Stories about happiness
16 Buddhist wisdom stories about happiness from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- Families around the toothpaste-tube lampStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: In his first weeks in a poor Northeast Thai village — no electricity, dirt roads, no TV — Ajahn Brahm walks through at night to a chanting. On every stilt-house veranda, by the…
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I remember one evening, the first few weeks, I was in this part of Thailand, going into the village in the evening, someone was getting married or something, we had to do some chanting. And as we were walking through this village, the houses were built on stilts. Underneath, was where they kept the water buffalo. And upstairs, was an open veranda. And house after house after house, I saw the same scene. There was one little lamp. It was an oil lamp. And they use an old toothpaste tube, which they cut off in half. And they stuck a rag, through the hole in the toothpaste tube. And that was the wick, and that's where they lit, sort of the wick, and the rag was just dipped in cheap kerosene. They couldn't even afford proper lanterns, but that worked fine. And by the light of that one little oil lamp, we saw the whole family sitting around in a semi-circle. And maybe the old grandma was telling ghost stories. Or, the old grandpa was telling fibs about when he went to Bangkok. You know, lies, tall stories, jokes. And the little children were there, the whole family from just you know, two or three years of age. to the old ancient grandma, talking to each other, as they were doing every evening, of their lives. When I saw that, house after house, I realised how much I've missed out.
- How to be happy — no one is happyJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A self-help cartoon: open the book How to Be Happy and it says 'no one is happy — next question'. The reader hugs it with a huge smile — that's the secret.
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the book was entitled how to be happy on the outside the happiness industry you go go to a Bookshop there's sections on how to be happy now how to be happy is mindfulness the latest thing just a craze how to be happy and they opened the book and the book said uh no one is Happy next question problem solved and then the fellow was hugging the book with a huge smile on his face ah no one is happy that's the secret of happiness
- “I don't think I deserve so much happiness”Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: An Australian nun ordained in the UK visits Perth and comes right to the edge of the jhānas — immense bliss and power. Ajahn Brahm keeps teaching and encouraging her, at his…
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And the classic story was of this wonderful nun, many years ago, who was staying at Bodhinyana monastery. It was during a Rains Retreat, I can't remember exactly, because it's a long time ago. And she was a brilliant nun, a great meditator. And because - I was like giving her interviews - and when her meditation got really hot (that was almost every day), she was coming out to me seeing incredible Nimittas, these beautiful lights which you see in your mind, it's really beautiful. And you're so close to the deepest of meditations. She was so close, but she couldn't get through to the next brilliant stage, the Jhānas. Really just going for it. And I was giving every piece of advice which I could, and it came to this - ‘Well I don't know why, I can't understand why it is you're not just going to these beautiful, blissful, freeing states of mind’. And then, on one interview, she told me. And it's almost like - I felt like I should burst out crying. She said her major problem was she thought she didn't deserve such happiness.
- I finally realised I didn't need to winStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A British schoolboy champion long-distance runner never loses — until one day he does. Asked why: he realised he didn't need to win. He never won another race, and was happier.
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one of his best friends was one of these athletes. He was like a long distance runner. And he would win every competition. And of first of all, the school competition, and then the sort of the county competition, and then the country competition. He was the champion long distance runner for the British schoolboys. And he would never lose a race. And then one day, inexplicably, he lost. And my friend who was a monk just went up to him and said, "How come you lost this time? What went wrong?" And this champion who people were thinking going to sort of go and represent sort of that country in the Olympic Games, he was doing that well. He said, "I finally realized I didn't need to win." And that was just an amazing statement because he had forced himself, he had tortured himself
- I want happiness — scrub I, scrub wantJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Cartoon: angry man brings a monk a sign 'I want happiness'. Monk scrubs out the I (let go of self), then scrubs out want (craving), and holds up the remaining word: happiness.
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there was a cartoon first. This really angry guy going to the monk. I want happiness. And the monk takes one look at that. Problem number one, I let go of the sense of self. Yeah, just part of nature. Just just let that eye go. So he scrubs out the eye and then the sign reads want happiness. Second problem, want. So he scrubs that out and then he holds up the sign happiness
- 'Joy at last to know there's no happiness in the world'Analogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A favourite image of Ajahn Chah's, which he used when visiting England about 25 years earlier: a statue in a monastery in southern Thailand of a fully enlightened monk throwing…
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the great image which I want to bring to you is an image which was one of the favorite images of my teacher Rena and I remember this image because I saw this on somebody's Shrine last week it was a picture of aenta my teacher when he visited England about 25 years ago and he was just explaining this teaching to some monks by using a statue which is in a monastery in the south of Thailand where there is this monk putting his hands up in absolute joy in Bliss fully enlightened and the caption is Joy at last to know there's no happiness in the world Joy at last to know there's no happiness in this world
- 'Pass this, and then you'll be happy'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: As a boy Ajahn Brahm gave up soccer to study, because everyone said that if he passed his O levels (at 14) he'd be happy. Then it was A levels — so he gave up chasing girls. Then…
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I noticed this when I was at university because over in UK, you know, you had to first of all, the first big exams you did were the O levels. That was done usually about 16. I did my O levels when I was 14. And so I work really hard for those O levels because my friends and my families and teachers said if you pass your O levels then you'll be able to get good jobs in life and get enough money you'll be happy at that time I like playing football soccer in the park and I was pretty good you know I I could have been a millionaire by now if id have carried on playing soccer instead of going to [sighs] You seen how much these soccer players get. Anyway, I gave up soccer and just studied and I did very well in my old levels. Was I happy? No, because I had to do more exams, A levels. [clears throat] But A levels were important. You do well at A levels. You can go to university, you can be really happy. So I at that time, as I say, I wasn't chasing footballs then. I was chasing girls. And so you know my family and friends says look stop going out so much just you know just stay at home do your studies get your A levels and then you'll be happy. I I believe them you trusted others. So I did my A levels, did really well and so went to university and that big university Cambridge I mean that's a really big university say wow get your degree from Cambridge and then you'll be happy and that's when I started getting suspicious cuz I saw other people who had got degrees were they happy no they had to do more work either to get an MA or a PhD or something. Or if they didn't do that, they got a job. Were they happy getting a job when you got a degree? No way. They never got enough money. And you had to save up for a car, save up for a place to live. And at that time, you were trying to get just, you know, transport and a place to stay. And also, you know, just trying to get a wife in life if you're a guy. And that was really a lot lot of trouble. I always thought, yeah, once you get a nice wife, I thought, why why do men go to so much trouble getting them? I don't believe it's going to make them happy. So I thought once I get a nice wife and save up to have enough money, nice house, and a car, then I'll be happy. But I did some research. I was smart enough then to know some people who are older. And then what happens? Were they happy? No way. Because once you got married and that was really expensive, you know, you didn't in a bigger house and then you had to have mortgages and have to work hard to pay off the mortgages. You never pay it off because, you know, after four or five years of marriage, you have kids and that's really expensive. And many people kept telling me, "Oh, once the kids grow up and leave home, then I can be happy. And then what happens is by that time most people are close to retirement and they kept saying oh when I retire then I'll be happy I don't have to go to work every morning not so much stress and then when they retire are they happy no that's when I noticed that most of the people who went to especially Christian churches were people who are really old there's quite a few of them here too. You know why? Cuz they think if you go to a church or a mosque or a a temple, then when you die, then you'll be happy.
- Six out of seven dwarfs aren't happyJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A psychological 'assessment' of the Seven Dwarfs proves six out of seven aren't happy — because only one was named Happy.
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six out of Seven Dwarfs aren't happy that terrible joke isn't it six out of Seven Dwarfs aren't happy because now one of the drawers was named happy
- “That monk, he's on the gear”Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: At a Buddha-statue installation in an English open prison, Ajahn Brahm is beaming as he circles the statue; one watching prisoner tells another that the monk must be on drugs.
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One time, I was visiting a prison in UK You know, we spend a lot of time in prison as monks, I often tell people: Visiting prisons, I always would keep a log of how many hours and minutes I spent doing community work in prison to be used as credit, in case I ever got sentenced for something (Laughs) look, I've already done about... the equivalent of about two or three months you should take that off (Laughs). But anyway, I was inside this jail, cause it was a ceremony, somebody had sweet talked the British government into putting a Buddha statue In the middle of an open prison, a big one! And you know, it's very easy for people to sponsor a Buddha statue especially inside a prison, wow, it's amazing! And so we did a installation ceremony. And for those who ever come and see some of the Buddhist rituals, one of the favourite ones is actually we go around three times flowers, candles and incense, we go around It's like an act of worship, reverence you know, it's interesting, where this comes from we don't know but they also do that in Mecca, when they go around the, whatever it's called ...the Kaaba, always go three times around, wearing white this is incredible similarities between our different traditions where they came from I don't know, but it's... that's Buddhist Anyhow... There we where, going round three times, and I was inspired I was happy, Amazing, something good being done in a prison! Not just locking people up and reenforcing how guilty they should feel but no, just something which is inspiring and I was just so happy with a big smile on my face much more than I usually have cause, you know, more inspiration and at the corner of my eye I saw these two prisoners they just got nothing to do, nothing was on the TV that night so they just hung out to see what the hell was going on with these crazy people with brown robes and a Buddha statue so just, you know, having a quick look and then I heard them, one looking to me... looking at the other prisoner and pointing to me he said: "That monk, he's on the gear" (Laughs) If you don't know what gear means you know, it's like, some sort of drug cause that's the only thing they could explain the happiness from just some medication; it's not medication! you know, it's meditation, not medication
- The bucket with so many holesStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Coming from Cambridge to subsistence villages in northeast Thailand, Ajahn Brahm is shocked at how happy people are eating frogs and snails. Years later a villager tells him that…
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And I remember seeing an example of that living in this poor part of Thailand, you know, which had no roads, no electricity. But you know, there's this great sense of happiness in those villages. That's one of the great shocks to me coming from a rich country and having spent 3 years in this elite university where people would actually call you young gentleman. And if you looked at me at the time, that would be a stretch of everybody's imagination to call me a young gentleman the way I behaved in those days. But that we had to be called that. And it is awkward in Cambridge. It's really a weird place. But you come from that place where you could have dinner, you know, with a Nobel laureate or just to play soccer with an earl and all that sort of stuff. And they were actually hopeless at soccer, by the way. But and you went from there to the villages of northeast Thailand of subsistence farming, you know, as I had mentioned before, eating frogs and snails and all this other stuff. Whatever crawled on the floor went into your curry. And seeing that people were so happy. That was one of the weirdest surprises to see that people in these villages had far more happiness than anyone I'd ever seen in those great colleges or this, you know, developed society like UK. It made me challenge, I mean, why are all these aid organizations pouring millions into northeast Thailand making them suffer just like us? And actually that is actually what happened. And I saw it in my own eyes. They saw that I remember cuz I cuz fluent in sort of Thai and now and you would speak to people and I remember this one guy I saw after maybe 20 years I'd been there. And he said, "You know, when we you first came here, yeah, we didn't have very much, but you know, we had enough to get by. We had enough food. No, not the best food, but enough." He said, "Now it's just like having a bucket with so many holes. You know, I get money for all these things. But the more water I put in my bucket, the more holes there are. They just keeps on dripping out and I can never fill my bucket anymore." He said, "That's just all these things I now have to pay for electricity, for television, for medical insurance and blah blah blah." And he says, "In the old days, life was so simple and so happy." And I remember this other guy. He was one of Ajahn Chah's chief disciples.
- The Happiness CertificateStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: For people who feel they don't deserve happiness he makes a certificate on monastery letterhead: 'This certificate grants the holder the right to be happy, for any reason or no…
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I started making this Happiness Certificate for them. Just to reinforce the idea – that this certificate is on BSWA… no, it’s on Bodhinyana monastery letterhead I think. This certificate grants the holder the right to be happy. For any reason or no reason at all. For the rest of their life. And their next lives as well. Signed ‘Ajahn Brahm’. No, I didn't ‘sign’, I said: ‘By order of Ajahn Brahm’. [Laughter] To make it a bit more assertive. Some of those actually worked. You gave it to people and they said ‘Yeah!’. The problem was, when I first did that - it was actually the retreat I was giving in… I suppose in Frankfurt. Because sometimes, people think they don't deserve the happiness, they're getting so close, but… So I gave one of these certificates out. And this fellow, he put it on the Internet. And then the next day he said ‘uhmm, can you please do another 50
- The happiness licenceStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Some years ago a person whose life was going well came to Ajahn Brahm feeling guilty about being happy. So on Bodhinyana Monastery letterhead he typed and signed a licence: 'I,…
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in fact some years ago I was counseling another person having a very good time but they felt guilty about it, so on our monastery letterhead, you know, nice letterhead, Bodhinyana Monastery Serpentine, I typed out a letter and I signed it, and it was a license. I said this is a happiness license “I, Ajahn Brahm, Spiritual Director of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia hereby grant you permission to be happy” and I signed that for her [laughs], so they could put it on their wall
- The leper's smile was bigger than anyone's in PerthStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: On a Ganges tour, walking back to the tourist bus through a leper colony, Ajahn Brahm is approached for money. Explaining he is a monk who cannot carry money fails; he hugs the…
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One thing which changed me was when I went over to India. When I went over to India, I remember seeing this Actually, we you know, we went on this little tour down the Ganges River and on the way back to the bus to take us to our nice hotel, as people do when you visit India. On the way back, we passed through this leper colony. First time I seen real lepers. This is quite a few years ago. And of course, you know, they weren't all that hygienic. They had bandages on, but you know, dirty bandages. You can see the blood and pus coming out through the the bandages. And of course, they were coming to me, not because I had a brown robe, because I had a white face. And a white face meant money. So, they came and asked me for money. And I tried and I was stupid monk sometimes. I tried to say to them, said, "I'm a Buddhist monk. I don't have any money. That's one of my rules." And how would a leper understand English for a start? In India. And I realized I was getting nowhere. So, the only thing which I could do, which I thought I could give him, I could just give him some compassion, kindness. I just put my arms around him, gave him a hug and a big smile. Now, I gave him what I thought was a big smile. But what that leper gave me back was a much bigger smile than I've ever seen for years. I can't see any of you smiling like that leper. Even now. That was a big smile. And that blew me away. And I always remember that to this day. Actually, I could I can visualize it now. How on earth, I thought, you know, on the bus and many other days on that trip, how on earth can a leper be so happy? And he was showing incredible happiness. And when I came back to Perth, where are those smiles? And you haven't got leprosy. You've got nice houses, good health, health card. You can go to any hospital under Medicare. You can get bulk billed if you're poor. You eat very well. You sleep very well. You can go on holidays overseas and live in air-conditioned houses or heaters this time of the year. What are you worried about? And you started to see from that that suffering is not just having no food in your belly. Suffering is not sleeping out in the cold. In Australia, the suicide rate is much, much higher than in Benares, India, with all the poverty there. Why is it that those lepers would never contemplate killing themselves? But rich, beautiful, wealthy, young people in Perth do. Why?
- The meteor's last blazeAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Simile for enlightenment: you're a meteor circling the solar system round and round, millions of times — samsara, many births. Then you hit the earth's atmosphere, grow hotter…
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It's like you are one of these uh meteors around the solar system going round and round and round. Not just three times but hundreds of thousands of times millions of times going round and round the solar system round and round and round and round. That's like sabsar and the many births. But then once you manage to hit the atmosphere of the earth and as you this meteor as it goes through the atmosphere of the earth it gets hotter and hotter and explodes in this beautiful uh meteor this like star in the sky. It can light up whole cities and then it just disappears forever. You go out in a blaze of happiness.
- The nightmare was that I was a laymanStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: In his first nights as a novice the nightmare that wakes him is that he is a layman again. Seeing his folded brown robes beside the mat, he sighs with joy, sleeps deeply — and…
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when I first became a monk, how long ago, 37 years ago, I had nightmares. This is true. I'd wake up in a sweat, in my nightmare, this is no exaggeration, this is how much I really, really wanted to be a monk. My nightmare was I was a lay person. I thought I wasn't a monk after all. And I'd open my eyes and I'd see my robes next to the bed. Ah, I'm a monk! I really am a monk! [laughter] And I'd just go to sleep in this very peaceful deep sleep. And that was about for a week. That's how much I really loved being a monk and I never looked back. So that was my nightmare. I was terrified that I wasn't a monk
- Two fingers to push up a smileStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: As a student, his meditation teacher tells him to smile at himself in the toilet mirror every morning. Ajahn Brahm protests he'd scream at a hungover student's face; the teacher…
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Because this is what I was taught for two years by a meditation teacher when I was still a student Said when you get up in the morning, what do you do? And go to toilet great. Is there a mirror in your toilet of course there's a mirror in the toilet and my teacher? Toby I want you to look at yourself in the mirror and smile at yourself And I told my teacher get real. I'm a student. You know you look at teenagers or 20 year olds What do they look like in the morning? Really grumpy miserable me Especially they've been drinking alcohol staying up late at night like I used to do it no Stace I said sir if I looked at myself in the mirror in the morning first thing. I probably scream And he said smart yourself Impossible and that's when he told me things this great teacher simple Two fingers and push up That's what he taught me So I did that for two years Two years I followed that and every morning You got up there and looked at the mirror Impart to fingers up and this saw this stupid young man Smiling making a face in the mirror and when you when you do that. You know if I make a face. Yeah, it's working You're smarting now You do that to yourself everybody don't need anybody and then after a while you smile smile smile. I started laughing at myself I laughed at myself every morning for two years