Stories about books
6 Buddhist wisdom stories about books from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- Bernard Carr, the first Buddhist he metStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: At 16 Ajahn Brahm wins his first school maths prize, is sent to Foyles for maths books, and instead buys Buddhism paperbacks from the attic annex. He recognises himself as a…
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Bernard was a very close friend because he was the first Buddhist I ever met. And the story is this. As a young man, we're going to school and about 16 years of age, I started to come good at the at the um secondary school where I was studying and I won my first school prize at 16 for maths. So they I asked, "What do I do?" Never had a school prize before. And my teacher said, "You go off to the bookshop and get books on mathematics so you could go even further in that field." So being obedient, I went to this bookstore in Charing Cross Road in London, Foils Bookshop. And I went in there the mathematics section and I looked at all these books on mathematics and I said to myself, I'm not going to waste my first school prize on that rubbish. I want something a bit more interesting. And I noticed on the opposite side of the road in the annex, annex is always interesting. In the very top floor, the attic, that is where they had books on the weird stuff, psychic powers. All the different religions were up there as well. And so I brought a whole mass of paperbacks and the teacher, you're not supposed to get paperbacks, but it's good value for money instead of getting a hardback. But we got to present something to you. Oh, present. That's good enough. So I think the book which was presented to me I think was absolutely true was the third eye by lob sang ramper the guy I think some celebrity or some important person I said what is this book this guy's getting but that was only one of them the rest of them was all these books on Buddhism that's actually where I became a Buddhist I read them I thought wow that's what I am that's how I think that's you know my personality And it was only when I went to university that they had all these clubs and societies and I just my eyes went wide when I saw there was a Buddhist club in university and I was just so excited. What you mean there's other Buddhists? I can actually, you know, join something. This was in 1969 I think. And so I went to the counter and there's this another student is on the other end of the counter. I said I want to join. He said no this is Buddhism. You don't need to join. Just come and test it out. I said I'm already a Buddhist. I want to join. No just after a few talks if you want to. And I slammed a£1 note which was a joining 518 on the table. Join me now. And he became you know a lifelong friend. That was Bernard Bernard Khr.
- Books, books, books — dustbin, dustbin, dustbinStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: ~1972 London: Zen monk with almost no English answers 'What of Buddhism in UK?' — books books books, too many, dustbin dustbin dustbin. Also: each book written = seven births as…
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this Zen monk came, and in his talk, he gave a warning. His warning was Well, first of all, you know, he couldn't speak English very well. But nevertheless, we asked him a question. And the question was, "What do you think of Buddhism in UK?" And I think this was asked about 1972. And he said, he couldn't speak English fluently, but he could say a few words. What he said was, "Buddhism in UK, books, books, books. Too many, too many, too many. Dustbin, dustbin, dustbin." And that was so articulate. You couldn't have said it more eloquently than that. Just Just knowing three words. But he also said that uh through the translator, that anyone who writes a book, for each book, you have to spend the next seven births after you die, as a donkey
- Number three after the Quran and the BibleStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: In Indonesia a bookseller tells Ajahn Brahm his books are always number three in the big Gramedia chain — beaten only by the Quran and the Bible. He is delighted; he is not going…
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your books are number three sort of in the in the grand media books uh store as a chain of bookshops and so they're the biggest booksellers over in Indonesia and they said it's always number three and I said what beat my books and he said what beat what was number one was the Quran what was number two is the Bible and you're next I said that's pretty cool it's like I'm not going to try and beat those two books in Indonesia but it was actually pretty impressive
- Opened the Door of the Heart — in the medical sectionStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Adelaide friends hunt his book; self-help clerk joke; they find Opened the Door of the Heart shelved in medical — someone thought heart surgery. He is proud.
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Bookshop and they say where is the section on self-help books and the person behind the counter said if I told you it would defeat the purpose cell phone so there we go the guy sort of looking for the book and they eventually found it it was in the medical section so somebody saw it opened the door of the heart they thought it was heart surgery so they bumped it in the medical section true story I was very proud of that
- Perth Airport: 'That's my favorite book'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Landing at Perth Airport around 11 pm after Taiwan, the immigration officer asks if he has written any books. When he names Opening the Door of Your Heart she lights up — it is…
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it's even just coming back last night, 11:00, I think, through Perth Airport. You know, just after you Those of you who do travel like me, as soon as you sort of go through the immigration, they check your card to see whether you go through straight through the um the customs or you have to get things x-rayed and stuff. And the lady who sort of checked me said, "Have you written any books?" Said, "Yeah, I've written this book, Open the Door of Your Heart." "You are Open the Door of Your Heart. That's my favorite book. I bought three extra copies to give to my friends. It's so wonderful. You're such a great man." Go through. Now, it's very nice being able to go through instead of getting everything checked and standing in line.
- She flew from Bern just to say thank youStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Asked for a new foreword to Opening the Door of Your Heart, Ajahn Brahm recalls a woman from Bern who had flown to Perth only to thank him and go home. She had had cancer,…
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A woman came to Bodhinyana Monastery from Bern in Switzerland. And she came and she had no reason to lie. I believe exactly what she said. She said, "I flew all that way from Switzerland to Perth to find you. Now I found you, I'll go home. I wanted to say thank you personally. Cuz she had cancer, anxiety disorder, depression, you know, the whole works. You know, when you really get, you know, really screwed up inside. Said, "Doctors, no help. Psychologists, no help. Someone gave me your book, cured. Full remission. No anxiety anymore. Psychologist said, 'Go. You're okay.'" So, she wanted to come and thank me for that. And of course, as soon as said, "You have to remember, can you sign my book?" It was one of these dog-eared books. Not one of these books you put on the shelf. She had read this, I don't know how many times. "Can you please sign it?" When I signed it, she started weeping, crying. That is helping. That is aid. That is disaster relief in another way.