Stories about Cambridge
3 Buddhist wisdom stories about Cambridge from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- Between Cambridge exams he meditated instead of revisingStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: During six-day Cambridge natural-sciences finals (3 hours morning and afternoon), after astrophysics of the galaxy he skipped lunch, meditated, let go of worrying about the past…
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after the first exam on something simple like astrophysics of the galaxy, that was one of the subjects honestly. After 3 hours just like maths, just like sums, that's what it was. After 3 hours of that, then I went back to my I didn't have any lunch. I was a student at the time actually very different than you see today. I was really thin and I had lots and lots and lots and lots of hair. My hairstyle of that time was what we used to call the donut look. It was really bushy hair all over the top. And where the hair stopped, that's where the beard began. And so I remember my grandmother used to say, "We can hardly see you. Is that you in there?" But it certainly kept my my my head warm without needing any beanie or something. So anyway, so I went back to my room after astrophysics of the galaxy and I never had any lunch. Ate in the morning and evening. Instead of having lunch, I decided to meditate. It surprised me how well it works. You sit down, close your eyes, you've just done an exam which is supposed to define your life. You pass and then you sort of, you know, you get a degree, you don't pass, and then you're stupid. I wish I'd have known I was going to become a monk. Honestly, I would have even tried, but I never knew that at the time. So anyway, so I tried my best but what I did was after uh sitting down, closing my eyes, the first thing I thought about was the past. How did I do? Did I answer the questions correctly? You do an exam. You worried about, you know, it's important for you. So you worry about was that the right answer? Did I do it correctly? But by that time I knew I couldn't change anything now. The exam papers were in finished. So I because I'd been a meditator, you could let go of the past. It gave you no assistance to actually worry about the past, where you came from, what had happened. And the next thing when I let that go, the next thing which came up, afternoon exam. Oh my goodness. Should I do some more revision? Should I look at the books again? And I said, "No, cuz this is just from uh from experience. Even at that age, the more you worry about the future and try and predict it, whatever you look at never ever comes up in the paper. Never. Not once." And I realize the best way of preparing for the future is not studying but relaxing. That's why any of you ever do important exams. Please relax before those exams. Relax to the max. Your brain needs to rest so it re-energizes so it can actually see those answers. So that's what I did. Let go of the future. Because as I say here every week when I'm here, the future is made right now
- The Cavendish warrenStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: As a young Cambridge student he enters the Cavendish Laboratory warren — alleys, rooms, history including J.J. Thomson discovering the electron.
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Caendish laboratory, and it was just an amazing experience going in this this old laboratory where so much stuff had happened. It was a warren of alleys and little rooms where someone in one of those rooms was inventing the time machine and no one knew what they were doing. These old professors no one had seen someone was inventing a laser or and had all this incredible history behind it. JJ Thompson had discovered the electron
- You don't have to join — Cambridge Buddhist SocietyStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Cambridge societies fair: finds Buddhist Society stall like gold; wants to join; the person behind the counter says this is Buddhism — you don't have to join.
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society's fair day where all the societies they had a stall at the University and you can join whatever Club you wanted to even fox hunting if you want to go fox hunting remember this is Cambridge University snobby place but as soon as I walked in I just I will never forget this experience they had Buddhist Society of Cambridge University I saw they had a store and to me that was like finding gold I never expected to have a Buddhist Society University so I went straight up to the counter said I want to join and the guy in front of the counter said look this is Buddhism you don't have to join