# The truckload of dung

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Analogy
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-truckload-of-dung
- Themes: suffering, transformation, trauma, resilience
- Life situations: trauma, unfair misfortune, dwelling on problems, grief

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

You come home to find a truckload of manure dumped in front of your door. You didn't order it and no one saw the truck, so you're stuck with it. You can carry it around in your pockets and clothes — and stink, losing even your friends — or wheelbarrow it round the back and dig it into the garden, where it gives sweeter fruit and deeper-coloured, fragrant flowers to share with friends and offer at the shrine.

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

because that was relating to a particular story that if you do have shit happens to you in life, you can dig it in and you can make these beautiful things out of the most unpleasant aspects of your life, there's always something you can do. Now I use that as an extreme example to show that when these things happen to you or happen nationally, the law of kamma means stop thinking why this happened and do something about it. Dig it in, yeah, it's tough to do, but the alternative which is in that story "who ordered the truckload of dung", is people carry the shit around with them in their pockets. And you find if you carry dung and smelly shit in your pockets or your bags you lose a lot of friends, and you understand what I mean by this.. When people really get depressed, angry and upset about what happens to them in life, no one likes to be around you, that's not the way to deal with these problems

## Teaching point

Painful experiences can't be thrown away, but they can be dug in and transformed into wisdom and compassion.

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

Imagine finding a truckload of dung dumped at your door. You didn't order it, and you can't send it back. Carry it around and you'll stink and lose friends. Dig it into the garden and it feeds sweeter fruit and brighter flowers. Hard times aren't always your fault. They can still become wisdom and compassion.

## Source

- [Meditation Kamma | Ajahn Brahm | 06-06-2008](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M5Fxmq5c9s) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 10:37 to 11:51: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M5Fxmq5c9s&t=637s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Trauma and Tragedy | Ajahn Brahm | 12-02-2010](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVE3nGIC6kI) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 24:02 to 28:16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVE3nGIC6kI&t=1442s
- [Loving our sufferings | Ajahn Brahm | 30 Nov 2012](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo9-6qQ9tyI) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 28:35 to 31:23: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo9-6qQ9tyI&t=1715s
- [Uncertainty | Ajahn Brahm | 15-07-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pswsVGVdISY) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 30:29 to 35:19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pswsVGVdISY&t=1829s
- [How to React to Life | Ajahn Brahm | 30 June 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhLQy4iMDl4) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 45:31 to 47:34: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhLQy4iMDl4&t=2731s
- [Growing from Difficult Times | Ajahn Brahm | 21 April 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXZHG7El0lU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 32:22 to 36:49: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXZHG7El0lU&t=1942s
- [Trust | Ajahn Brahm | 01-04-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ4r0C3IcWU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 55:53 to 56:10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ4r0C3IcWU&t=3353s
- [Oh What A Relief! | by Ajahn Brahm | 16-05-2013](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_3cozc023Y) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 39:22 to 41:20: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_3cozc023Y&t=2362s