Stories about gratitude
21 Buddhist wisdom stories about gratitude from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- A problem or an irritation?Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A backpacker working his way round Europe gets a job in a restaurant (in Germany or Austria) where staff eat for free. The owner over-orders sauerkraut and tells the staff their…
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There's another story about Awitz which I remember reading a good story. There was a a backpacker who was traveling through Europe said travel is now becoming allowable again. when this backpacker was traveling through Europe, he'd just get a job at restaurants and cafes and just any old uh easy work to get a few more dollars and then he would go on his next leg of his journey. And he got a job in this restaurant in somewhere in Germany. And then as he was um I think in Austria I think he said in that restaurant [snorts] it was always known if you get a job in a restaurant you get free food. That's you know part of the deal. You don't get paid very much. You get a few tips but the free food makes it just really quite worthwhile. But then one day the owner of the restaurant told all the workers he'd ordered too much sauerkraut. I don't know if you know Sauerkraut. We have a couple of German monks at Bodhinana Monastery and even though he's not a monk, we have like you know I'm talking about Amandis. Many of you been down there. You know Amandis and he loves sauerkraut. So anyway, they' ordered too much sauerkraut. And so the owner of the restaurant, this is quite a few years ago, told everybody, "If you want free food, it has to be sauerkraut. Sauerkraut for breakfast, sauerkraut for lunch, sauerkraut for dinner, whatever it is. Sauerkraut and only sauerkraut." And this young backpacker said, "You can't do that to us. That is unfair. That's not what we signed up for. I know some people like sauerkraut, but not everyone likes sauerkraut. This is not right. you can't do this to us. And he got very angry. And that apparently was when the owner, not the owner, the cook of the restaurant came up and took him aside. He said, "Look, I've been working at this restaurant for quite a few years now." Said this old man. And he said, "I want to tell you the difference between a problem and an irritation. And then this old cook, he bared his arm and you could see the tattooed numbers on his arm. He said I was in Awitz and he said every morning when I woke up I didn't know whether I would survive that day. I was very fortunate many of my relations and friends and loved ones did die. I survived living in Awitz. That is a problem. Eating sauerkraut is only an imitation.
- A thank-you letter to the Health MinisterStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A monk enjoys his stay in Fremantle Hospital because the nurses are so kind; at Ajahn Brahm's suggestion he writes to thank the Minister of Health, and gets back a personal…
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there's some time ago, one of our monks spent time in hospital. I think it was in Fremantle hospital. And I asked him when he came out, it was only a small thing. How did you enjoy it? What was it like in there? He said, wonderful time, people were so kind. And they were just so nice to me, all the nurses. I said, well, you should actually write to somebody to thank them. And he wrote to the Minister of Health. Said thank you for your hospital. You know what happened, then it was McGowan. Was it McGowan? Minister of Health anyway, Minister of Health sometime. He got this personal letter back, not dictated to a secretary not printed out. But handwritten. Oh thank you so much. I got your letter that made my day. Thank you for enjoying this this wonderful health service; and signed, the minister or something.
- An email from beyond the graveStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A dying man in Singapore who had come to love Ajahn Brahm's talks asks to speak with him; his sister gets through and Ajahn Brahm talks with him on a couple of evenings. He dies…
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There was a Sri-Lankan lady. She's been listening to my talks a lot, I think she's been over here. And she called me. She had an emergency. During the Retreat time, you're not really supposed to receive many calls. She said 'Can you please help my brother? He's got a very, very bad blood cancer. We sent him to Singapore for treatment. But nothing is working. He's now paralyzed. He's only got a few days to live. Can you please talk to him?' So, of course, you don't worry about retreats and stuff. Of course you help out. So, for two evenings in a row I talked to him on the phone. And he was so weak. When he spoke to me he spoke very slowly and you had to listen very, very carefully to listen to what he was saying. But I gave him some advice about dying, and about letting go. And then the third night, he died... So I called him just in time, which is wonderful. Now, he was paralyzed, he could only.. they had to just... he could only just about speak. The next evening, his sister called me to tell me that he died the night before. But also to tell me: 'You won't believe this Ajahn Brahm This is absolutely true... that this morning, I got an email from him. Just saying 'Thank you'. And the email was sent about 6-8 hours after he died. The email, it's true, email from beyond the grave. So, you're actually wrong here, people actually do. They don't get cell phones, that's passé. That's the 20th century, i this is 21st century They send emails... Twitters, have you checked your Twitter account yet, to see if there's anything? So, now, I told people, 'Now I know what Gmail means'. 'Ghost mail
- 'Are you the YouTube monk?'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Walking through Paddington Station on his way to teach in Oxford, Ajahn Brahm is stopped by a woman running up: 'Are you the YouTube monk? ... Yes, you are.' She tells him that…
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Last time I was in the UK, just getting off the Underground, going to Paddington station to get to Oxford where I was going to give a talk. Just walking through Paddington Station, just minding my own business. And this woman came running towards me and said, "Are you the YouTube monk?" [laughter] That's what she called me "the YouTube monk". And then, I didn't have time to answer. She looked me in the face. "Yes, you are." And then she said, "I just want to say thank you to you. You saved my life". She was going through a divorce, oh not a divorce, a separation from her long term partner. And that she got really depressed, suicidal. Doctor couldn't help, psychologist couldn't help, psychiatrists, whoever she saw, none of them could help. And then she was just at the end of her rope, as they say; And then she just managed somehow or other, to get on YouTube. And I think she got that one of my famous talks 'four ways of letting go'. And she listened to it and "wow It made so much sense". She listed about three or four that time, one after the other. She said that got her through her crisis. She told all her friends, "You must go and listen to these things as well from the BSWA, all for free." And then, afterwards, she said, "Thank you Thank you so much for saving my life."
- Cassius Clay's autographStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: At 11, Ajahn Brahm heard that Cassius Clay — later Muhammad Ali — was training at the White City in London, near his home. He and a mate waited outside; when some huge men…
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I remember even seeing the great Cassius Clay, Muhammad Ali, I met him once - I got his autograph when I was 11, when he was in London. Really nice guy, but after a while, he was the great boxer, Cassius Clay, and people would come up to him and just [gestures boxing stance] when he was in his 60s or something. He couldn't do that anymore. But if you find satisfaction in your physical prowess, it's a lot of suffering when that starts to disappear
- Complaining about the wallStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Walking from his mother's flat in London to give a talk, Ajahn Brahm passed two young men waiting for a bus, sitting on a wall topped with rounded bricks and complaining that…
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when I was visiting my mother in London some years ago and I was just walking from her apartment to a temple to give a talk, and I passed these two young men waiting for a bus. And they were sitting on a wall. But unfortunately, the wall was not flat, it was round bricks on the top. And they were complaining: ‘They should not allow walls to be built like this, they should all be flat’. But my goodness! You can complain about anything, what's wrong with that? At least you've got somewhere to put your bum on, you don't have to stand! Yeah, it may not be flat, but it's good enough - what do you want, all the walls, the garden walls, to be upholstered with cushions and backrests for you? [laughter] But you find that even in an advanced country, you can always find some fault.
- Economy class was paradiseStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: After seven years in austere forest monasteries he flies Bangkok–London on a cheap Philippine Airlines economy fare. He can't believe the luxury: a chair, ripe Western fruit, ice…
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I also remember the first time that after seven years I flew on an aircraft. From Bangkok to London. I got a cheap fare on Philippine Airlines, an economy class. This is 25 years ago. I couldn't believe just how sensuous and luxurious economy class on Philippine Airlines was. [Laughter]. It was my senses were, "Ah! Amazed!" Because I'd been in a forest monastery which was very, very austere. What I realized from that, that sensuality is also very relative. To other people cramped in the economy class of an aircraft 25 years ago that was just so tough and it was such an ordeal. But for me, who had never sat on a chair for seven years, being served ripe fruit which was hot and which was Western which I could eat. I even got ice cream. I remember that ice cream. [Laughter]. But in the tub instead of in my bowl. That was just melting into my rice and curry. [Laughter]. And even the muzak, the muzak on the plane that was.. I mean, I hadn't heard music for seven years. That was amazing, that was just so sensuous, I couldn't get that out of my head afterwards. So you see that's obviously a joke for you because you go on an aircraft and the muzak on there is just yucky and the food, aircraft food people think is disgusting. An economy class you're so cramped up. But for me, because I'd been living a far more austere existence in these forest monasteries. That was amazing. In the aircraft there wasn't even any mosquitoes. First time in seven years I was free from mosquitoes for more than an hour or two. That was to me, was luxurious and sensual.
- He judged the violin — then heard the old womanStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A poor mountain father sacrifices for his children's education; they prosper in the city, send him a fine violin he cannot play — it sounds awful. Years later in town he hears…
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an old man who lived up in the mountains. And he worked very hard in a very poor village so that his children could have a really great education. And the children they did work hard at school then at university and then they went to town then to the city where they established themselves in good careers. And after they had established themselves, they decided together to invite their father into the city for the first time. And this father had worked hard all his life. He never seen a major city before. And so when he went into that city, he saw things he never ever seen before. And one of the things he didn't actually see, he heard it. It's really terrible, terrible, terrible sound. But even though the sound was very hard to listen to, he couldn't resist finding out what was causing what he decided was the worst sound in the whole world. And he followed it to a house. In the back room of a house, he saw a little child trying to play the violin. He never seen a violin before in his life. And he saw this little child. It was a terrible noise. And so he thought, "Violins are bad." He never wanted to hear a violin again. Same day in the afternoon, passed another house. This time he heard a beautiful sound, one of the most beautiful sounds he'd ever heard. followed that to the front room of a house. There he saw an old woman playing the violin. The same instrument. There was an old woman. She had learned how to play that violin. And she was a maestro of that instrument. And he thought straight away that he'd made a mistake judging the instrument rather than judging the person
- 'He's not going' — then 'You go'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: At a parents' evening when Ajahn Brahm was about 14, his maths teacher told his father the boy was doing so well he might go to Cambridge. His father — a sick man from a poor…
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I must have been about 14 and that we had you know the parents uh teachers meeting and I remember my math teacher he told my father that I was doing really well at school too well as far as my father was concerned there was a good chance said my math teacher that your son would go to Cambridge university and my father apparently said no he's not going and they had a standoff. I heard this, you know, because all the other uh parents saw this and they told their children, their children told me the following day. They almost had a fight. All it and apparently there was a movie about a young boy in Newcastle who wanted to be a ballet, a ballet star, Billy something or other. But anyway, and apparently there the person who was teaching him saw his talent argu with the father because in that part of I think it was a mining of of a minor and boys don't do ballet in Newcastle and where I came from boys don't go to Cambridge they I don't know what I'm supposed to do but anyway that a but it was wonderful to actually to see that sort of the tension that expecting your son to, you know, be close to you forever in the same social orbit. Being able to go to the pub with him, talk about football and whatever else, you know, people would talk about, but not sort of go too far away from your father. He loved me. He didn't want to lose me. But nevertheless, just after one day, no, you go.
- She flew from Bern just to say thank youStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Asked for a new foreword to Opening the Door of Your Heart, Ajahn Brahm recalls a woman from Bern who had flown to Perth only to thank him and go home. She had had cancer,…
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A woman came to Bodhinyana Monastery from Bern in Switzerland. And she came and she had no reason to lie. I believe exactly what she said. She said, "I flew all that way from Switzerland to Perth to find you. Now I found you, I'll go home. I wanted to say thank you personally. Cuz she had cancer, anxiety disorder, depression, you know, the whole works. You know, when you really get, you know, really screwed up inside. Said, "Doctors, no help. Psychologists, no help. Someone gave me your book, cured. Full remission. No anxiety anymore. Psychologist said, 'Go. You're okay.'" So, she wanted to come and thank me for that. And of course, as soon as said, "You have to remember, can you sign my book?" It was one of these dog-eared books. Not one of these books you put on the shelf. She had read this, I don't know how many times. "Can you please sign it?" When I signed it, she started weeping, crying. That is helping. That is aid. That is disaster relief in another way.
- She waved the gold medal at the monkStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: At Sydney 2000 a Thai monk in the Olympic village taught meditation to an Eastern European finalist who could not sleep from stress. Later mother, father and daughter walked…
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this happened in 2000. Sydney Olympics. You know, in the Sydney Olympic Games in New South Wales, the New South Wales government made sure there was like leaders from all the major religions there to serve the athletes. This was a high stress situation. And they even had a monk in there. He was actually a Thai monk [clears throat] who I knew. So he was in the village, the Olympic village, Home Bush Bay, I think that's what it was called, and just if anyone needed him and he said this was actually printed in I think the uh Sydney Morning Herald or something as one of the things which happened during the Olympic Games. He said that one day these three people came to see him, mother, father and daughter from Eastern Europe somewhere. Their daughter had unexpectedly got into the finals of one of the track events. [laughter] Whoever is laughing like that, I like you very much because it's not even funny, but you laugh [laughter] going into the finals. Now, imagine that was you. You know, you exceeded your expectations. You're in the final of the Olympic Games and you'll be on the TV the next day or next couple of days in front of know all your family and friends and people from your home country cheering you on. That is really high stress and so because of that she wasn't able to sleep and she even her training was all over the place. She was overly excited. So the parents uh took this girl to see the monk. You know you know meditation it's one of the things which monks are well known for. You know we can teach meditation. can you please teach our daughter how to relax enough to sleep at night. So he gave her some instructions on meditation. He didn't know what happened next. He didn't watch TV. And in those days we don't have internet. We can't find out what the latest news is. So what happened was that he had didn't know what had happened, what had occurred except he wrote or in an interview that he saw in the Olympic village three people coming towards him again. Now the mother, the father and the athlete in between. They were smiling, big grins on their face. So they knew something good must have happened. And as they came closer, as he described it, the girl in the middle was waving something on a string. [laughter] What do you think that was? A medal. When they came closer, he could see the color gold. And they come to say, "Thank you. Thank you for teaching our athlete daughter how to relax so much that when it came to the finals of these Olympic games, she managed to win the gold medal for her country
- Singapore Airlines after the Friday talkStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A supporter who had bailed out Jhana Grove finances lost her husband; they asked him to do the Saturday funeral in Singapore. After the Friday talk he flew overnight, arrived…
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I got a call from Singapore that the husband of one of our um supporters had really helped us so many times. Even just when we got John Cowell for our retreat center, we just didn't have enough money to pay the bills. And when I went to over to Thailand, she said, "How much?" And I said, "Here's a check." She did it. And a a little Well, maybe a little thing or big thing like that, I always remember that. People really helped me, got me out of difficult situations. I will never forget you. Her husband died. And they called up I think in the morning of Friday. And said, "Can you come, please, tomorrow for the funeral on Saturday?" I said, "That's impossible. I've got to give a talk on a Friday night. I've got so many things to do. It's a really stupid thing to try and probably won't be able to get a flight." So, I rang up Singapore Airlines and got a flight. Leaving right after the Friday night talk. That's so stupid. I just arrived in Singapore on Saturday morning, sort of really tired, half asleep, but did the funeral for her
- Thank you, burglarStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: When burglars steal generators, chainsaws and expensive equipment from the Bodhinyana workshop, Ajahn Brahm thanks them: the gear was old, and insurance bought new — they came…
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Recently we had a break-in at Bodhinyana monastery. They pinched some chainsaws. Straightaway, I said they can pinch the chainsaws, they can steal that, but they're not going to steal our peace and compassion. We're not going to worry about that. In fact it turned out to be really good because those chainsaws were quite old and the insurance allowed us to get much better ones. [laughter] So if ever that thief is around, come up here and we'll say thankyou.
- The man who attended his own funeralStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A terminally ill man in the United States decides to hold his funeral service a week or two before he dies, so he can be there to hear the eulogies and the difference he made to…
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that gentleman in the United States who decided okay this is a bit of a pattern but here it comes decided to think outside the box decided to have his funeral service when he was still alive just a week or two before he died what a wonderful thing to do now his death was gonna happen you know it was predicted and one was unstoppable some disease we decided a week or two before his demise to hold his funeral service so he could be there and listen to the effect which he had had on other people's lives and he could be there to listen so what a great idea that would be but he also said that is also he could see a she who turned up for his funeral what he still had time to adjust the will
- The samurai who asked about heaven and hellStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A samurai who has asked everyone whether heaven and hell exist finally demands a straight answer from an old monk. The monk says he's too stupid to understand; then calls him a…
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there's this old story and this is great Buddhist wisdom because it brings things down from Superstition down into ordinary daily life many of you heard the story before but it's a great story about the the old samurai warrior who too wanted to know what do really Buddhist think about heaven and hell is there a heaven is there a hell no really and he gone around to many many people and no one could give him a a good answer there may be the same with you may have gone to many sort of temples many talks ask many people and it's sort of satisfying you can't really get a straight answer which really satisfies you and answers the question once and for all so this sumai eventually found this old Monk and said old monk look this is my question you know I I've gone around asking so many people this I'm almost fed out to ask it again but is there a heaven is there a hell now if you know this and really know it say so but if you don't know it don't waste my time just say I don't know okay and the mark looked up on it up for this samurai warrior and said you're St to you're too stupid to understand the samurai said what you call me stupid I'm not stupid I'm a samurai warrior these Samurai Warriors have to go through an enormous amount of training and it's not just the uh martial arts it's a lot of um virtuous training and training in medic meditation said I'm not stupid I'm a samurai warrior and the mon looked up at him you a samurai don't give me that you fool you're just a country bumpkin that's all and the samurai said that's twice you've insulted me and he took hold of his sword if you insult me one more time monk I don't care who you are I'll cut off your head just with one swipe of my sword with that stupid old rusty piece of iron you couldn't even slice a a slice of bread with that and that was enough the samurai insulted three times was incense and he got out his sword and was about to Smite the monk's head off when the monk looked right into his eyes and said samurai that's hell and I keep on saying that was pushing his luck but it worked maybe if it didn't work he wouldn't be able to tell the story but that Samurai understood that anger was what hell is like at last he got an answer which wasn't anything to do with Superstition the Mark wasn't saying it says in my scriptures cuz that really offended me a lot when people say it says in the books that's not what I asked you what's in the books I asked you you now you're supposed to be a Christian you're supposed to be a Buddhist you're supposed to be a teacher I'm not saying what I can read the books myself you is there a heaven is there a hell explain I'm not asking the books I'm asking the person and the last he actually got a proper answer he could understand what hell was and he was so impressed he put aside his sword and he bow to that monk that's what you do in Asia out of respect it's not asking for favors it's an act of like thank you so much and remember Mark looked at him again and saw his eyes were watering out of respect and gratitude and the Mark said to him very softly and Samurai now this is heaven that gratitude and respect that's what heaven is like
- The suggestion box at BarreStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A well-funded meditation centre in Barre, Massachusetts — one of the first places for meditation retreats in the West — wondered what more it could do and put in a suggestion…
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once I remember this uh meditation center in Barry, Massachusetts, one of the first uh places where you can do meditation retreats. And they put a lot of money into that. And then one day they decided, you know, what more can we do? Let's put in like a suggestions box. Now, we don't have suggestion boxes here. Thank goodness. [laughter] because the suggestion box filled up within an hour and they thought they' done so cuz it's easy the closer you get to perfection the more uh faults you find.
- The taxi that made him miss the planeStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A man who later visits Ajahn Brahm tells him what changed his life. In Bombay, his taxi to the airport gets lost; he reaches the airport just in time to see his flight to Europe…
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I remember this guy years ago he came to see me and the thing which changed his life and made him far more more spiritual he was in India he was in Bombay at that time still Bombay before it was changed to Mumbai and he got in a in a taxi to take him to the airport he was flying back to Europe On A Plane taxi got lost and uh his time was ticking away he didn't know he was going to make his plane or not in the end he was just hoping there was a delay in the uh takeoff of the plane cuz it was going into the time of takeoff and as he actually managed to find IND the airport Bombay Airport he actually saw his plane take off and so he's cursing the driver you know he missed his plane he left the city in plenty of time but the stupid taxi driver got lost and he was so upset and then he saw the plane fall down and crash with I don't know most people dead I'd imagine and then he was taking the taxi driver thank you so much
- The thank-you letter to the plumbing shopStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Building Bodhinyana's first toilet block, Ajahn Brahm can't afford a plumber, so a salesman called Fred at Galvins in Osborne Park shows him how to glue and lay the pipes. The…
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one of the stories in open the door of your heart when we just started out building Bodin Monastery the first year you know I you know all know the story of the brick wall but I didn't didn't just lay bricks I did the plumbing on our toilet block the very first building I did all the we couldn't afford a plumber they cost a fortune plumbers so I had to learn how to do the plumbing so how can you learn Plumbing I went to the shop it was Galvin don't mind giving an advertisement for Galvin cuz they were really a good shop and they uh have put the plans on the table and basically I said help and of course you know it's a reasonable size building and there's you know quite a uh a few pipes and fitting so it's actually worth the the um the salesperson's time you know looking at it and so you need one of these you need one of those and getting all the parts and just showing how to glue it together it's quite simple but you know just all you need is 5 minutes to show you pull the glue around this way just twist it around so the glue spreads hold it together for you know 10 to 15 seconds then you can leave it and know use a sort of a spirit level to make sure you get just the right drop one in 40 which is about you know a third of a bubble on a spirit level they gave me all these beautiful tips so took all the stuff back to Monastery and took a few days you know didn't have uh to do it fast and took my time and got it all done of course if it's Plumbing like sewage you have to get it checked by the health inspector so the health inspector came checked it all out and it worked I was really sort of say flush with success as somebody said for sewage pipes and I was so happy and at that same day the bill came and know I don't know couple thousand in those days you know quite a lot of money so I got the check from the treasurer and now I sent it off to the plumbing department cuz I knew I was the one who ordered it all so I could check the the the bill make sure it was correct send it off and instead of just sending off the check I wrote a little letter only took me 10 minutes saying like thank you the guy salesperson was called Fred thank you to Fred behind the counter you know at Osburn Park galvin's cuz he really helped me sort of with this plumbing job you know without his help we've had to get a plum with cost of Fortune and with just a charity just starting off we really needed this so thanks so much and today it was passed of you're so happy thank you so much and here's a check and because first year doing this sort of stuff I thought it would just go to the shop I never realized that Galvin is a huge company so the letter went to the the um the accounts department and so some little Clark in the accounts Department I got this uh later on the story they opened this and I thought oh my God a letter what have we done wrong this time cuz apparently the only time you write letters to companies is to complain about bad service 4y pipes so of know too much money or whatever it is hardly anybody writes a letter to say thank you and so the account the little Clark in the accounts Department took it straight to the the head of the accounts and they were just so surprised at getting a letter like this they took it to the managing director and the managing director read that letter and he picked up the telephone and called Osburn Park office can I speak to Fred and so Fred got this call from the managing director and the managing director apparently said well well done Fred that's the sort of that's the sort of attitude I want in this company you know of of customer relationship I don't know what you've done but you really did a really good job Fred and thank you sir and by the way Fred you know what salary are you on oh well it can always be improved sir or something like that and as it happened there was one other part you know for the think the water supply not the waste water which was actually too small got the wrong part and I went into that shop about an hour or two after Fred had got this call from the managing director and there were two big plumbers in front of me in in the queue those big big guys you know what plumbers are like you know with sort of shoulders as wide as septic tags and as soon as Fred saw me said Bram come over here and so these two plumbers I mean they were a bit upset they were waiting in queue but I got the first service and I just wonder what's going on and Fred's um the person who assisted him the other salesperson said you know your wife's here he called me his wife he said what do you mean he said because somebody just praised Fred and he got a call about an hour ago from the managing director and of course he was uh really chuffed about getting a praise and getting a rise in salary because of my letter and so I got the first service there's a big sign on there say customers not allowed around the back with all the fitting side said come around the back bro lo I can't said come around the back what do you want my had ised he said no that's too small said this part over here is what you want it's about two or three times the size said oh this is the one I want I said what's the difference and he smiled at me brah for you no difference CU I save the Buddhist Society about $10 or $15 on this and I never had to wait in queue got first class service and why just for a stupid little letter of thanks
- The tourist whose car Bill Gates fixedStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Remote northern California: a tourist's car fails with no mobile coverage; a farmer stops and fixes it. Later the tourist learns the farmer was Bill Gates travelling alone —…
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tourist in the north of California who broke down. Not in uh busy traffic, sorry. This was breaking down in some of the more remote parts of northern California. And he couldn't fix his car. And then when he managed to get uh he tried everything but couldn't fix it. There's no mobile coverage. He had a mobile phone there. He was quite tech savvy the the driver of the car, but he couldn't fix his car. And a farmer came by and the farmer fixed his car for him. A simple thing because farmers have to know that. Because there's no one else to fix the car for the farmers. So the farmer fixed his car. They shook and they left. Thank you very much, said the driver. And it was just a few few weeks later that the farmer he had a letter from his bank saying that all the debts for his farm had been paid off. And for his equipment and a quite a large sum of money had been deposited to his credit in the bank. Because the the driver of that car who broken down was apparently Bill Gates
- The two chicken farmers: eggs or dung?Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: One chicken farmer fills his basket with chicken dung, leaves the eggs to rot and stinks out his house; the other brings home the eggs for an omelette and the market and leaves…
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The two chicken farmers story. My famous, favourite story and the reason why I keep repeating this is because people need to know this, so they don't suffer so much. Two chickens farmers, the first chicken farmer went into the shed early in the morning to collect the produce from the night before. Took in the basket and filled the basket full of chicken shit and he left the eggs in the shed to rot and he brought the shit back into the house, stunk the whole house out, he was a very dumb chicken farmer. There's a meaning to this story so stay with me. Second chicken farmer went into the shed with a basket and he put eggs in the basket and he left shit in the shed because it would become valuable fertilizer later on. But you don't bring it into the house with you, you bring the eggs back into the house so he could make an omelette for his family and sell the rest of the eggs in the market for cash. That's a smart chicken farmer, that's what you're supposed to do. And the moral of that story, and this was told by Ajahn Chah, he said when you collect the produce of your past and bring it into your present, what do you bring with you? When you collect what's done today or this week, what do you bring home with you? Are you shit collectors or egg collectors
- Why he felt no grief: his father's death and the great concertAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Ajahn Brahm's father, whom he loved very much, died when he was 16, and he couldn't understand why he felt no grief. Years later as a monk he reflected on it and saw the feeling…
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When my father died, you've heard of this before, this is a beautiful story. When my father died at 16, I never cried, never cried since and I've loved my father very much. I've told many stories about him. The reason I never cried, really, I couldn't understand. I was only 16 years of age. Later on, I contemplated my emotions. Because alone, you've got more time to spend, you know, to contemplate how you feel, what the emotion is, why it is, where it comes from. That's what meditation does, it really gets you very aware of your emotional world and so when I found out what I felt, I realized the emotion I felt of my father's death, funeral and afterwards, was exactly the same as another emot