# The Tibetan monk who never got to speak

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-tibetan-monk-heckled-melbourne
- Themes: equanimity, criticism, interfaith conflict, inspiration
- Life situations: being publicly criticised, being verbally attacked, religious hostility

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

A former caretaker became a Buddhist because of a talk in a Melbourne public library that never happened. As a Tibetan monk was about to speak, a fundamentalist Christian stood up and harangued him as evil, a messenger of the devil. Asked to sit down, he shouted louder; it took 45–50 minutes to remove him, and the time ran out. The monk said nothing — but the young man found it the most inspiring thing he'd ever seen: through all the abuse, the monk sat peaceful and calm.

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

one of our ex-caretakers here a long time ago said he became a Buddhist because an experience he had listening to a talk in Melbourne many many years ago there was a Tibetan Buddhist monk was to give a talk in the public library and so he went along just for interest not really a Buddhist yet and well this Tibetan monk just before he got up to give the talk one of these fundamental Christian people stood up and started to harangue the monk say he was evil a messenger from the devil and Jesus Jesus was the only way and Buddhist being quite gentle said okay you said your stuff Nana please sit down and be quiet we want to listen to the Monk but that just made the Christian fundamentalist even more speaking louder and more aggressively and it took 45-50 minutes to get this guy to leave the auditorium and that's all the time they had for the talk so everyone had to go home and they might never said anything but this young man said that was the most inspiring thing he'd ever seen simply because when this monk was being criticized and put down and scolded and said was evil and part of the devil's crew or whatever the monk was just sitting there peacefully and calm even though he's being scolded he realized that's not what he was

## Teaching point

If you don't believe what others say about you, their scolding doesn't hit you.

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

A Tibetan monk sat through forty-five minutes of shouting that he was evil, said nothing, and stayed calm. One young listener became a Buddhist because of that unspoken talk. Criticism only wounds when you believe it. If someone calls you a dog, Ajahn Brahm says, check for a tail; if there isn't one, there's no problem.

## Source

- [Changing our attitudes to who we think we are | Ajahn Brahm | 17 Jul 2015](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1ldT6MBEP8) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 41:12 to 42:47: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1ldT6MBEP8&t=2472s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Relax | Ajahn Brahm | 19 May 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97u4C6-HjOQ) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 34:28 to 36:07: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97u4C6-HjOQ&t=2068s
- [Power Of Slience | Ajahn Brahm | 11 May 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzlFEqkP6vA) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 53:09 to 55:40: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzlFEqkP6vA&t=3189s
- [Caring For Others | Ajahn Brahm | 31 May 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RThpW61kX94) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 8:53 to 10:57: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RThpW61kX94&t=533s