# Raged at in the Sydney airport lounge

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-sydney-airport-mistaken-for-cult
- Themes: hatred, mistaken identity, compassion
- Life situations: false accusation, public confrontation

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

In the Sydney airport lounge a woman asks if he is a monk from Thailand, then explodes: he took $10,000 from her husband and messed up his mind. He is innocent — he suspects a money-for-enlightenment group — but cannot get a word in. The lounge watches; she glares and leaves. He reflects on being a victim of hatred he did not deserve.

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

was in the lounge at Sydney airport quietly having a cup of tea minding my own business when this lady came up to me and said are you a monk are you from Thailand and I said well I just said yes I'm not really from Thailand but that's where I got my training the first nine years and then she exploded at me you took ten thousand dollars from my husband and you messed up his mind so what I never did anything I honestly I'm innocent but she was no way could I convince her she had hatred I'm not quite sure what had happened somehow rather that her husband had found some probably I think I'll probably know the group because they take a lot of money out from people and it's not really Buddhism you know trying to buy your way to Enlightenment and it's it's a very easy thing to Market but it's very very uh wrong very immoral probably then but I'm not sure because there's no way I could ask anything because she was so ranging me in the lounge great entertainment for everybody because they could all stop looking at their tablets and their newspapers have a look this is really interesting because that we always like to see things like that happen but you know I just said oh I don't know sorry and eventually she'd left me alone but no she's glaring at me but sometimes you wonder just like obviously it was totally innocent I don't know what happened I didn't do anything I don't mess around with well actually I do mess around with people's minds but in a really good way I've been messing around with some of your minds for years but you know in a good way peaceful way and I don't take any money off anybody so I'm not quite sure why but you were a victim of hatred when no way you did deserve it at all

## Teaching point

Being wrongly hated shows you what hatred feels like from the other side.

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

In a Sydney airport lounge, a stranger furiously accused Ajahn Brahm of taking her husband's money and wrecking his mind. He had done no such thing and couldn't get a word in. Being wrongly hated hurts. Yet your happiness is yours to keep. Don't hand it over to anyone's anger, deserved or not.

## Source

- [Hatred and how to overcome it | Ajahn Brahm | 17 Jun 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvrZ7q7LTtY) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 3:10 to 5:01: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvrZ7q7LTtY&t=190s