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Story · Ajahn Brahm

Twelve blessed strings for Sri Lanka

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Learn to Not Blame Yourself | Ajahn Brahm | 25 May 2018

3 min read

Content note: implied causal claim about blessed strings, told tongue-in-cheek; names Arjuna Ranatunga and 'Quentin Bryce' (described as former governor of WA; she was Governor of Queensland and Governor-General) — verify

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

This was the um the time I got into trouble. I had to I had hid this for many years. I should have just admitted it straight away. And that was with the with the um cricket. Many of the Sri Lankans know this story. I haven't told this to the the last uh uh there's a Sri Lankan New Year over in 70th anniversary was it Was it? Or independence or whatever. Anyway, in front of the the former um governor of Western Australia, Quentin Bryce. And she reminded me of this. But fortunately she's she's retired now, so I can't get into any more trouble about this because it was the um sometime people ask, "What are you doing going to the Sri Lankan Independence Day when you're a Brit? You know, that's like you know, that they kicked your ancestors out of the country. So what are you coming to celebrate?" I said, "Because I support Sri Lanka and their cricket team." Because what happened? There was a cricket match between Sri Lanka and Australia at the old West Australian cricket ground, the WACA. And only one day match. And at lunch interval the Australians, they were just hammering the Sri Lankans. They were winning by such a big amount. So some of the boys who actually come here, they were helping out at the stadium. They came here and said, "Ajahn Brahm, Ajahn Brahm, we've been asked by the captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team to get some holy string from a good monk and we think you're a good monk. Can you do this blessing string?" And so now I shouldn't have done this. I mean, it's a ridiculous thing to do, but I I blessed 12 pieces of string. Cuz you know, one for the 12th man in the cricket. I knew cricket. So 12 pieces of string I blessed and I sent them to the ground. You know what happened? Sri Lanka lost. But because they asked for it too late. [laughter] But that was not the really important match because that that was a warm-up game for the World Cup cricket. And as every Sri Lankan knows the Sri Lankans had never won much before. But this they had the final Sri Lanka this World Cup cricket final, Sri Lanka versus Australia. And you know how much Australians love their cricket. And Sri Lanka won. Against all predictions, Sri Lanka beat Australia and won the World Cup cricket. And that was Any Sri Lankan remembers that. Remember the occasion. It was uh the captain. I remember his name, Arjuna Ranatunga. Cuz I saw people show me in the the Western Australian newspaper, the big picture of the captain holding up the World Cup and the whole Sri Lanka, they just celebrated. I don't know for how long. And of course Australia was just so upset. They just missed out. But as he was holding up the cup, you know what I saw? On his hand my string. It was my string which was on all of the cricketers' hands there except the Australians. That was why they won the World Cup. Cuz an Australian monk and it took years before I admitted that. Otherwise I got kicked out of the country.

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 41:11 (to 45:02)

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

Ajahn Brahm blessed twelve strings for Sri Lanka's cricketers; they lost that match, then beat Australia in the World Cup final with his string on the captain's wrist. An Australian monk, he kept quiet for years. He tells it as a confession. Admit your faults and you'll find it far easier to tolerate everyone else's.

In brief (our summary)

During a one-day match at the WACA, with Australia hammering Sri Lanka, young helpers come to Ajahn Brahm: the Sri Lankan captain wants holy string from a good monk. He blesses twelve strings (one for the twelfth man). Sri Lanka still loses — they asked too late. But it was a warm-up for the World Cup, and in the final Sri Lanka beat Australia against all predictions. In the newspaper photo of captain Arjuna Ranatunga lifting the cup, Ajahn Brahm sees his string on the captain's wrist. As an Australian monk, he kept it quiet for years.

Teaching point

Told as a confession joke about blessings: they sometimes work, sometimes don't — it's really up to you.

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Learn to Not Blame Yourself | Ajahn Brahm | 25 May 2018 · 2018-05-25 · ▶ watch from 41:11 to 45:02 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

3 other tellings of this story

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions (machine-punctuated); words left exactly as captioned.

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

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