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Joke · Ajahn Brahm

“This must be your dad”

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Dealing With Difficult People | Ajahn Brahm | 28 Nov 2008

1 min read

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

Last Sunday I was doing a marriage service for one of the people who comes here regularly, and she's married to a nice young boy. You always have to get married to a boy, I suppose, if you're a girl. [laughter] Ajahn: I don't know why I said that, but anyway she was getting married... [laughter] Ajahn: ...and after the service, doing the blessing service, and I said to him... That's right, this elderly man came to stand next to him, and I said, "Oh, is that your father?" And the old man said, "No, I'm the best man." [laughter] Ajahn: He was not very happy at me.

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 39:51 (to 40:29)

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

When you do something silly, don't tighten up and become a difficult person. Laugh with life. If others laugh and you laugh too, the world laughs with you, not at you — and that warm humour is a way of embracing the mess.

In brief (our summary)

At a wedding blessing Ajahn Brahm assumes the older man beside the young man is his father — and is corrected, to the older man's displeasure.

Teaching point

“when you do something stupid, laugh at life instead of tensing up” (my translation)

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Dealing With Difficult People | Ajahn Brahm | 28 Nov 2008 · 2008-12-06 · ▶ watch from 39:51 to 40:29 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

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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