Stories about interfaith
20 Buddhist wisdom stories about interfaith from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- Ajahn Chah's Buddhamus — Christmas as peace and loveStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Ajahn Chah asks what Christmas is about; the Western monks say peace and harmony to all beings. He says why not — and every 25 December comes to celebrate 'Buddhamus' with them…
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Ajancha asking us what is this Christmas business all about? And we said straight away that peace and harmony to all beings, peace and love. He said, "Okay, we can celebrate that. Why not?" So every 25th of December in our monastery in Thailand, he would come there to celebrate Buddhamus
- Annual visits with Abbot Placid of New NorciaStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A casual afternoon visit to New Norcia with a Thai guest monk grows into yearly exchanges between Bodhinyana and the Benedictine monastery. Ajahn Brahm and Abbot Placid, the only…
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that was abber Placid of the benedic monastery in new noria it took a long while for us to actually establish that trust you know actually because he was a Christian ABT a benedic a Catholic I'm a Buddhist monk and the first time we went up there to new nor was just we had a visiting monk from Thailand and were just looking for someplace to take him you know just for an afternoon let's go and see another Monastery and they were just very welcoming and from that just opening know we we started getting doing things together and we started having this meeting with each other once a year they'd come down to bodhinyana Monastery the whole gang of them and know we'd go to their Monastery just the monks so we'd actually talk to each other and we we get to know each other as actually real friends there's not that many monks you know in in Western Australia so it doesn't matter they're Catholic and you know they're of we were monks and that gave us so much in common especially there's only two abbots in Western Australia know abber B actually can't say the nuns Monastery but that was very small in those days you know myself and the Abbot of the benedic monastery and it's amazing just how much we had in common you know the sort of problems which I faced you got no one else to talk no one knows what it's like to be an Abbot because you don't know what it's like to be an Abbott you don't know what it's like to be a monk but you know this guy did cuz he was the Abit of a Mony I was of a Monas you had these great discussions and then that friendship really took off and then we could really challenge each other and that was when it was really interesting because I was a Buddhist he was a Christian coming from a very different background but we could actually ask the toughest questions of each other passionately but there was that trust there look I don't matter how what you say about me or what you tell me even if you say I'm absolutely fo I know that you know you're my friend before this conversation you'll be my friend afterwards that's a given and no one's going to take that away and nothing you say can take that away and because of that trust and friendship was there we had some marvelous discussions and actually that let me allowed me to change some of my views cuz you know I was actually conditioned to being a Buddhist and I actually when I first understood just how that conditioning how your views how your influences they you know what you actually allow yourself to listen to who you allow yourself to meet does make my thoughts that's where my thoughts come from I realize if you know I have to actually be much wider in my friendship I had to cultivate deliberately non Buddhist friends just like you you may be a Buddhist and you may be sort of just have Buddhist friends and just come here here and on a Friday night and just go just listen to the talks on the website and just have you know go out to dinner with Buddhist friend marry you're Buddhist you know and just go to Buddhist Retreats that is unhealthy have a few Christian friends as well a few Muslim a few atheist friends they're going to keep you honest they're going to ask you the tough questions they're also going to influence you and I didn't Lally did that cuz I didn't want to be a brainwashed Buddhist I didn't want to be sort of an extremist a fundamentalist who just gets Buddhist ideas put into them but nothing else so I deliberately cultivated sort of people who would challenge me you know that's one of the nicest places I went to was was prisons you when you first go into a prison in Western Australia they they told me I remember the first time I went to prison I think was I no it was actually down in uh in bunby but I started going to freem manle prison when it was still open and I remember this guy came out to us and you know I was going to sit around a table and talk to him and he said look you know we don't care who you are but in this Jael no you know BS b u l s h i t I'm not I'm still not g enough to say that word but you want know what I mean that's what they said to me because this is a prison there's a sense of honesty in here straightforwardness you tell it how you feel you be honest and we'll listen to you you try and just make up or just be something you're not and just you might as well walk out of here because we won't listen and accept you and I really respected that thank you that's the sort of people I love talking with straightforward is not just going to listen and accept because I'm a monk some sort of priest which you have to follow no matter what it's not just respecting me because I've got a robe on and a b head because I've been ordained for so many years but what are you actually saying be truthful so when I allowed myself to actually to be influenced by so many different people I thought that was much safer so I couldn't be actually stuck in one particular type of view and have that being self-justified all the time so with those sorts of people that friendship was there for the beginning with abber plaid the friendship was there so we could argue we could argue passionately and I found that's actually where I learned so much from if you're listening to me today if you listen to me a lot it's nothing to do with me it's the condition in which I've got the training which I've had
- Easier for rich BuddhistsStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: At a talk to the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in WA, a wealthy business audience asks about Jesus' saying that it's harder for a rich man to enter heaven than for a camel to pass…
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I said this at the Chinese Chamber of Commerce about six months ago. I gave a talk at the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in W.A and somebody actually asked this question, so it didn't actually come from me, it comes from the audience. They said, because the Chinese Chamber of Commerce is all these rich Chinese business people, and of course you know, the rich people, yeah they're doing okay in this world, but they want to know what happens after you die. So they said they knew in the Christian Bible, it does actually say that it's harder for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven than a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, that's actually in there. Now a camel goes through the eye of a needle, that's a pretty tough thing to do. And actually a lot of people say, well doesn't actually mean like a sewing needle, it was some door in Jerusalem or something, but whatever it was, everyone agrees it's a very difficult thing for a camel to pass the eye of a needle, so it must be even more difficult for a rich person to go to Christian heaven. So when he asked me, so what do you say about that Ajahn Brahm? I said look we don't have that in Buddhism at all, so it's actually much much easier for rich people to go to heaven if they're Buddhists. You lot are rich people over there, so it's quite obvious what religion you should have if you want to go to heaven. I said, that's our marketing, you want to go to heaven and you're rich, come here. Of course we also get more donations that way. But that’s only jokes, so of course that totally untrue.
- Gambling? With whom?Joke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A Buddhist monk, a Christian priest and a rabbi meet for interfaith friendship; tea turns to cards, cards to gambling, and they're arrested. The judge asks the priest if he was…
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So I remembered this story of these um what was it? It was a a Buddhist monk, a Christian and a what was the other one? It was a rabbi. That's right. and they were trying to get some contact with each other, trying to learn from one another. So they had discussions and they had tea. They wanted something a bit more interesting. So they started playing cards together, you know, just to find some more friendship together. And then the cards turned to gambling and then that was illegal. So somebody dobbed them in, told the police and the three of them were arrested. the Buddhist monk, the Christian priest, and the Jewish rabbi. They had to appear before the the judge. And the judge said, "You're all sort of people of faith. So, no, first of all, just uh Christian priest. You were found gambling. Are you guilty?" I just ask you, make it quick and simple because you're supposed to be honest. You know what the Christian priest did so fast the judge didn't catch him? He looked up in the sky and said, "Jesus, forgive me." And said, "No." Said, "Okay, you can go." Then they asked the rabbi. The rabbi couldn't say that. So the rabbi crossed his fingers behind his back and he said, "No, I wasn't gambling." Did you ever do that when you're at school? I don't know why they say that but if you cross your fingers behind the back it means you can say whatever. So keep your fingers in front please. So anyway then they asked the monk he said and they by now the judge was getting a bit suspicious of these religious people. So you don't believe in Jesus or God monk so you can't ask forgiveness there keep your hands in front so you don't cross your fingers behind the back. So monk, were you gambling? And the monk said to the judge, with whom? [laughter] You can't gamble by yourself.
- I demand my right to bow to JesusStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Invited with Chaplain Canon Frank Sheehan to Christ Church Grammar School's morning assembly, the devout Christian principal tells Ajahn Brahm he need not bow to the statue of…
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being invited to give the uh the talk at the morning assembly at christ church grammar school remember it was with one of my mates that was uh the chaplain cannon frank sheehan yeah she thanks you and he became a nice mate of mine and so there we were in front of christ church grammar school a really top school uh anglican christian school here in perth and three of us were outside waiting for the kids to be settled down in this beautiful chapel with its amazing views over the swan river and as we were outside the principal you know was a very devout christian and he said when we go welcome to our school where we go inside no the chaplain frank and i we will bow to the statue of jesus christ because we're christians we said you're a buddhist you don't need to you know i always i'm a cheeky monk sometimes as these two monks next to me will know and sometimes i make an argument just to make a point and so i said to the principal i said no i demand my right to bow to your statue of jesus i remember his face are we talking about what mad monk have i let into my school
- In Vietnam Adam would have eaten the snakeJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Archbishop Roger Herft's joke: if Eden had been in China or Vietnam there would have been no Fall — Adam would have eaten the snake, not the apple (snakes are on the menu).
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if the Garden of Eden where this happened to Adam and Eve it's only a metaphor didn't really happen but if that was Garden of Eden hadn't been in Europe or Middle East if that had been in say China or Vietnam there would never be any problem CU if the Garden of Eden had been in Vietnam Adam would have eaten the snake not the Apple You' been to these oldfashioned Vietnamese restaurants snakes on the menu they would have eaten the Apple
- Make-up before the cathedral sermonStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: The Dean of St George's Cathedral, Perth, invites Ajahn Brahm to give the Sunday eucharist sermon — the first time, the Dean says, a non-Christian has given the Sunday sermon in…
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He invited me to give the sermon on a Sunday um eukarist I think it was called and he should know what he was talking about. He was a boss in that cathedral. He said it was the first time that a non-Christian had ever given the Sunday sermon in a cathedral in the world in 2,000 years. I thought, "Wow, that's really neat." Because of that, I got on TV beforehand and I remember just channel seven or nine, I forget which one it was. And when I went there to do an interview beforehand, you know what happened? They said, "You have to do makeup first of all." [laughter] And I said, "Was anybody ever refused?" And they said, "Some I think null Gallagher from uh some pop group." Oasis. Oasis. Okay. Yeah, he's the only one who refused makeup and I didn't really want to be put in the same category. So, they did quick makeup and the worst part of that I remember was Ajan Bardi was accompanying me that weekend and he was laughing his head off making sides of the [laughter] really mean to me and I forgave him. It was good fun. But anyway, just as a result of that, we did this this big um talk over in St. George's Cathedral and that was I really remember that for a long time because the place was packed and it was standing room only in the aisles everywhere and that the point was no one knew who was a Christian, who was a Buddhist and no one really cared
- Muslim woman on the Buddhist retreatStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: At the Redemptorist retreat centre in North Perth a woman in hijab joins his retreat; she removes it inside per her rules, finds nothing wrong, thanks him — embrace across…
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lady came to one of the retreats which I was giving before we had our own retreat center. This was over in North Perth in the Redemptous Monastery Retreat Center. And she came in a hijab. And I said, "You're a Muslim." "Yeah, look at me. Of course I am." She said, "I'm come on your retreat." "Okay, I won't tell." See, I don't have to be serious like that. So she came into the retreat, took off the hijab and because inside you didn't need to wear it according to the rules and she said, "I can't see anything wrong with this. It was a wonderful retreat
- Rabbi Bernstein believed in rebirthStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Moshe Bernstein, a rebellious Perth rabbi Brahm met via a cancer-support group, said he believed in rebirth; the head rabbi confirmed Jewish teaching doesn't — 'but Rabbi…
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Rabbi Bernstein. Still remember him, Moshi Bernstein. And one of the reasons I always remember him was because he was a rebel. You know, he told me when we just discussing things, he said, "No, I believe in rebirth, too." I thought, "But you're a rabbi, a Jewish person. You're not supposed to believe in rebirth." He said, "But I do." And then I checked him up with one of the head rabbis in Perth. He said, "No, Jewish people don't believe in rebirth, but Rabbi Bernstein does." Oh, yeah. Him. He was a rebel
- Sundays church, Saturdays templeStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Ajahn Jagaro marries a Thai Buddhist woman to an Italian Catholic. Asked how they should practise, he says: Sundays you both go to church together; Saturdays you both come to the…
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this was actually you know my predecessor AJ and Jacob gave this wonderful piece of advice when he had a Thai girl married to an Italian Catholic and they asked and they did a wedding ceremony for them and then asked what should we do you know for our religious life and he gave this wonderful person a Catholic married to a Buddhist he said on Sundays you both go to church together on Saturdays you both come to the temple together
- The bomb threat that saved the interfaith serviceStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: For years Ajahn Brahm chants at the rather dull Commonwealth Day interfaith service in St George's Cathedral, Perth. One year the Dean, John Shepherd, is called away mid-service…
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every year every year I used to go to I still do I've been doing this for about 25 years now to this this in George's Cathedral they have a Commonwealth interfaith Commonwealth day interfaith service as I've been going there for many many years and now I do my little bit of chanting someone else does their chanting and you know it was pretty boring but one day one year forget know how many years ago one year we were doing the same old boring stuff you know chanting and same old stuff every year and just a few people the people had to be there because know there their daughter was singing in the choir or you know they were told to go there by their teachers cuz of school groups here and this one year right in the middle of the chanting so the Dean John Sheppard is a good friend he's been to give talks here before he was called away and I realized that something was going on because this was not in the program and he came back again and he interrupted us all and got on the microphone and said we've just been told by the police there's been a bomb threat some sort of know crazy fundamentalist and said it's wrong it it's evil that you have people who aren't Christians in this Cathedral and a piece of taken this bomb threat seriously so we all have to evacuate that was the best service I've ever been because the reason was now the whole plans were thrown into chaos which meant that are now we were being human again and so we went to some hall had some tea you know that's when we started talking to each other because we had nothing else to do said all these people you know because it was an emergency I'm scheduled talking to each other getting really friendly and when we came back to finish the service very quickly because no was only just a scare so I'm looting a ticket ringing up the police there's no bomb in there at all it was a life it was a friendship there was the moving together was interfaith then that was at one time was really interfaith and I mentioned to John Sheppard said he should arrange us every year it was a very vessel as we ever had
- The conservative parents who became friendsStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: One of Ajahn Brahm's first Perth funerals is for a young British Buddhist of 23 or 24 who dies of cancer at Bethesda hospice. His very formal, conservative Christian parents fly…
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there was this young guy he was from UK and he he's only about 23 24 he developed cancer his terminal and he was over in one of the first hospices which was I was at um over in Netherlands by the river the old hospital over there somewhere what was it called again Netherlands or Del Keith somewhere Betha okay that sounds right Betha anyway so I went to see him in there and you know there's nothing you could really do you know he was dying but he was a Buddhist so when he actually died and I would did the funeral service his parents came over from UK and his parents were just this quintessential like um country folk from from UK you know they lived in a village they were very very formal very um conservative very Christian and when they saw me come into the the room for the funeral of their only son just their drawers dropped oh God what's what's doing the funeral for our only son and that's actually what I started off with you could see just it was almost like disappointment very severe disappointment this was their only son who died tragically of cancer and this guy in a funny robe was doing the funeral service for them at the end of the funeral service about 25 years ago they were so impressed they gave a $500 donation you know just out of joy and they they um made a decision that when they die that I have to do their funeral service for them and also that their ashes would get spread at bodana Monastery they became really really good friends the mother died her ashes were spread over bodana Monastery uh he's getting a bit old now he'd always come every year to our bana Monastery became a really really dear friend
- The heretics' pewStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Ajahn Brahm, Abbot Placid of New Norcia, and a Uniting Church moderator sit together at St George's Cathedral for the ordination of Bishop Kay Goldsworthy (as captioned Kate…
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Kay Goldsworthy I think it was. I got invited to the St Georges' Cathedral, it was the first female Bishop in any Christian tradition in the world. And it was done here in Perth so I got an invite. Two hours it took, so much ceremonies and rituals just to make someone a Bishop. Fortunately I was sitting next to my mate Abbot Placid he was the old Abbot of the Benedictine Monastery in New Norcia. We had a whole pew for non-believers so I was there with the Catholics, the Uniting Church.. We had a great time; we were telling jokes to each other like naughty school boys in Church but because we were both Abbots we couldn't be sent out
- The monk who gave a kidney to the evangelicalStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A Sri Lankan monk who regularly gave blood was asked to donate a kidney to a perfect match — an evangelical Christian converting Buddhists. He said of course: religious…
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There was—great little story—there was one of the monks over there, always giving blood every six months or three months, and he got a letter from the blood bank saying that there was a person who needed a kidney, and he was an organ donor as well. And they said, 'Would you mind"—he had two kidneys, do without one— And they said, "Can you give this... got you a perfect match to this person who needs a kidney desperately. Would you mind donating one of your kidneys to this person?" The monk said, "Of course, no trouble." But they said, "There was a problem. The problem was that the person who needed your kidney, he was an Evangelical Christian going around Sri Lanka converting the Buddhists to Christianity. He's taking away all your followers." The monk said, "What do you mean? Of course, he can have my kidney. Doesn't matter what religion you are. If you're a...it's just like if a Jew found out that a Hamas wanted your kidney— of course, you can take my kidney. Just because we've got some religious differences, that doesn't mean anything. You're a human being; you need my kidney; I've got a spare one; take it." So he donated the kidney to this Evangelical Christian
- The Muslim woman who said 'oh…'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A young woman in hijab asks him to sign her book; she watches him on YouTube. As soon as he signs, she puts her hand over her mouth and blurts 'oh…' — so excited she forgot…
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one young lady come up to have her book signed and totally ruined my expectations of what a Muslim should be because she came out she was younger and in her hijab very devout woman so can you sign my book and I said yeah I can she says she watches me on YouTube great she might be watching me tonight but if you do please excuse me for letting people know this because as soon as so she signed my book as soon as I signed she said no I signed her book I'm tired come on as soon as I signed her book she put her hand over her mouth and said oh he's signing my book it's the first time I've heard a Muslim say oh she was so excited she's forgot herself and so all my expectations of Muslims being different than Australians totally vanished
- The priest who checked heaven and hell by trainStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A wealthy philosophy professor asks a priest whether virtuous non-Christians (Buddha, Socrates, Marcus Aurelius, Voltaire, Gandhi) must go to hell. The priest stalls a week,…
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an anecdote at the end of the sermon they asked a question it happened to be this new uh member of the congregation who was not only very wealthy but was also a philosophy professor at University and so when he put his hand up and said I want to ask a question the priest said okay you can ask it's not usually done and the question was this he said you just know taught you know from your Christian Bible that the only people who can go to heaven have to believe in Jesus and he said is that true because said the professor there' been these wonderful people such as you know such as the Buddha such as not Socrates he was a very wise and very virtuous man such as the uh the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius you know have you ever seen his contemplations of Marcus ofus is very inspiring stuff you know you got people even like new people like say Maham m Gandhi he didn't believe in Jesus he was a Hindu so what happens to them do they have to go to hell now the priest you know was very smart guy so he said well you it's a really big question and I don't think we got the time now to answer I'll tell you next week in my sermon it's one of the things I always do if in doubt procrastinate so usually you know as a priest you know they work very hard on a Sunday so Monday they have the day off it's rest relaxation day on Tuesday he went into his study you know got out all the books and tried to find an answer and it was a really good question he couldn't find an answer which would be suitable for a professor so he rang up his mate another sort of priest much older than him on Wednesday they made an appointment had coffee and discussed it and the priest said look this is too complicated for me too you better go and see the Archbishop so on Thursday went to see the Archbishop I so the Thursday the bishop and on Thursday went to see the bishop the bishop Bop said well you know this is something for the Archbishop not me so on Friday went to see the Archbishop and the Archbishop said actually you should go and see the Theologian you know these professors who live in universities they'll probably know the answer so on Saturday he went to see the Theologian the Theologian gave him an answer couldn't understand a word of it that's what theologians are like only other theologians can understand what they're saying so there he was Saturday night without an answer to following day he'd have to front up you know to this uh Professor so he didn't sleep well that night in fact he was just very restless what was he going to say so he got up very early in the morning he did what he should have done to begin with he went into his church early in the morning and started praying and it was probably because he hadn't slept the night that he fell asleep fell asleep at the alter and as he was falling asleep he had one of these dreams these really Vivid dreams he was at a railway station and he sort of knew where that train on that platform was headed for but he asked you know the station gu said that train over there it wouldn't be going to heaven would it and the station guard said yes and seeing as you're a priest you can go up there half price so he got a half price ticket and he got on the train just like in dreams like time is really weird in no time at all the train appeared on this platform and he saw on the side of the platform the letters h e a v n it was Heaven he'd arrived so he got outside so he could actually ask his questions he searched around for a little while and so soon he found this man in this white robe with a little donut on top of his head and he said excuse me sir he said yes how can I help you he said now what's the name of this place he said it's Heaven welcome he said great now I want to ask you two questions he said of course ask he said how long you been up here and he said I've been up here hundreds of hundreds of years said this Angel he said great so you must know most people yeah I know most people up here how can I help you what's question number two he said look I want to know if these people are up here first of all there's this Indian guy the Buddha is he up here he said the Buddha never heard of the fellow what about Socrates this Greek guy very very smart very wise said no haven't heard of him either what about Marcus aelius no what about Vol this really funny guy volarus know his playright and philosopher said no what about Gandy just a new arrival haven't heard of that name either he said and the priest was So Satisfied he have his answer he'd got it right the Bible was correct so feeling self-satisfied he went back to the station to get the train back but he saw on another platform there was another train and he just wanted to make sure he knew where the other train was going to so he went to the station guard and said that train over there would be going to a place called hell he said yes that's where that one's going to so he brought a return ticket and he got on the train and in no time at all it arrived at this other station and he saw on the outside this big sign saying h e l l but he saw some balloons tied to the the station sign which was a bit strange and as soon as it got out he didn't need to seek anybody someone came right up to him and gave him a big hug welcome thank you for coming is anything we can get you to drink how about a nice cup of tea or do you want some orange juice or apple juice you don't just hold on a bit what about a sandwich you must be very tired sit down the fellow was so kind and compassionate said look look please please thank you so much for your kindness but you know what is this place it's hell welcome are you sure you don't want something to eat how about a pizza how about some fish and chips we've got some really nice fish and chips down here freshly fried no no no no look come please please I just want to ask you two questions how long you been down here I've been down here thousands of years he said great he said so you know most people oh yeah I know everyone up here there such nice people up here you know he said look look look look are there anybody down here call the Buddha oh the Buddha such a wise and compassionate being oh he's one of the most important people down here so what about Socrates oh yeah my goodness his wisdom is so deep Marcus aelius great poet voler such a funny guy we love going to his place what about what about Gandy a him he's just come here he's so well respected he's so peaceful and kind and the priest was actually quite happy he said look that's what I always believed in but there's something wrong cuz I always told that hell was a place of torment and tor culture where people are having a very tough time but you seem so happy and there's even balloons along the station what's up here and the a the hell being whatever you call him said oh well yes it used to be like that before the Buddha came down here
- The priest who recognised Buddhist monksStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Early Australia: asks a Catholic priest if 'monk/nun' is alright; priest says yes — not for robes or bald heads but for poverty, service and surrender inside the robes.
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Catholic priest I got to know here say is it right are you happy that we call ourselves monks or nuns because that is like a Christian word and he said well look I've looked how you behave you know you ask simple you just have few possessions you know you're serving and being kind you have surrendered a lot he said we would recognize you as monks or nuns
- The Theravada–Mahayana boat raceStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: On a sightseeing trip at a conference in Vietnam, rowing through lakes and tunnels, Ajahn Brahm (representing Singapore) is in a boat of Theravada monks alongside a boat of…
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I went to a conference in Vietnam a couple of years ago, and if you go to conferences, big organised conferences, the organisers want you to see some of the sights. I don't like being a tourist but you had no choice. So I was in the middle of Vietnam somewhere, to these lakes and underground tunnels and stuff, where you go through in a barge, fascinating beautiful place but on the way back... Actually, weird, I was representing Singapore, not Australia, so I was in the Singapore boat and there was another Singapore boat, we had the Theravada monks in our boat, and the Mahayana monks in the other boat, so I looked at them and said "Right, a race, who's better, the Mahayana or the Theravada? [laughter]. Those are the two parts of Buddhist so we had a race between Mahayana and Theravada. I was in the Theravada boat paddling for all I could and the Mahayana monks were paddling really hard as well just to see who would win, and of course it's obvious, the Theravada would win, it's obvious, if you know anything about Buddhism, because the Mahayana, they are Boddhisatvas, they even let other people get to Enlightenment before they do, so they made us get to the finishing line before they did, that's their tradition [laughter].
- They preferred the taller Islamic teacherStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Multi-faith school visit: feedback says girls preferred the blond Western Islamic speaker — taller than the short Buddhist monk. Ages 14–15; he does not mind.
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Pinjara school the was it Para school? No I think it was another school. It's a girl school. They wanted to have different teachers. one teach on Buddhism, one teach on Islam, one teach on uh Hinduism. I did the Buddhism bit and afterwards I got the feedback from them. He said, "No, we preferred the the Islamic man." He was a westerner because he was blondhaired and much taller than you. [snorts] These were 14, 15 year old school girls
- “What's the Buddhist idea of God?”Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: At the same chaplains' conference, a well-known Jesuit (Frank Brennan, Ajahn Brahm thinks) asks him what Buddhists mean by God. Rather than quote scripture, Ajahn Brahm points to…
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But the same point, I think it was... the fellow is quite well known, Frank Brennan, I think he is quite famous, I think he is a Jesuit based over in East. And he asked me this question just afterwards, He asked, "What's the Buddhist idea of a God?" So I took it deeper rather than just quoting the scriptures. And I said, "Well look, the fellow sitting next to me, Abbot Placid, I've known him for such a long time. And we have these great discussions about Buddhism and Christianity and spiritual stuff. And I really respect him I never look down upon him. And I said one thing which he once... not told me once but used to tell me many, many times, he said, one of his core beliefs; one of the things which drove him throughout his life was the realization he said that everybody, everybody was searching for God. Now that's what he said, I respect this guy. So I said, Let's take that statement from someone I respect. So what was I searching for? What are you searching? What are people actually searching for in life? What people are searching for in life is truth, meaning, love, peace, kindness. Isn't that what you're coming here for? What sort of drives you in your life? The search for truth, love, peace, contentment. He said well, if this fellow sitting next to me said everyone is searching for God and this is what people are searching for. And that's what God must mean. So in Buddhism, I said, God means peace, love, contentment, fulfillment. Call 'that' God. I said Yeah, I believe in that. And I felt Father Frank Brennan was quite happy and satisfied with that. He said that was an answer which was meaningful.