strange. You know, they they don't speak in the normal way. They don't even walk in the They don't act in the normal way at all. They're totally different characters. And I've even seen this ghost possess people. It's no exaggeration. I've seen them get killed. It's that dangerous a ghost. And so, I warn people and listen, my honesty is there. This bottle ghost exists and it does possess people and it does kill them as well. And people are actually very impressed cuz, you know, I don't exaggerate. I don't tell lies. And that bottle ghost, I explain what it really is. It lives in bottles of whiskey, rum, and other things cuz as soon as you take the bottle the top off, you get possessed. And you speak in very strange ways and you can't even walk in a straight line and you do really weird things and sometimes you kill yourself in an accident. It's called a bottle ghost. That's actually why we call these things spirits. Have you ever wondered why they call it spirits? It's the bottle ghost. But it is true. It does kill you.

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  • The Happiness Certificate

    In brief: For people who feel they don't deserve happiness he makes a certificate on monastery letterhead: 'This certificate grants the holder the…

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    I started making this Happiness Certificate for them. Just to reinforce the idea – that this certificate is on BSWA… no, it’s on Bodhinyana monastery letterhead I think. This certificate grants the holder the right to be happy. For any reason or no reason at all. For the rest of their life. And their next lives as well. Signed ‘Ajahn Brahm’. No, I didn't ‘sign’, I said: ‘By order of Ajahn Brahm’. [Laughter] To make it a bit more assertive. Some of those actually worked. You gave it to people and they said ‘Yeah!’. The problem was, when I first did that - it was actually the retreat I was giving in… I suppose in Frankfurt. Because sometimes, people think they don't deserve the happiness, they're getting so close, but… So I gave one of these certificates out. And this fellow, he put it on the Internet. And then the next day he said ‘uhmm, can you please do another 50

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