Stories about fate
2 Buddhist wisdom stories about fate from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- Ajahn Chah reads a palmStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A lay supporter asks Ajahn Chah to read his palm. Ajahn Chah says Buddhist monks don't do that. The man argues cleverly: you just taught gratitude, I've fed you and driven you…
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You are a monk, I'm sure you can predict the future. Come on, predict the future... and so this man came up to him, and said.. "Read the lines on the palm of my hand", he said. "...and we don't do that ..." (said Ajahn Chah) now that's not the sort of stuff... that you know great monks or teachers or nuns do... We actually teach the dhamma, and just. Man said, "you mean you won't do it?" and Ajahn said "No"... and then the person was prepared... he was very sneaky and he said... he tried to outwit Ajahn Chah... don't ever try to do that... but he tried... he said, "You remember the last sermon you gave? On Gratitude? Now I have been giving donations to this temple for such a long time. I bring food to the temple, I serve on the committee... I look after, Come on Busy Bees, I help out erect the tents on... (clarification) ... Saturdays at 7 o'clock I do All this work for you and this is the first time I've ever asked anything from you Ajahn Chah! And you say No? What type of gratitude is that?" He put Ajahn on the spot... So Ajahn Chah said... "Hmm... you got a point there, you know... gratitude You were really generous, I suppose I should help you back. Give me your hand..." So Ajahn Chah, the one and only time he read the lines on the person's palm to predict his future And he said, "Now because I'm a monk, and I keep my precepts, what I tell you will be the truth." The man, " Yeah I Know... That's why I asked you". So Ajahn Chah... "Are you ready for this?" He, "Yes, Yes, Yes!", Ajahn, "Are you Sure?"; He, "Yes!" So Ajahn started tracing the lines on his palm very slowly... and every now and again... he would stop, and look and sometimes he would smile, sometimes he would shake his head... this poor man was getting so excited... and afraid at the same time this was his future being read and it would be absolutely true whatever Ajahn Chah said no matter what came out, he knew he could trust this monk... and he took for ever to finish reading the palms of this man's hands... and as soon as Ajahn Chah was finished... He, "Yes, yes, yes,... what's my future going to be? Yes, please tell me!" Ajahn, "I just read", "yes, you read the palm" Ajahn, "What I say is going to be absolutely true" He, "Yeah I know that, what's going to be?" He, "I'm so excited... I'm so excited!" but Ajahn Chah was very calm. and it seemed it was for ever before he would get the prediction for his future... and eventually Ajahn Chah said, "Your future..." He said, "Yes, yes, yes...!" Ajahn, "Your future...", He, "Yes!" Ajahn, "Is going to be...", He, "Yes!" Ajahn, "Uncertain!"
- The storm that waited for the ceremonyStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: For the Buddhist Society of Western Australia's 30th anniversary Vesak ceremony in Perth's Supreme Court Gardens, the biggest storm ever is forecast to hit at exactly ceremony…
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you know that story in one of the books about when we had our 30th anniversary of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia over Supreme Court Gardens and it was supposed to be a storm that night I mean really big storm like a major storm not one of these ordinary storms we have all the time here biggest storm ever to come to Perth right it's supposed to hit exactly the time we're going to have our ceremony and we had remember I'll go quickly this because many of you heard it before Premier Jeff Gallup he was a premier we invited him he was going to come three times his office called me aam there's a big storm coming you can't continue are you cancelling and three times I said no we are not cancelling one of our members he deceased now he said I was a sailor all my life in the merchant Sean I know these things the barometer is falling that parotic pressure is going down it's going to be a big storm I know these things you have to cancel no one of my M my own monks he took me aside and said a Bram look we really love you we respect you but you're making an idiot of yourself please cancel no and those you were there it was like Miracle just about half an hour before we started the ceremony the rain start stopped we did our ceremony full moon day way sack 19 I don't know when it was 2000 or whatever and it stopped it miracle and then after we finished rain came down Supreme Court Gardens flooded 2 Ines of water those of you are there hasn't done that for years Freeway flooded after the big storm but we stopped it and the following day there was a firm here uh I don't mind mentioning this ree hire they do a lot of party hire stuff and the CEO sent an email and said who is this a Bram we don't know who he is but can you please ask him who's going to win the horse racing today I still got that email somewhere