Stories about example
2 Buddhist wisdom stories about example from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- Six months of silenceStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Ajahn Brahm spends six months in a little hut in total silence, seeing no one: a monk leaves food in a box, he eats and returns the clean bowl. He wonders whether he's just being…
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I did a six-month retreat, pure silence, never saw a human being for six months, never said a word. And I first of all thought, am I just being lazy? I'm not teaching. I'm not helping. I'm not doing anything for anybody for 6 months. Just staying in little hut. A mug would bring food and put it in the box. I wouldn't see them. And I go to that box, open it, see if there was any food in the bowl, which there was. After eating, clean my bowl, put it back again. And that's how it worked for 6 months. And I I must admit I did feel a little guilty towards the end. Maybe I should come out early and do something. But no, I stayed for 6 months. Then afterwards so many people said thank you. That was really inspiring that people could see it can be done by example.
- “This robe, or naked”Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A Norwegian manager ordains in Perth to his family's dismay. When his father falls ill his mother writes: come home, but wear a suit, not that stupid robe. Ajahn Brahm has him…
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there a lot of people I tell about one of my monks I don't mind mentioning his name cuz he won't mind it's Venable Nito he was from Norway when he first came over to here to Perth to ordain as a monk his family were really upset they didn't want him to become a monk why are you being coming monk he had a good um career I think he was a manager of something or other and a very good education why you me become a monk for for goodness sake so that when he went home because his father was very sick he showed me the letter from his mom he says you can come home but please wear a suit no robes I'll be embarrassed to see my son in a brown stupid rope and so I told told him to write back to his mother it's this robe or naked take your choice so he went there with a robe on but they weren't happy but then his father died and so he went back I think to look after the family he did the funeral service organized everything and then his elder brother one of the most negative wrote to me saying I don't know what you've done to our brother that carry on now we really appreciate you know what you're doing over here in Australia we don't know what Buddhism is but whatever it is it works our brother has changed he's such a wise strong compassionate person and he's helped the whole family so much he said thank you please the whole family give his monkhood our blessing it's wonderful actually to see that change over in a couple of years just when they saw saw that what these teachings actually do they respected it enormously