# “Put your hand down, Ajahn Brahm!”

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-singapore-single-hand-up
- Themes: humour, relationships, celibacy
- Life situations: being single, dating

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

At a Singapore talk full of young singles too shy to ask each other out, the MC asks everyone who is single and available to put their hand up. Being an honest monk, Ajahn Brahm puts his up: 'Well, I'm single.' 'Put your hand down, Ajahn Brahm!'

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

I was giving this talk over in Singapore. And there's many people in Singapore, and there's lots of young people at my talks. Lots of people were single. And lots of boys, lots of girls, they'd love to have a partner, but they're too scared to invite people. So we decided to just ‘let's see who's single, who's married, who's what’? So the MC said ‘please, put your hand up, uh, if you're available’ [laughter] ‘If you're single’. And of course, I’m an honest monk, I said ‘well I’m single’. [laughter] And then ‘put your hand down Ajahn Brahm, put your hand down!

## Teaching point

(Light-hearted aside before Valentine's Day.)

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

When a Singapore MC asked everyone single and available to raise a hand, the honest monk put his up, and the room shouted at him to put it down. A tiny moment of daftness brightened a nervous crowd. Don't take yourself too seriously. Sometimes a joke at your own expense helps everyone relax.

## 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 1:03:50 to 1:04:33: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--PPWbmzp6M&t=3830s