Stories about confession
2 Buddhist wisdom stories about confession from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- The fourth priest's confessionJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Four religious leaders, old friends, sit on a bench after a conference and confess their secret weaknesses. One is a compulsive gambler, the second an alcoholic, the third is…
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four priests who were at a conference and over lunch they are sitting together, having their lunch together and one said to the other, this morning we were talking about confession how important it is that we share everything even if we made a mistake that we bring it up and tell our friends. So he said I have a confession to make. I know it is very difficult to say this but ahhh! every Monday is our day-off any wine left after the confession I drink it and I also go to the bottle shop and take as much liquor as I possibly can he said: I am an alcoholic. said the priest. The other priest said you have been hiding it so well; we never suspected that. It's a terrible thing to do for someone who is a moral leader to be an alcoholic. Never-mind you confessed may be we can help you. And then the other one, next one sort of said Well it is a bit hard but seeing as you confessed to be an alcoholic ahhh! he said I am a gambler. He said I am addicted to gambling Sometimes I take money out of the donation box, I intend to pay it back but I'll bet on anything, horse racing, on TV gambling I am an addicted gambler. I have big debts, he said. And the other two... said that's a terrible thing for someone in your position to be stealing and gambling And they all looked at the third person and said what's your thing, you like to confess he said I don't really want to tell you; but they had to forced it out of him he said it's adultery. there is one of the women who comes to his church they have being having an affair she is married That's terrible that you should do a thing like that but isn't it wonderful you can actually confess to your friends. They asked the fourth priest. Said what's your worst thing; and he said 'don't ask me', don't go there. They said no no surely you can tell us, we have told you that alcoholism, gambling, adultery, Surely it can't be worse than that. He said it is, must worse. What is it? He said 'look whatever I hear, I have to tell all my friends, I am a gossip
- The worst thing she'd ever doneStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A woman dying of cancer meets Ajahn Brahm most Friday evenings. Wanting her to die free of her past, he asks in confidence for the worst thing she has ever done. After weeks of…
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about this woman, not far, in Tuart Hill somewhere. Tuart Hill, Dianella... And she was dying. And I asked her that once, before she passed away: 'Is there anything you've done in your life which you're very ashamed of?' And of course it took a while to get her to confess to me. And what she said was that once in her life she'd kissed another woman's husband. And I asked 'Is that all you've done?' She said 'Yes, I was so ashamed of it, you're the first person I've told.' So that's not bad, a whole life. We can forgive you that one. But for me, hearing that, that was a small thing. But for her, it was the most terrible thing she'd ever done. But once she actually confessed it, let somebody know, she also realized it wasn't that bad