Story · Ajahn Brahm

“Samsara sucks” — and the taxi's reply

1 min read

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

so just a couple of days ago on the vehicle which we're using which somebody donated to us an old magnet car no one had watched the wind screen so I use my finger to write on there that samsara sucks Sam is a Buddhist samsar is a Buddhist word for sort of life and we were using that car to come in this afternoon and on the freeway we were behind a taxi and on the taxi there was an advert on the back and all the bugs saw it burst out laughing because on the advert it was if if you hear anyone say that life sucks send them to and i' just been saying that life sucked we didn't have see where you're supposed to send them to

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 1:13 (to 2:04)

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

After a week of breakdowns, Ajahn Brahm wrote 'samsara sucks' in the dust on the windscreen, and that afternoon a taxi ad told them where to send anyone who said life sucks. They never saw the address. Things go wrong for everyone, monks included. Admitting it, with a laugh, is the first step, and there is a way through.

In brief (our summary)

After a week of breakdowns, missing shower water and redone tickets, Ajahn Brahm writes “samsara sucks” with his finger in the dust on an old donated car's windscreen. Driving in that afternoon, the monks find themselves behind a taxi whose advert reads, “If you hear anyone say that life sucks, send them to…” — they burst out laughing, and never see where.

Teaching point

Things go wrong even for monks; the first noble truth, in modern words, is 'life sucks' — and there's a solution.

When this story may help

  • a bad week
  • things breaking down

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Does Life Suck? | Ajahn Brahm | 1-05-2009 · 2009-05-16 · ▶ watch from 1:13 to 2:04 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, words left exactly as captioned. 'magnet car' probably 'Magna' (not changed); 'bugs' = monks (not changed).

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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