# “Thank you for the car park”

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-shire-surveyor-thanks-for-car-park
- Themes: peace, stress, sacred space, acceptance
- Life situations: work stress, needing a break, not religious but seeking peace

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

After lunch at Bodhinyana a stranger turns out to be the Serpentine-Jarrahdale Shire building surveyor who signed off all the monastery's plans. On his last day before retiring he has come to thank Ajahn Brahm — for the car park. Not a Buddhist and no meditator, whenever work stressed him he drove to the monastery, sat in his parked car for 15 minutes or half an hour, and went back to work feeling much better.

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

that over in Bodhinyana monastery, over in Serpentine, I was just sitting there after lunch receiving guests, and this gentleman came up I’ve never seen before (but I remembered his voice for a strange reason), and I find out after he told me that he was the local building surveyor at the Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale. So every building which we applied for permission for, he'll be the one who looks at it and checks that it fulfils all of the regulations and ticks it off. And I asked him: 'What are you doing here' and he said that he's not come to check up on anything, because this was his last day at work in that job, he was retiring that afternoon - but he said he came here to thank me for the car park. I felt really weird, ‘thanking me for the car park, what are you talking about?’ And he said to me that he wasn't a Buddhist, he didn't know how to meditate - but - every time he got stressed out at work, he simply got into his car, drove to the monastery in Serpentine and parked his car in the car park, and just sat there maybe 15 minutes or half an hour. And then, afterwards, he felt so much better, he went back to work

## Teaching point

Sometimes all people need is a place of peace and acceptance, not advice.

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

On his last day before retiring, the shire surveyor came to thank Ajahn Brahm for the car park. Whenever builders hounded him, he'd drive to the monastery, sit in his car for half an hour, and go back refreshed. Sometimes no advice is needed, only a quiet place. Find yours, and offer one when you can.

## Source

- [Give Yourself Peace, Kindness and Forgiveness | Ajahn Brahm | 29 January 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--PPWbmzp6M) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 2:24 to 4:01: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--PPWbmzp6M&t=144s

Other tellings of this story:

- [How to Lessen the Stress | Ajahn Brahm | 29 March 2019](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSUdHhvVBfI) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 2:00 to 3:11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSUdHhvVBfI&t=120s
- [Lower Your Expectations | Ajahn Brahm | 24 Nov 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qtxgvH_e1Y) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 28:32 to 29:36: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qtxgvH_e1Y&t=1712s
- [Finding Stillness | Ajahn Brahm | 5 July 2019](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY7Fu7wEh0Y) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 5:11 to 7:20: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY7Fu7wEh0Y&t=311s
- [Maha Mangala Sutta - The Greatest Good Fortune | Ajahn Brahm | 9 May 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uak3l5Uuo9g) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 24:32 to 25:27: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uak3l5Uuo9g&t=1472s
- [Peace at Christmas Time | Ajahn Brahm | 18 Dec 2015](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otNcxuDhkHU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 5:42 to 6:32: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otNcxuDhkHU&t=342s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 31 May 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkBLYXjIpKg) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:06:18 to 1:07:28: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkBLYXjIpKg&t=3978s
- [Spiritual Joy of Giving | Ajahn Brahm | 24 January 2020](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0eWpnggUwk) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 17:44 to 18:31: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0eWpnggUwk&t=1064s