Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

The TV star he didn't recognise

As told by Ajahn Brahm in The Buddhist Attitude to Sensuality | Ajahn Brahm | 19-01-2007

1 min read

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

Now one story. I should actually find out who this lady was, but she was some TV star. I think she was in Water Rats, or something. I don't know her name. Somebody told me, she is really really famous. If I told you her name now I think you would all know her. But I went to teach, it was just an afternoon meditation session in Sydney. This fellow had a little group in Darling Point, like a really top, affluent place of Sydney. So he's in this little group. There are about sort-of 20-30 people. I was talking about meditation. And this lady kept on looking at me and smiling. I didn't know, she was acting very strange. Not like an ordinary girl. [Laughter]. And, in the end, I just took it in my stride and taught the meditation etc., and afterwards I mentioned to the person organizing this and said, "That lady was acting really strange." And he told me that that was a famous TV actress. I figured out she was looking at me strangely because I didn't recognize her. What she was actually saying is, "See, it's me; I am the famous TV star." [laughter] Ajahn Brahm: And I didn't know. [laughter]

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 51:50 (to 53:12)

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

A woman smiled meaningfully at Ajahn Brahm all through a Sydney class, and only later did he learn she was a famous TV star, miffed that he hadn't known. He was delighted. Not knowing who's who lets you treat everyone the same. Fame, looks and status make poor reasons to give someone more of your time.

In brief (our summary)

Teaching a small meditation class in Double Bay, Sydney, Ajahn Brahm notices a woman at the back smiling at him and wonders who on earth she is. Afterwards he learns she was a famous TV star — and was upset that he hadn't recognised her.

Teaching point

Beauty and importance are in how people live, not in fame or looks.

When this story may help

  • need for recognition
  • celebrity
  • self-image

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in The Buddhist Attitude to Sensuality | Ajahn Brahm | 19-01-2007 · 2007-01-22 · ▶ watch from 51:50 to 53:12 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

2 other tellings of this story

Caption notes: Manual (volunteer) captions; occasional misspellings kept as is.

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

  • The supermodel was annoyed they photographed the monk

    In brief: On a Kuala Lumpur retreat a famous Malaysian supermodel grew fed up that at the end nobody wanted her photo — they only wanted photographs…

    Read full story

    there have been supermodels... It's true. I was teaching this retreat over in Kuala Lumpur, and they told me this very famous Malaysian supermodel was on my retreat. And, you know, she looked really nice apparently, but she got very fed up at the end of the retreat, and she complained at the end of the retreat because at the end of the retreat, no one wanted to take a photograph of her; they only wanted to take photographs of me. (LAUGHTER) I don't know why she got upset of that. That's true story; they told me she was really pissed off. And I can't understand why people want to take photographs of me Anyway, but never mind there we go. Anyway back to the tree

    Open story page·Watch this telling

  • Bob Dylan on being famous

    In brief: A fellow monk, Garry, who grew up in Los Angeles among the famous, once sneaked into Bob Dylan's hotel and spent an evening with him. When…

    Read full story

    Even when I was a young monk, there was a fellow monk his name was Garry, and I remember as a young man he grew up in Los Angeles, he met that filmstat who was that who played 'dirty harry' what was his name? Clint Eastwood, he met Clint Eastwood in his early days because they went to the same university together he told all these stories about being with the rich and the famous but he remembered once when that Singer Bob Dylan was in Los Angles he found out from his friends which hotel he was in and managed to use on of his contacts to sneak in the back and spend a whole evening and night with Bob Dylan. This is a famous man, at that time he was multi famous and Bob Dylan was saying ... no he was saying to Bob Dylan Ah it must be great being famous; Bob Dylan swore no its xxxx whatever it is, I can't repeat it here its terrible being famous. It's such a pain to be well known.

    Open story page·Watch this telling

  • A meditation question at the urinal

    In brief: After a long talk and Q&A at the Jockey Club auditorium in Hong Kong, Ajahn Brahm desperately needs the toilet but queues of questioners…

    Read full story

    one probably the worst thing which ever happened to me was when I was in Hong Kong giving some talks like you know you talk for over an hour then questions and answers and then after people run out of questions and I think any more questions no and I think I can go and there's a whole line of people in front of me asking their questions and I'm a I'm a monk yes but I'm also a human being I too need to go to toilet and they wouldn't let me go really lot suffering. And so eventually the line finished and I got up to go and then people grabbed me as I was walking out to ask me questions about meditation. That's my job. Okay. I'm supposed to, you know, be a meditation teacher and about their life and stuff. And I finally finally made it to the toilet. It was in the jockey club auditorium in Hong Kong. I finally made it into the L. And as soon as I got into the L, I thought, "Ah yes, now I can go. Ah, I really need this. You know, it's the closest thing to enlightenment. The joy of when you know, you've been really want to go for a long time and now you can actually just evacuate your bladder. Well, you know what happened? This guy just finished washing his hand. Oh, I jump. Can I talk to you about my meditation? It was inside the toilet in the men's room.

    Open story page·Watch this telling

  • “Sir, you're drunk” — “Madam, you're ugly”

    In brief: Ajahn Brahm tells the 'greatest put-down' he knows, which he attributes to Oscar Wilde: coming out of a bar completely drunk, at a time…

    Read full story

    you can't beat that Oscar Wilde who's greatest put I ever heard: when he came out of some sort of nightclub or some bar, completely drunk, and of course this was a time when being drunk was even worse as a social stigma than it is today. Actually, probably in Australia it's not a social stigma at all. (audience chuckles) an accolade but anyway in those days, when being drunk was considered to be socially unacceptable, he came out drunk and this woman said to him "Sir, you're drunk" and he replied "Madam, you're ugly." (audience laughs) and the killing phrase was "the difference between us: in the morning I'll be sober.

    Open story page·Watch this telling

All stories·Find a story for your situation