# The slingshot and the gong

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-slingshot-to-ring-the-gong
- Themes: meditation, time, pain, humour
- Life situations: restlessness in meditation, clock-watching

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Sitting with Ajahn Chah, with no clock and his legs aching after what must have been over an hour, the young Ajahn Brahm fantasises about practising with a slingshot in the forest until he's a crack shot, then opening his eyes mid-sitting and hitting the bell — GONG. But in a blissful sitting the gong would be unwelcome: imagine the Buddha under the Bodhi tree just about to be enlightened — GONG. 'Shut up.'

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

when Ajahn Chah was my teacher and sometimes we would sit together, sometimes you'd be sitting there - I’m sure it's over an hour, it must have been over an hour, we didn't have a clock at the time). And then so, my legs were really hurting. So you know what I thought of doing? I told the monks this, and it's true, this is what I thought, but never had the guts to do it - to get what they call like a slingshot. And practice in the forest first, until I was a really good shot. And then, when the meditation was happening, I’d just open my eyes and I'd sling and hit the bell - ‘GONG’. [Laughter] ‘Oh, it's time to come out of meditation’. You know what it's like, sometimes you're having a really difficult time. And you’re just like ‘it can't be just, it must be more than half an hour, ring the gong!’ [laughter] And other times, oh you're having such a beautiful, peaceful meditation, everything is just so nice and joyful and blissed, all these great insights are coming, everything, and then - ‘GONG’ [laughter] Imagine that was the Buddha under the Bodhi tree just about to get enlightened, and I went - ‘GONG’. [laughter] Shut up.

## Teaching point

Time and bells can become a prison; on retreat at Bodhinyana, minimum bells.

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

Sitting with aching legs and no clock, the young monk dreamed of training with a slingshot to ring the gong early. Then he pictured the Buddha, one breath from enlightenment, interrupted by a gong. Clocks and bells can become a quiet prison. Give yourself some unscheduled time and see what happens.

## 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 16:11 to 17:33: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--PPWbmzp6M&t=971s