# You disturb the noise

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Analogy
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-you-disturb-the-noise
- Themes: noise, equanimity, Ajahn Chah, tolerance
- Life situations: noisy housemates, irritation, family life

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Ajahn Chah's line via Brahm: it is not the children's noise that disturbs you — you disturb the noise. People are noisy; make peace with it when you cannot change it.

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

it's not the noise of the children disturbs you you disturb the noise of the children that's what children do children make noise husbands you know keep on saying I'll do it tomorrow darling wives there's a nature of this world people make noise and this person from Malaysia I probably got somebody else over here and it's actually not tonight they've probably from your house they probably asked the same question how do I live with a noisy annoying and noisy people because you're probably annoying and noisy as well as the other people are we always think it's somebody else is a problem don't we they're noisy with everything I'm noisy we always said this happens you know when on my Retreats which I do over in China Grove is a room this Cottage with six people and someone says can you please tell people not to snore in the Cottages and then the other people also say can you tell people not to snow we never think we snow it's other people snoring but we snore as well so live with annoying and noise in people welcome to the world people are annoying and they are noisy and you're one of them and I'm one of them as well I'm sure I'm very annoying telling the same old jokes every week and very annoying noisy so how you do tolerance self in yourself and don't disturb the noise if there's something you can do do it if there's nothing you can do just make peace with it it was amazing just how you can make peace even in noisy environments

## Teaching point

Disturbance is often your reaction, not the sound.

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

It's not the children's noise that disturbs you, Ajahn Chah said; you disturb the noise. Mothers put up with crying babies because love puts it in perspective. If you can change something, change it. If you can't, make peace with it. Patience with others begins with patience with yourself.

## Source

- [Real Life | Ajahn Brahm | 3 Jun 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzgG2HBzVDk) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 50:28 to 52:12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzgG2HBzVDk&t=3028s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Peace in Present Moment | Ajahn Brahm | 14 November 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxfX7PEKRLQ) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:04 to 3:11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxfX7PEKRLQ&t=64s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 18 March 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeDoSi7PN4c) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:21:14 to 1:21:52: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeDoSi7PN4c&t=4874s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 21 May 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNuConxwYn0) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:03:18 to 1:03:32: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNuConxwYn0&t=3798s
- [Vesak Day (Afternoon) | 11 May 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T123BDNTy4Q) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:57:25 to 1:57:41: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T123BDNTy4Q&t=7045s