Story · Ajahn Brahm

The tomboy who was a boy before

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

1 min read

Content note: gender identity; rebirth claim; child

she was a typical really stereotypical tomboy never like to play with the girls always lose like hang out with the boys and beat them up you know it's only five six years of age really tomboy and it's obvious because you know it was a it was a girl I was a boy before so anyway there are cases like that

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 23:13 (to 23:40)

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

A little girl who preferred the boys' rough games explained simply that she'd been a boy before. Ajahn Brahm shares such stories mainly for grieving parents. Whatever you believe about rebirth, it can soften the cruelty of a young death. The person isn't wasted or gone; they simply have another chance.

In brief (our summary)

A girl of five or six is a stereotypical tomboy — hangs out with boys, beats them up — and says it is because she was a boy before. Brahm offers it as one of the rebirth cases that softens the pain of loss.

Teaching point

Some children's stubborn identities make more sense if you allow a longer story than one life.

When this story may help

puzzling child behaviour
grief after a death

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Reincarnation | Ajahn Brahm | 3 Feb 2017 · 2017-02-03 · ▶ watch from 23:13 to 23:40 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

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

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