# The retreat cook on work release

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-retreat-cook-on-work-release
- Themes: rehabilitation, non-judgement, prison, forgiveness
- Life situations: ex-offenders, second chances, judging others

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Without a cook for a nine-day retreat at Jhana Grove, Ajahn Brahm finds Carl, a brilliant cook who does everything alone. At the closing thanks he has gone — back to the prison farm; he was on work release. Only then does Ajahn Brahm tell the retreatants Carl was in prison for multiple rape, committed when young and on drugs. Shocked — 'isn't that dangerous?' — they're asked how unfairly we judge people. Carl has since married and works in the northern suburbs.

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

We were teaching a retreat many years ago and we couldn't find a we couldn't find a uh a cook for the retreat. So I managed to to grab this guy to do the the cooking for us. And he was brilliant cook. He did it all by himself and he did a wonderful job. And at the end of the retreat when we start to thank people, he disappeared. He'd gone. They said, "Where's Carl? We want to say say thank you to him." And so he's back in kind of prison farm now. He was on work release. And I told people then that Carl was in prison for multiple rape. And straight away people said, "I jump on. You mean you let a multiple rapist come and cook for us for 9 days? Isn't that dangerous? I said, "No, look, I know him. He wouldn't hurt the fly. He never did. He did those crimes when he was uh young and involved in drugs. He wouldn't do anything now. He never did. But the main purpose of not telling them first of all and telling at the very end was to say just how How unfairly do we judge people? He's changed. He's uh paid for his crimes. Maybe not paid. I'm not sure. But he's certainly just leaving him in jail to rot is not going to help anybody. But let him come out. He's I think he's Where is he working now? He's got married to a nice uh girl now. And I think he's working. He's in the northern suburbs somewhere. Osman Park. No, not Osman Park, but somewhere around that area. Really nice guy.

## Teaching point

Don't define people by the worst things they did; they can change.

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

The brilliant retreat cook was on work release from prison for a very serious crime committed when young, and has since rebuilt his life. Ajahn Brahm told the retreatants only afterwards, to ask how quickly we define people by their worst act. Safety matters. So does believing people can change, ourselves included.

## Source

- [Our Mind and Our Health | Ajahn Brahm | 7 July 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irCk-DJXisM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:11:05 to 1:13:02: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irCk-DJXisM&t=4265s

Other tellings of this story:

- [How to be Free | Ajahn Brahm | 26 November 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeiRya9-vXc) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 46:13 to 50:36: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeiRya9-vXc&t=2773s
- [Having Positive Attitudes towards Everybody | Ajahn Brahm | 12 March 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsIU4DM27nQ) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 15:08 to 18:09: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsIU4DM27nQ&t=908s
- [Kindness Creates Peace | Ajahn Brahm | 18 February 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcYeueUnflY) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 37:21 to 39:37: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcYeueUnflY&t=2241s
- [Freedom | Ajahn Brahm | 5 July 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWyNL4vEClw) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 39:09 to 39:50: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWyNL4vEClw&t=2349s
- [New Year's Eve with Ajahn Brahm | 31 December 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWPiQZMTtO0) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 27:24 to 30:40: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWPiQZMTtO0&t=1644s
- [Understanding is more important - Armadale Meditation Group | Ajahn Brahm | 1 November 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJGIJLo5srM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:22:29 to 1:23:32: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJGIJLo5srM&t=4949s