Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

“I never expected to see you in here”

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Kamma without Belief | by Ajahn Brahm | 06 January 2012

1 min read

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

Years and years and years ago, I had, I think, some sort of sickness and never found out exactly what it was about, over 20 years ago now, the last time I was really sick.. And I went to the doctors and I was sitting there in the doctor's surgery in Byford waiting for the doctor to call me in, and somebody who knew me came into the doctor's surgery and they saw me, this monk, who meditates, who lives a nice peaceful lifestyle, who doesn't get involved in the stresses of normal life, and they looked at me and they said “I never expected to see you in here!” [laughter]. And I felt really guilty - maybe I wasn't eating enough brown rice, maybe I wasn't exercising.. I'm supposed to be a monk! I'm supposed to be healthy, living a good lifestyle, and he made me feel guilty about being in a doctor's surgery. Okay, if I was in a pub or a brothel or something then and I should feel guilty [laughter], but what's wrong with being in a doctor's surgery!?

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 4:37 (to 5:44)

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

Sick in a doctor's waiting room, Ajahn Brahm was greeted with 'I never expected to see you here', as if he'd been caught in a pub. He felt guilty, then laughed. Ask any crowd who has never been sick and no hand goes up. Illness is part of being human. Don't add guilt to it.

In brief (our summary)

Feeling awful and waiting at the local doctor's surgery, Ajahn Brahm is greeted by a friend from the temple: “I never expected to see you in here.” As if he were in a brothel or a nightclub! They thought he lived a healthy lifestyle — and he started to feel guilty for being sick.

Teaching point

There's nothing wrong with being sick; don't attach guilt to illness.

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Kamma without Belief | by Ajahn Brahm | 06 January 2012 · 2012-01-07 · ▶ watch from 4:37 to 5:44 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

5 other tellings of this story

Caption notes: Manual (volunteer) captions; occasional misspellings kept as is.

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

  • It's not the cough that carries you off

    In brief: Mother's line: it's not the cough that carries you off — it's the coffin they carry you off in.

    Read full story

    cough that carries you off. It's the coffin they carry you off in. Haven't you heard that before? I thought that's a really neat one a long time ago. There's only a cough that's all. Sorry. Only a sneeze

    Open story page·Watch this telling

  • Cough once, get eight bottles of medicine

    In brief: Once in Australia Ajahn Brahm coughs at the start of a talk. By the end there are eight or nine bottles in front of him — Ayurvedic,…

    Read full story

    this happened once when I was in Australia I coughed in public the beginning of a talk by the end of the talk there was about eight or nine bottles of medicine in front of me and people said you must take this this is Ayurvedic it's very good this is homeopathic it's much better this is horrible you have to take this I took this this is no usual medicine you've got to take that had so many medicines and now being compassionate and watching people to you know to make merit I said yeah I'll take that I'll take that so I had to take every of those bottles of medicine and that really made me sick

    Open story page·Watch this telling

  • “Your meditation can't be that good”

    In brief: At the Serpentine doctor's surgery a monk sees an advert for another meditation group and suggests the doctor's people come to theirs…

    Read full story

    I think one of the monks was visiting the uh the local doctor in Serpentine. And when they were visiting that local doctor in Serpentine, they saw an advert there for a meditation group in Serpentine. Not our group, but another group. And he said, "Well, why don't you come to our meditation group?" And he said, "Well, your meditation group can't be that good because you monks are always coming into this surgery for help from the doctor.

    Open story page·Watch this telling

  • The two arrows

    In brief: The Buddha's simile: when you suffer, it is as if two arrows strike you — the physical arrow and the mental arrow. The physical arrow…

    Read full story

    that was a great simile of the two arrows. He said that it's like, when you're suffering, when you're in pain, when there is a difficulty in your life, There is like two arrows inside in you. The physical arrow and the mental arrow. He said that the physical arrow, you can't do much about. Disappointments happen in life, sicknesses happen, It doesn't matter just how much brown rice and veggies and exercise you do, you get sick. As for me, some of food I eat; is all types of rubbishy food. Now every morning, one thing I really like in my tea is sweetened condensed milk. Or if not that, the long-life milk. That's why I'm healthy because it's says "long-life" milk! That's the secret of living a long age you drink a lot of long-life milk. It says on the package, "long-life" milk. (Laughter) But sickness would come to me, I'm not gonna avoid it forever, you know, we all get sick from time to time. So, when you get sick, that's the physical arrow. When you lose your job, that's the physical arrow. When something happens to you, people criticise you, that's the physical arrow. He said "We're gonna accept that. That's the part of life." Each one of us will meet that from time to time. Number one. Look, it's not your fault. It doesn't matter what you do, you're gonna get sick, you're gonna lose your job, you're gonna have arguments in your relationships, some of you gonna get divorced, some of your kids are gonna just, you know, call you all sorts of terrible names. That's life. It happens. But the mental arrow is just what we add to that with our mind.

    Open story page·Watch this telling

All stories·Find a story for your situation