Stories about fitting in
2 Buddhist wisdom stories about fitting in from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- Dress code: long dressStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Ajahn Brahm is invited to a state dinner with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Parliament House at the time of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, under John Howard. He can't…
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Or going to that state dinner at Parliament House in Canberra. How many of you been to a state dinner? I have. Could I eat? No, because I can't eat in the evening. Still went though. That beautiful story of how I got the invitation. That was when John Howard, he was the prime minister when Queen Elizabeth for the Melbourne. Is it Commonwealth Games? Yeah. I remember Commonwealth Games. So I went there that one, for the state dinner. I wasn't competing in the Commonwealth Games, although really I should have done the high jump. It's very easy. If you can levitate, you know, just high jump, which should be pretty easy. [laughter] But then, then when you got the invitation, got this big, this is like big invitation dinner with Queen Elizabeth. Woah. And so we've got the card. I think I still got it somewhere. I have to search for it somewhere. But anyway, you are invited to dinner at State Parliament House with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, requested company of the Venerable Ajahn Brahmavamso. Wow, how can you refuse that? Until you see the dress code. [Laughter] This is true. I told this story many times, but it's a wonderful story. The first item for dress code, because you can't just walk in there. You gotta have, it's a formal dinner. Crikey. So, the first option of dress was called a black tie. I've never been to a state dinner before. I don't know what they wear. Is that what you wear? Just a tie. No trousers, no shoes. [laughter] It's code. Code means a jacket, nice shoes and trousers and stuff. I can't go wearing that. I haven't got one. And the next, the next option was military uniform. Oh come on, I'm a Buddhist monk, I'm a pacifist, you can't have a military uniform. So I was losing hope. Until I saw the third option. That's right. Long dress. [laughter] So, I walked up in long dress. It's the only thing I had. And then, the security grabbed me. They did. [laughter] They said, "Are you supposed to be in here, sir?" And I got out my invitation. "Yes, I'm supposed to be in here." "Okay, go in."
- The kung fu poseStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Walking from his mother's flat in Acton to give a talk at the Sri Lankan temple, Ajahn Brahm takes the short way past a block of flats known as a no-go area. A gang of fourteen…
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I told him the story of when I was uh over in London visiting my mother and that's where I grew up in London in West London Actton. part of that area was very rough and I just in the afternoon I was walking from my mother's house or rather flat apartment to the Sri Lankan temple to give a talk that evening and I decided to go the shortest way which was also past this block of flats for poor people which was known as a hot bed of crime. Basically, it was like a nogo area unless you knew who you were and where, you know, and the other people knew you. So, I was walking along the street minding my own business. And this gang, maybe first of all, a dozen or maybe 14 or 15 guys came out just to meet together to, you know, find out what business they were going to get up to that evening. And as they saw me coming towards them, just walking peacefully, minding my own business, then they realized I was a Buddhist monk cuz they started chanting Buddha. Budda, Budda, Buddha. As I got closer, it became louder and faster. Buddha, Budda, Buddha, Buddha. They were trying to intimidate me. But even I was alone and these were many young you must call them thugs just they were waiting for me chanting louder and louder Buddha Buddha. I had a choice. I could turn around and just go back and go another way. I could cross the road to the other side of the street. That is not my character. My character was that I walked towards him calmly. When I got to within about five or six meters of them, they're really chanting loud now. Buddha, Buddha, Buddha, Buddha, and I raised my arms in a kung fu pose. At least what I saw on the TV as a kung fu pose. You know, sometimes I actually did that sometime. I don't know if it was stupidity or courage, but I don't know, but it worked. and and I just walked the same pace with my arms like this [laughter] and they parted and let me right through. They didn't hit me at all or harm me at all. They could have wasted me so easily.