# 'I thought you couldn't talk'

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-thought-you-were-mentally-impaired
- Themes: silence, humility, humour, monastic training
- Life situations: being underestimated, learning to listen

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

When he first came to Perth, Ajahn Brahm was the second monk; Ajahn Jagaro gave all the talks while he sat silently beside him for months. When Jagaro went to Thailand for a few weeks and Ajahn Brahm gave his first talk, someone came up afterwards amazed: they had never thought he could talk — they'd assumed he was mentally impaired, having never seen anyone sit silent for so long.

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

When I first came to Perth, I was number two monk, and that's just like these monks. They sit quietly, Their job is not to speak, the senior monk does all the talking, So Ajahn Jagaro would give all the talks and answer all the questions. I was just his attendant. Then after about nine months, he went to Thailand. so I was the head monk, so I had to speak. And as soon as I started speaking, this young girl, she was about 14, came up to me afterwards and said "That's amazing! You can speak! [audience laughing] I thought you were brain damaged

## Teaching point

The power of silence (even if it is sometimes misinterpreted).

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

For months Ajahn Brahm sat silently beside Ajahn Jagaro, until someone heard his first talk and admitted they'd assumed he couldn't speak. Silence can be misread. Still, a little restraint lets the other person be heard, and lets you hear more. Mindful silence makes you far more sensitive to others.

## Source

- [Benefits Of Silence | Ajahn Brahm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlZGTb9L2pE) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 2:40 to 3:21: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlZGTb9L2pE&t=160s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Skillful Speech | Ajahn Brahm | 03-07-2009](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92eeS7ZGwlE) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 16:50 to 17:53: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92eeS7ZGwlE&t=1010s
- [What Is The Meaning of Life? | Ajahn Brahm | 4 Nov 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNqnOB5OA5E) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 13:32 to 14:32: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNqnOB5OA5E&t=812s
- [Snp1.12 Muni Sutta: The Sage | Ajahn Brahm | 24 February 2019](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICnNBZtPi1E) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 54:26 to 54:53: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICnNBZtPi1E&t=3266s