# From prison to 'Reservoir Dogs'

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-reservoir-dogs-ex-convict
- Themes: hope, change, second chances, impermanence
- Life situations: prison or criminal record, hopeless situation, starting over, unemployment

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

A boy who fled an abusive Los Angeles home at six becomes a career criminal. Near release in his late 40s or 50s, his case officer gets him a job advising on a gangster film; the director casts him, the film is Tarantino's 'Reservoir Dogs', and six months out of jail he is rich, free and married to that case officer.

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

about this young kid, six years of age is when he ran away from home in Los Angeles I think he had one of these very abusive families, beating him, not really looking after him. So he left home and lived on the streets from the age of about six years of age. It's incredibly he survived but you know the only way to get by was petty crime and you get sort of arrested every now and again and from petty crime to bigger crime he became a career criminal and what changed his life. He’s in his late 40s or 50s was when he was shortly to be released from another spell in jail. He had a case officer who was trying to find him a job. How can he get a job? You know, once you've been in prison most of your life, who would employ you but she was very resourceful, she found just the right job with his life experience qualifications cos she knew a friend of a friend who was making a movie about gangsters and they wanted someone who really knew how true criminals spoke and acted. He was about to be released so she got him a job as a consultant in this gangster movie that he was highly qualified for that. But once the director saw him, he was so authentic, he gave him a part in the movie and he became one of the stars. The movie was called Reservoir Dogs it was a breakthrough movie of Quentin Tarantino. And this guy, he wrote this article, he was only six months out of jail he made this movie and he was sitting in a mansion in Malibu somewhere with more money he had ever had in his whole life. Because this movie was a success and he married that case officer he couldn't believe just how life changes so quickly, six months ago he's in prison with no money and prospects now he had more money than he could deal with and he was free and married and happy.

## Teaching point

Life turns on a dime in directions you never expect — “this too will pass.”

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

At six he fled an abusive home; decades later, six months out of prison, he was acting in a hit film and married to his case officer. Not every life turns that dramatically, and the details are recalled from an article. But when you're deep in a hard time, remember that it passes, and life can turn on a dime.

## Source

- [What to do when everything falls apart | by Ajahn Brahm | 18-05-2012](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe4gks2rAGg) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 28:27 to 30:54: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe4gks2rAGg&t=1707s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Freeing Problems With Metta | by Ajahn Brahm | 30 Jan 2009](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OswcrsyGQN0) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 33:43 to 37:29: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OswcrsyGQN0&t=2023s
- [Kamma without Belief | by Ajahn Brahm | 06 January 2012](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJTCZ1izujg) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 19:03 to 22:19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJTCZ1izujg&t=1143s
- [Manifestation of Consciousness and Future Predictions | Ajahn Brahm | 29 December 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QqevcL9VDI) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 49:06 to 51:33: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QqevcL9VDI&t=2946s