# Half of what we teach you is wrong

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-professor-half-of-what-we-teach-is-wrong
- Themes: humility, science, open-mindedness, learning
- Life situations: study, dogmatism, career beginnings

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

A doctor driving Ajahn Brahm to a retreat recalls the welcome speech at his Sydney medical school: the head of the school told the new students that 50% of what they would be taught over the next four years was wrong. 'The problem is, we're not quite sure which 50% it is.'

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

he was the head of warp in Salford Hospital in Sydney head of the Medical School and I heard this from one of the the doctors who's taking me driving me to a retreat who said there are the beginning of his years as a as in medical school the head of the department giving the welcome speech to everybody who was gonna spend the next four years in war pins half-wit Hospital Medical School who said 50% of what we're going to teach you in the next four years is wrong this was the professor saying what we're gonna teach him next for you is 50% of it is wrong the problem is he said we're not quite sure which 50% it is

## Teaching point

Great scientists aren't dogmatic; finding meaning is an open-ended discovery, not a fixed answer.

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

A medical school dean told new students that half of what they'd learn was wrong; the trouble was, nobody knew which half. Ajahn Brahm loves that humility. Meaning in life isn't a fixed answer handed down. It's a discovery that keeps unfolding. Hold your views lightly, and keep learning.

## Source

- [Discovering and Following Meaning in Your Life | Ajahn Brahm | 3 May 2019](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYirce5Un0) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 5:11 to 6:17: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nYirce5Un0&t=311s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Dhammapada First Line (Mind) | Ajahn Brahm | 24 Feb 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLZNr1upgTE) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 44:47 to 45:01: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLZNr1upgTE&t=2687s
- [Buddhism & Autonomy | Ajahn Brahm | 28-01-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cayVaYJK9ww) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 14:23 to 14:43: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cayVaYJK9ww&t=863s
- [Vesak (Q&A and Taking the 5 Precepts) | 27 May 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keZFMOo3CNU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 38:11 to 38:42: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keZFMOo3CNU&t=2291s