“Can meditation teach you to fly over walls?”

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• The secret security pen — “We like you, that's your best security device”

  In brief: At a dangerous men's prison (Canning Vale, as he corrects himself) Ajahn Brahm is given a 'secret' alarm pen to point at the ceiling…

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  I remember the time once I I went into the prison at casarina used to be no not casarina sorry the one in Canning it used to be called canning Val a long time ago I think it's now called hakei or something they changed the name still the same place and because it was a prison and had some very tough and mean people in there many other visitors had been attacked it was a Men's prison but it didn't mean because you were also a m you won't get attacked and raped and it happened many times so at the gate when I checked in they warned me it's a dangerous place and some people have been in that prison for so long didn't matter what they did it's not really going to make much difference they were going to die in that prison so what's a you know they got no no reason not to offend again they can't add to the sentence so it's a very dangerous place and so as I checked in at the gate they gave me what looked to all intents and purposes like a pen like an ordinary bro pen but they told me this is not an ordinary pen it's a secret security device and they said if you look at the ceilings you will notice what looks like smoke detectors they're not smoke detectors they're are security devices if someone if anybody tries to attack you point the pen at one of those devices and press the top and then the alarm will go off and we'll know exactly in the prison where you are and we will come and save you and he said put it in your pocket and I looked at the person I wear robes I don't have pockets you know really really we cause a lot of problems for many people you know sometime sometimes the reason I got a a microphone in front of me is because sometimes people like clip these things on your um use it on your jacket or on your shirt you know but I this keeps on falling off it's a terrible thing to do that's why sometimes you go into these radio shows or TV shows and they'll try and clip things on and say forget it it's going to fall off we cause a lot of problem for a lot of people we monks but nevertheless I enjoy that and so there's no place to so just hold it they said Hold the pen but they said be careful this is really secret if the prisoners found out we wouldn't be able to use this anymore so don't tell anybody and as soon as I went into my class one of the people I knew there he said oh you've got one of those security devices too of course they know that's why I tell all the monks down at Serpentine and the nuns at Gigan don't think that the people here in D Loa don't know everything which is going on in those monasteries there is a very strong grape vine goes on and if there's any problems in any of these monasteries you know about it so the monks we know no secrets and it's wonderful not to have any secrets but anyway so when I went in there this prisoner and you he was actually a really good friend cuz I known him a long time and you know he's a violent man but you know you get to know these guys and he said to me he said brah do you really think you could press that button before I jumped you and held you down and I said no you get me first he said yeah I would but I wasn't scared CU what he said next I knew he was going to say he said but brah if any of these guys behind tried that i' would get them first we like you and that's your best security device

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• Banned from being president

  In brief: Ajahn Brahm asks a busy businesswoman to become president of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia; she says she has no time. So, 'out…

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  And I said some years ago we were trying to get you know the president of our Buddhist society and there was one person which I thought would make a very good pres president. She's not here this evening. It's Rachel in Aral group and she admits it is totally true. Now I approached her and said, "How about being the president of our committee if I bought a Society of West Australia next year?" And she, you know, she was running her own business and she said, "Look, I'm really busy. You know, my business is growing. I've got to give all my attention to the business. I just can't find the time." So she said, "No, it's very easy to get your own way as a Buddhist monk cuz I know psychology. I teach psychologists. You know, I know more than they do." So, even though this was a good business lady and she was supposed to be smart, but well, she is very smart. I say this cuz this is being recorded. I got to be very careful what I say when these talks are recorded. So, I said, "Look, now I'm I'm really compassionate." I said, "Look, I know you you probably go home and worry and feel guilty about this now that you've refused this offer of mine cuz I've helped you before and now I've asked you to help me and you can't do it. So to make sure you don't feel guilty about refusing this offer, I'm telling you here right now, I ban you from being president next year. Don't even think about it because if you do, I won't allow it. I'll ban you. I'll use everything in my power to stop you." She went home and she thought, "What do you mean banning me? He can't ban me. Who do you think? Who does he think he is? He can't stop me. I can do whatever I want." And so she nominated for being president. And she was president for 2 years and she admitted I got her. I checked her.

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• Streets paved with gold

  In brief: A refugee waiting for resettlement hears that Perth's streets are paved with gold. Walking out of Perth Airport, he spots a $2 gold coin…

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  it reminds me of another story about motivation about this migrant who came to Perth and they came over from the Middle East and he know heard all these stories about Australia and how rich Australia is and compared to some is really really poor countries you know water Tor and ravaged countries living in great poverty with hardly anything to eat or ravaged by floods or whatever else is the natural disaster some people are really really dirt poed compared to them I mean it's true Australia is a very very wealthy country so in the refugee camps waiting to be resettled in Australia he heard you know the streets of a Perth are paved with gold you know heard that saying before and of course he didn't really believe it but as soon as he arrived at Perth Airport on the the migrant Visa as soon as he worked out walked out of the airport he looked down and there was a $2 gold coin on the floor my goodness the streets of Perth are paved with gold and so went down to pick up the gold coin and then he stopped himself and said no no I've just arrived I won't start work until tomorrow that's called laziness

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• The matchbox on the head

  In brief: A malnourished young monk in steamy north-east Thailand — sticky rice with a boiled frog, under four and a half hours' sleep, up at 3 a.m.…

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  when I became a monk who was in the jungles of Northeast Thailand I was malnourished one meal a day sticky rice I was a vegetarian I sometimes sticky rice and a frog on top that's all we had sweet yeah for a boiled frog no garlic no sauce notice abortive glutinous sticky rice with a fork on top that was all the villagers had in fact they gave us the best Fox it was disgusting but I was malnourished and in the morning we would get up but we only supposed to meditate to sleep for hours and nights I could never get below four and a half so three o'clock in the morning will be up in the hall to meditate steamy jungles I was made in England I was not used to such hot weather such sticky weather malnourished not enough sleep of course I was sleepy so I had the tricks what we tried to do first of all no use effort didn't work so then I tried a matchbox you take the cover off the matchbox you put the tray on your head because it means if you start nodding you see the matchbox fall on the ground you'd hear it only about three or four days I'd overcome my slot and talker I could put the matchbox on my head for one hour meditate in the morning it never fell off at all amazing until one of my monks took me aside and said this is why the matchbox is not falling off you're still sleepy but instead of doing this you're doing this their mind is so sneaky and tricky so after a while I started contemplating look made in England I'm not used to that climate are not enough sleep not enough our food it's natural so I decided to let go when I let go there's not much energy in my mind so you are dull but you knew you adult and little by little just like when the Sun comes up in the morning and it had evaporates all the mists that burns off the mist because I wasn't wasting energy fighting my sleepiness but just letting it be being kind to it opening the door of my heartless my energy started coming back again him my back straightened up my head lifted up naturally and I was peaceful

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