Story · Ajahn Brahm

I refused my girlfriend's meat curry

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Living With Non-Buddhists | Ajahn Brahm | 21-01-2011

1 min read

very strict vegetarian when I was before I became a monk and as a monk I was not allowed to choose but when I was a l person I was a very strict vegetarian and my girlfriend invited me out for dinner she was cooking at dinner for me so I went out to sort of have the dinner with her and it was a really like good health food but she'd made a some sort of meat curry you know I refused to eat it and I thought just what a stupid person you are there was your girlfriend and she' gone to all this trouble trying to cook what she thought you wanted and I just refused to eat

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 42:46 (to 43:30)

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

As a strict vegetarian, young Ajahn Brahm refused the meat curry his girlfriend had lovingly cooked. Today he'd apologise. Rules exist for compassion; being right about food can be wrong about love. Don't push your beliefs on others. Love people as they are, meat-eaters and all.

In brief (our summary)

As a strict vegetarian layman his girlfriend cooks what she thinks he wants — a meat curry; he refuses; later sees how unkind the refusal was after all her trouble.

Teaching point

Being right about food can still be wrong about love.

When this story may help

dating
dietary rules

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Living With Non-Buddhists | Ajahn Brahm | 21-01-2011 · 2011-01-22 · ▶ watch from 42:46 to 43:30 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, words left exactly as captioned.

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