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Story · Ajahn Brahm

“You're old enough to know better”

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Control and Freedom | Ajahn Brahm | 05-01-2007

1 min read

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

I was walking through the streets of um what's it uh Doncaster in the north of London many years north of England many years ago. And uh you know, wearing our robes, I was with this monk Ajahn Sumedho. He was about 20 20 years uh older than me. And this guy came up in this suit, a business guy and he's way to work early in the morning. And he looked at us, you know, really with disgust. But he turned on this Ajahn Sumedho, looked at him and said, "You're old enough to know better." And I was young enough to be stupid, but this guy he was now 40. That's a great comment.

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 24:30 (to 25:16)

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

A businessman in Doncaster sneered at Ajahn Sumedho, robed and forty, that he was old enough to know better. Ajahn Brahm still treasures the line. Someone else's contempt is their business. Whether you get upset is yours to decide. Choosing not to react automatically is a wise kind of rebellion, and real freedom.

In brief (our summary)

Walking in robes through Doncaster early one morning with Ajahn Sumedho, about 20 years his senior, a businessman on his way to work looks at them with disgust and says to Ajahn Sumedho, 'You're old enough to know better.' (Ajahn Brahm was 'young enough to be stupid'.)

Teaching point

Why let others' insults upset you? That's their business.

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Control and Freedom | Ajahn Brahm | 05-01-2007 · 2007-01-12 · ▶ watch from 24:30 to 25:16 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, 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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