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Story · Ajahn Brahm

“It's a bit OTT, isn't it?”

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Positive Perspective and Acceptance | Ajahn Brahm | 3 June 2022

1 min read

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

we went on pilgrimage to india and part of the pilgrimage was actually going to the taj mahal i don't know why we went there but said people wanted to see it so i was dragged along i remember sitting at a distance from the taj mahal in agua in india and just asking myself why is this beautiful it's only beautiful because you're told it's beautiful when i actually look at it from a distance so what's beautiful about this it's a bit of an exaggeration and it almost ruined many many people suffered because of building that but people said it was a work of art what's a work of art is it really beautiful so i was questioning myself there i remember pauline coming up to me and said it's a bit ott isn't it and i said yeah well done c2 was challenging her perceptions were taught to say this is beautiful and when you actually look at it challenge your perceptions it wasn't that beautiful

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 45:08 (to 46:09)

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

At the Taj Mahal, Ajahn Brahm wondered whether it was beautiful only because we're told so, and a fellow pilgrim muttered, 'It's a bit OTT, isn't it?' He cheered her. Fashions and perceptions change. Question them, and foods, illnesses and people we wrote off often turn out to be fine.

In brief (our summary)

Dragged along to the Taj Mahal on an India pilgrimage, Ajahn Brahm sits at a distance wondering why it's beautiful — only because we're told so? A fellow pilgrim, the late member Pauline, comes up and says, “It's a bit OTT, isn't it?” He congratulates her for challenging her perceptions.

Teaching point

Challenge received perceptions of beauty and value.

When this story may help

  • travel
  • questioning received opinion

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Positive Perspective and Acceptance | Ajahn Brahm | 3 June 2022 · 2022-06-03 · ▶ watch from 45:08 to 46:09 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

1 other telling of this story

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, words left exactly as captioned. 'napoleon shield' = name of member (Pauline …), garbled; 'agua' = Agra (not changed).

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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