# “Samsara sucks” — and the taxi's reply

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-samsara-sucks-windscreen-taxi
- Themes: suffering, humour, first noble truth
- Life situations: a bad week, things breaking down

## Synopsis (editorial 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.

## 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

## Teaching point

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

## 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.

## Source

- [Does Life Suck? | Ajahn Brahm | 1-05-2009](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSIEN0pZkxE) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:13 to 2:04: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSIEN0pZkxE&t=73s