# The most beautiful bamboo looked sick after the ride

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-uk-bamboo-after-retreat
- Themes: perception, meditation, beauty, mind
- Life situations: post-retreat comedown, seeing with tired eyes

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

After a UK meditation retreat he bikes through stressful traffic to revisit his favourite bamboo clump — days earlier the most beautiful in the world; now dry, desiccated, out of place. Same plant; tired mind.

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

my beautiful clump of bamboo - I just stared at it - it was gorgeous. I didn't move. The delight, because my hindrances were so suppressed I could just look at something and see it's deep beauty, gave rise to the stillness. The ability just to hold the perception, not really hold it, the perception held me, and just be there, enjoying every moment of this, that's where the restlessness disappears

## Teaching point

Beauty is in the mind's charge, not only in the plant.

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

On retreat in England, Ajahn Brahm thought a clump of bamboo was the most beautiful in the world. Two weeks and some stressful traffic later, it looked dry and sickly. Same plant; tired mind. How beautiful the world looks depends partly on us. Look after your mind, and life looks lovelier.

## Source

- [Guided Meditation with Q&A | Ajahn Brahm | 18 Apr 2020](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRXpXVjoWCw) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 16:03 to 16:52: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRXpXVjoWCw&t=963s

Other tellings of this story:

- [The Nature of the Mind | Ajahn Brahm | 3 May 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HhV-6wQdJ8) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 13:31 to 14:40: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HhV-6wQdJ8&t=811s
- [Transcendence | Ajahn Brahm | 30 April 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l903MO8kgY) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 7:41 to 9:55: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l903MO8kgY&t=461s