# Let her come and bow

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-sri-lanka-old-woman-allowed-to-bow
- Themes: kindness, karma, humility
- Life situations: being tired of people, public roles

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Someone in Sydney who watched a video of Ajahn Brahm's Sri Lanka trip says what impressed him most wasn't the many talks but the moment an old woman wanted to bow and his minders tried to push her away because he was tired — and he told them to let her come; she may have come a long way.

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

someone told me in Sydney I've been in in Sri Lanka and they know saw the video of my trip over there and they gave many many talks but the thing which really impressed them was when a Sri Lankan old woman Sri Lanka woman wanted to come up and just bow to me my minders and always he's tired to try to push her away and I told my minders no let her come doesn't matter if I'm tired she may have come such a long way just that little act of kindness he said that was better than all your talks that made such an impression on him

## Teaching point

Small acts of kindness can matter more than many talks; good karma brings instant reward.

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

Of everything in a video of Ajahn Brahm's Sri Lanka tour, what moved one viewer most wasn't the talks but the moment he told his minders to let a tired old woman come and bow. She may have come a long way. Little acts of kindness are huge. And they make you happy straight away.

## Source

- [The Process of Rebirth | Ajahn Brahm | 03-04-2009](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWFSAFHpx_U) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:02:19 to 1:03:04: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWFSAFHpx_U&t=3739s