Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

Daddy, what does tax mean?

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Reincarnation | Ajahn Brahm | 3 Feb 2017

1 min read

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

this little three-year-old said Daddy what does tax mean and of course it's hard to explain to a three-year-old what taxi said look if you get any pocket money or you earn any sort of dollars you have to give part of that to the government that's called tax and these three year old turned around and said Daddy if I get any money I'm never giving any of it to the government characteristics you know from a previous life why would a thre

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 59:21 (to 1:00:00)

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

A businesswoman who hated tax died, and soon a baby was born in the family. At three, learning what tax meant, the child vowed never to give the government a cent. Ajahn Brahm smiles at the echo. Hold a newborn and you sense a being with history. Each child arrives with its own character; meet them as they are.

In brief (our summary)

A businesswoman aunt in Sydney who hated paying tax dies; soon after, the nephew's baby is born. At three, seeing a tax billboard on a NSW motorway, the child asks what tax means, hears the explanation, and declares that if she gets any money she will never give any to the government — the aunt's characteristic, Brahm suggests, from a previous life.

Teaching point

Personality quirks that arrive fully formed in small children invite a longer story than one lifetime.

When this story may help

  • curious about a child
  • after a relative dies

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Reincarnation | Ajahn Brahm | 3 Feb 2017 · 2017-02-03 · ▶ watch from 59:21 to 1:00:00 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

1 other telling of this story

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

  • Charlie's mark on the heel

    In brief: A healthy Thai woman's first baby, Charlie, is stillborn after turning in the womb days before birth. Ajahn Brahm conducts the funeral;…

    Read full story

    the story of a Thai couple who come here - just making sure they're not here, they may be embarrassed if I tell you this; but no, they're not here. When this lady - years ago now - when she got pregnant (this was a normal pregnancy), and just five days before birth she had an ultrasound. And when the birth happened - stillborn. A tragedy. Because they had everything expected for a baby, and they were just so excited, the first kid they were gonna have. And apparently, the doctors found out it actually turned in the womb and it cut off the blood supply in the umbilical cord. And she didn't know that, five days before - ultrasound - everything was going perfectly, and stillborn. So I did the funeral for them, just up the road here. And I always remember that funeral, because the baby was fully formed. They gave it a name, Charlie. I better not say too much. Charlie was his name, and they dressed it up, and they had the family photograph. And I was in the family photograph, and Charlie was as well. I was almost like honoured to be included in that family photograph, at the birth of Charlie who died at birth. But then, what I didn't see them doing - I know it's common in Thailand to do this, but what I didn't see - they took a pen, a biro pen, when no one was watching, and on the heel of Charlie, they drew a line. With a ballpoint pen. Just a line. And then of course, the baby was cremated. She was a healthy woman. So, few months later, she became pregnant again. When she became pregnant again, this time the doctors really gave her a VIP treatment, because they didn't want a tragedy to happen again. She's a healthy woman, she gave birth - this time - to a girl. And that girl has a birthmark on its heel, a line - exactly where they'd written the line on there. And they all knew Charlie came back. Didn't quite make it the first time, but had another go. Next time, got through. And they told me that story. And of course, you probably would be interested, how did the new kid turn out. First of all, it was a girl, and it was called Annie. And I was watching it - used to be like many kids, they play here, running around there, the kids are offering food to the monks or the nuns, and the kid is running around all over the place. But this Annie would always run with the boys and would beat up the girls. It was really a tomboy, little Annie. And of course, you understand why. She was a boy before. But anyway. That was a wonderful story, that when people have these emotional problems - just give a bigger picture. The kid didn't get there the first time, well have another go. And - a lot of times I’ve seen this - they don't make it the first time, they get an upgrade. [laughter] Become a girl. Is that an upgrade? [chuckles] But anyway. That was the story of Charlie and Annie.

    Open story page·Watch this telling

  • Telling the kids what their dad got up to

    In brief: Visiting his brother, Ajahn Brahm tells his young nephew and niece about all the naughty things their father did at their age; fascinated,…

    Read full story

    I did that to my brother once I was visiting him he had you know a son and a daughter they're about you know six and eight or something and I still my brother was doing something else in his house and I started talking about to my nephew and niece what my brother got up to when he was their age all the naughty things he did and they were really fascinated tell us some more about our dad because he never tells us that foreign and then he came into the room he said what are you telling my children I've been doing all these years trying to teach them not to do those things which he did himself and I knew because I was there at the time

    Open story page·Watch this telling

  • “Oh no, not again”

    In brief: A baby boy born in a US maternity ward, still attached to the umbilical cord, is said to have spoken words everyone heard: “Oh no, not…

    Read full story

    there was this one story supposed to be true confirmed as best you possibly can a a baby being born in a maternity ward knows a boy so born in a maternity ward in the u.s when the baby came out of the womb still attached to umbilical cord spoke uttered words and the words which it said were just classic it said and everyone there heard it oh no not again

    Open story page·Watch this telling

  • Pasta lives

    In brief: On a retreat where rebirth is discussed, a written question reports two vivid dreams — in one life they were a piece of ravioli, in…

    Read full story

    somebody actually wrote on the question a couple of days ago i don't i wonder two days ago that they had a dream one of these because we're talking about reincarnation and their vivid dream was that in one of their lives they're a piece of ravioli weird but you know you've got to respect people's you know views and things it's really disgusting when people say you're crazy no no find out what do they mean this could be something really interesting and they said the night before they dreamt of another weird experience they were a strand of spaghetti and they asked me in the question is this an example of pasta lives

    Open story page·Watch this telling

All stories·Find a story for your situation