Stories about karma
19 Buddhist wisdom stories about karma from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- A dog called ChemoStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A doctor friend in Melbourne has a big Labrador she named 'Chemo'. She was training it to visit hospital wards, because stroking a gentle animal helps very sick people recover —…
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there's one of my friends over in Melbourne, now that's Priya Mendes [?] and she’s got this big dog and it was Labrador wasn’t it, and when I saw it, I said “what's its name” and she gave it the name, she's a doctor, she gave it the name “Chemo”. Chemo the dog, that's a really weird name, why do you name it Chemo? She said “because I'm training this dog to be one of these dogs who goes into wards with people who are very, very sick, because we all know that if you take a little dog or a cat or a rabbit into a ward where people are very sick, just being able to pet that dog, to stroke it, have this beautiful soft animal in there, the compassion which a small animal or even a big animal generates amongst human beings has a very strong positive effect on people's recovery. They actually get better. Having a beautiful dog to play with in the ward, it makes you sort of, gets up all your, what's it called, the, not serotonin, all these endomorphines, all this beautiful health things in your body, you all know better than I do... but you know it really works. So that's why she called her dog Chemo because it was short for chemotherapy, that was a little joke, she's a good student of mine, has got a stupid sense of humor just like me. [laughter] So Chemo, Chemo the dog, and of course that dog went into so many wards in its life, healing people, helping people, that dog must have made huge amounts of good karma just by generating compassion in other beings.
- “But there were so many other robberies I got away with”Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: After the class an old prisoner earnestly tells Ajahn Brahm he's in jail for a robbery he didn't do — he was set up. Fired with a sense of justice, Ajahn Brahm is mentally…
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fellow who was in prison for something he didn't do. Imagine being put in jail for a crime you don't commit. And this poor gentleman he was over at Karnet prison farm and I used to go and see him. And he he came up to me one evening and he said, you know when I was visiting there. And he said: look Ajahn Brahm, I respect you. And you know I’m trying to change my life, trying to be a good person, keeping my precepts. So I won't lie to you. He said: I won't lie. I know other prisoners will all say they're innocent, they didn't do it. But I didn't do that crime. I didn't do that robbery. I’ve been put in jail for something I never did. And I’ve got a social conscience you know. You can't just let that happen to a poor person put in jail for a few years for a crime he didn't commit. And I also know that you know your ability to get a lawyer or just to call for help is so limited inside prison. So I thought I know people maybe I can take that cause up. Maybe I can sort of fight for his release from jail for a crime he never committed. But as I was thinking like that the this this scallywag of a prisoner he looked at me and he broke into this you know almost like a few teeth missing smile. And he said he said: But Ajahn Brahm, it's true I honestly I never did that crime. I never did that robbery. But he said since I listened to you
- Kindness after the dye shedStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Wat Pah Pong: three monks dyeing robes two nights without sleep; young Brahm secretly helps so they can rest. Next morning chanting he is full of energy — senior monk: because of…
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three monks and they were dying their robes and they hadn't slept for a couple of days know you can't sleep you have to keep on working that was why almost a test of endurance for them you know that sometimes I remember reading in the Buddhist books when I was young that to make sure that a monk or none was really uh wanted to become a monk or none They would actually test them by having them sit outside the front door of the monastery for three days and just to see if they really wanted to become a monk or a nun. And over in Damasara, you don't have to do that. You just have to make your own robes. It's just kind of similar. Don't make it too easy. See just what your your commitment is. But anyway, over in uh W Babong in those days, we had to uh cut sew white cloth, sew it all up into the monk's robes and make the dye and dye it. [clears throat] It took a long time. And these three monks have been up at the dying shed two nights without sleep and had another night or two to go before they could finish. I what would you do? You know, I would just felt so sort of sorry for them. I've got compassion just like every other monk and none and each one of you as well. I said, "Look, um I won't tell if you won't tell. I'll do the dying tonight. You go and take, you know, 4 hours of rest." And that's what they did. They didn't argue with me. They were off, you know. I felt so good about that because you could see they were suffering in pain, you know, not physical pain like you've broken a leg or something, but just really, really, really tired. So, I did that work for them that night. I hadn't slept that day. I didn't sleep that night cuz I was busy looking after the dying pot. And then also in the morning, the bell went 3:00 in the morning. would get up in Thailand when the bell went they all came back thank you thank you thank you just that you know 4 hours of rest you know just meant a lot of difference to them me I went back to the morning chanting and that morning I still remember the morning chanting we did in Thailand It was really depressing. Honestly, I'm not I'm not just saying that because he didn't have any energy, you know, and just getting up really early in the morning, 3:30, and just chanting. But that morning, yo, I had so much energy inside of me and it was unique. I think the other monks told me quiet down a bit, [laughter] but why? And I hadn't slept all night and I just I couldn't figure it out why I was just so full of energy. And I asked one of the senior monks and that's what they told me. He said, you know, I confessed, look, and we're not supposed to do this. I'm sorry, you know that they're supposed to make those robes up for themselves, but I helped. And and I said, "I had so much energy." Why? He just said, "Because of kindness." When you're really kind and you sacrifice something, you get a big boost of energy and power back
- Let her come and bowStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Someone in Sydney who watched a video of Ajahn Brahm's Sri Lanka trip says what impressed him most wasn't the many talks but the moment an old woman wanted to bow and his minders…
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someone told me in Sydney I've been in in Sri Lanka and they know saw the video of my trip over there and they gave many many talks but the thing which really impressed them was when a Sri Lankan old woman Sri Lanka woman wanted to come up and just bow to me my minders and always he's tired to try to push her away and I told my minders no let her come doesn't matter if I'm tired she may have come such a long way just that little act of kindness he said that was better than all your talks that made such an impression on him
- Road rage left him without a carStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: In a New York road-rage story he tells, an angry driver stopped at a red light, jumped out and beat on the other car's window. The lights changed and the other car fled — but he…
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that famous example which I don't know where the last time I told here apparently was in New York I don't know what caused this road rage but this one driver was very upset the other Drive was chasing him through through the streets of New York and managed to catch him at a red light the two cars had to stop at the traffic light and the angry driver got out of his car at the stops at the traffic Junction and started beating on the window of the other car trying to get in and of course that driver inside the car was terrified if that glass had broken if the know the angry driver had got in there he'd be in big trouble but fortunately the lights changed in time so the driver inside the car sped off but what happened to the driver who was trying to break in was actually a good illustration of the law of karma why you should never get Road raage why you should never get angry because when he jumped out of his car to try and get into the his enemy's car he left the door open with the keys in the ignition and the engine running and you don't do that in New York cuz when he turned around to get in his car it always sped off some Street kid had stolen his car and there he was standing in the intersection with with no car
- The broken pot of gheeAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: The Buddha's simile, asked whether chanting for the dead helps them: break a clay pot of ghee over a lake — the clay sinks and the oil floats. If a monk stood on the bank…
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imagine this you take a pot of oil was actually ghee but ghee is a type of oil you take a clay pot of oil you take it to some sort of lake or Pond and you break it over that Lake then what would happen the clay heavy part would go to the bottom and the oil will float to the surface then said the Buddha suppose that some Monk went to the side of that Lake and started praying or doing some chanting do you think because of that chanting that the the Shar s of clay will float to the surface and the oil will go down to the bottom of course not it's in just the same way that beings will go according to their karma when they die
- The donkey in the wellStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A farmer tries to bury a donkey that fell into a dry well; with every shovelful of dirt, the donkey shakes it off and steps up on it, until it climbs out, bites the farmer and…
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there was a donkey, just walking happily along in the forest, just munching and minding its own business. Because it wasn't mindful, he fell into a well, the well was dry so it didn't drown, and he didn't really injure himself, just a few bruises and scratches. When the donkey came to his senses he realized he was at the bottom of a well and there's no way up because donkeys can't climb. The only thing the donkey thought he could do was to cry for help to get someone's attention otherwise he would die down there of starvation. So he started crying for help. [makes donkey sound] I can't really do donkey noises, as I think now you have understood because probably I've got no previous incarnations as a donkey. [laughter] Ajahn: Those people who imitate animal noises, it must be that in your last life you were an animal. [laughter] As for me, I wasn't a donkey in my last life so [makes donkey sound] is the best I can do. " [makes donkey sound] ," said the donkey again and again. After a couple of hours actually somebody heard him. It was the local farmer. "What's making that noise?" He came over and saw it was coming from the well. He looked down, "my goodness, a donkey has fallen down that well." Now that farmer never liked that donkey. The donkey was always eating his farm produce and was being very stubborn. He'd never do what the farmer wanted. He also realized that well was a very dangerous thing. Somebody might fall in that well, a human. He thought of a wonderful idea. He could get rid of that dangerous well and the donkey at the same time. He got out a spade and started filling that well with earth. The cruel farmer. Now, if you do something like that it's called "bad karma." If you do any bad karma you're going to get unpleasant consequences, as you will see as this story develops. [laughter] So this donkey at the bottom of the well, thinking at first the farmer would help him, realized the farmer's trying to kill him by shoveling all this dirt over the donkey. When the donkey realized that, [makes donkey sound] even louder. [laughter] But that didn't stop the farmer. He just kept shoveling more dirt over this donkey, more and more dirt, trying to fill in the well and bury the donkey alive. After a while the donkey went quiet and never said anything. The farmer thought, "I've killed him." "I've buried him. Good riddance," and kept on shoveling. But the donkey hadn't died. The donkey, who must have also gone to Nollamara in the previous life... [laughter] Ajahn: ...had insight. He was a very smart donkey. Never underestimate donkeys. His insight was this. Instead of complaining when people throw dirt all over you, instead of complaining, just shake it off, tread it in, and he found he was growing a centimeter taller. The next shovel full of earth, shake it off, stamp it in, he's another centimeter higher. Every shovel of earth, he was getting closer and closer to the top of the well. Now the farmer, thinking the donkey had died already, paid no attention at all, shoveling, shoveling, when a pair of donkey ears appeared above the top of the well. Shovel, shovel, shovel. Shake it off, stamp it in, until a donkey head appeared at the top of the well. Before the farmer realized, the donkey was close enough to the surface it jumped out and bit the farmer on the backside. [laughter] Ajahn: Not because the donkey didn't like the farmer, but because he had to show the farmer the law of karma. [laughter] He was just an agent of cause and effect. He ran away. That's how the donkey escaped from the well.
- The encyclopedia he felt guilty for sellingStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: As a poor student he sold children's encyclopedias door to door, trained to make parents feel guilty. He sold one — to a struggling young family — and felt terrible about it for…
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as a poor student I got a job setting encyclopedias door-to-door that's how desperate I was the worst thing was I actually sold one because actually a children's encyclopedia and after selling one I felt so guilty afterwards because selling the stupid worthless encyclopedia to this young family who just had a kid and they would feel guilty because you actually trained how to make parents feel so guilty but they would just know once that would ask them pedophiles or child abusers if they didn't buy this stupid book for their kid so they bought this bucket of a thing they waited bunny on this stupid book and they're struggling to survive and I felt terrible for years on that until one day is actually I told her story here and somebody came up to me and they said this is weird they said it's just too much of a coincidence but some of these coincidence because of the law of karma that's how this coincidence happens they said when I was very small this some woman said she lived in England she said this young student came to my door and sold my parents this children's encyclopedia and she said I love those books they meant so much to me and I had so much happiness reading those encyclopedias so I don't know if it was you but he could have been as soon as I heard that I thought wow actually something good
- The Jimi Hendrix museum was shutStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Jimi Hendrix was Ajahn Brahm's teenage idol; he even had the haircut. Giving talks in Seattle with a free afternoon, he's urged to visit the Jimi Hendrix museum. He thinks a monk…
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You know, I used to really like Jimmyi Hendris and I I was he was my big idol when I was young and my hair was all like this. I had Jimmyi Hendrick's haircut and I went to Seattle once to give some talks and I had a free afternoon. People in Seattle said, "Why didn't you go to Jimi Hendris Museum, you know, cuz it's Jimi Hendrick's Museum is in Seattle." And I thought, "I'm a monk. I shouldn't really go to such things. The monks are supposed to give up all those things." So I went and this is my karma. I went there and that afternoon, one afternoon a week it was shut. It just really taught me a lesson.
- The man with four wivesStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A dying man asks each of his four wives to come with him into death. The beautiful fourth wife, his passport to high society, will only speak a eulogy. The third, who gave him…
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so once upon on a time there was a man with four wives That's a crazy guy I haven't got one wife I'm much happier he had four of them so this poor guy had four wives and he was getting towards the end of his life and he was actually on his death bed he thought he was going to die and he starts to get worried about what happens after you die and so he called his his fourth wife the wife he married lateer on in life and she was very very attractive in fact she was so beautiful she made many many things possible for him especially invitations to High Society she was his passport into the A-list of parties and receptions and concerts in the city in which he lived and so he brought her to her bed his bedside and said d I love you very much you've been so good to me she said yes I love you T darling too and he said I'm about to die that's so sad said his fourth wife and I'll be lonely without you will you come with me into death what no way I'm not going to die with you what do you think said but what I will promise you I will will go to your funeral I promise you that and I will speak a wonderful eulogy about you I'll praise you to everybody is that all said the man that's all I can do and all I will do I thought you said you love me get out of here and he chased his fourth white out and he brought his third white in he'd married her before the fourth wife and the third wife know wasn't was a bit older but still she was very attractive and in fact you know some some of these older women are very very attractive know to many men so it gives you hope doesn't it and the third wife the third wife had been really really helpful for him and she'd made probably even more things possible she made him get a comfortable house and a com a living all because of you know the third wife and what she was and so he brought his third wife in and said darling I love you very much too I'm very attached to you and she said I love you too darling and he said I'm about to die and I'm afraid will you come with me into death no it's never been done and I can't do that I won't do that but one thing I can promise you I won't just go to your funeral I'll pay for it and I'll make sure you get a wonderful funeral and he said but then what would you do he said well after you're dead I'll probably go with your eldest son what as adultery and I haven't even died yet get out of here you Shameless scary wag Hy and said his third wife he still had two to go so he brought his and his second wife he married his second wife a long long time ago and she wasn't pretty at all but she was one of those women who was really wise and helpful she was always there for him especially in times of trouble and she looked at his second wife said well I've know you for such a long time I'm about to die I'm I'm really afraid of dying and being alone will you I know these other two said no but will you please come with me into death and the second wife looked at him and started crying said darling i' really love to if I could I would but all I can do is come to your gravite that's as far as I can come I'm sorry get out he said and he still had one wife left and this wife he' known her for so long he couldn't remember the time before he met her and she was very neglected the two later wives got all of the the jewelry and the fine clothes and so the first wife she was very poorly dressed bad hair but behind the scenes she was working so hard for him he never really appr appreciated her or really supported or helped her at all and he looked at her and said you're my last chance I've known you for so long and I'm so connected to you and she said yeah we've got this very deep connection together and he ask the question I'm about to die will you come with me into death and she smiled and said sure I will I go with you everywhere that's why my name is Mrs Karma I go with you from life to life and your second wife Mrs family your family love you and they will always support you and be there with you and they can go as far as your gravide but no more you can't take them with you and and as for the third wife that was called Mrs money you usually get that later on in your life and Mrs money can pay for a wonderful funeral for you and Mrs money can do so much for you in this life but can Mrs money go with you into death no after you die Mrs money will go with your eldest son or at least with one of your children maybe to the lawyer I don't know that's the inheritance and the fourth wife which you get last of all in life is called Mrs Fain your reputation who makes many things possible for you entry into the A-list of society maybe if you're very famous and makes and will give you a good ulog a good word at your death who you were and what you did but can your Fame and reputation go with you no said the fourth wife it can't be done and that's the symy of the man with the four wives it can be the woman with the four husbands is only a metaphor of all these things which we love and care for and think of ours which know we attached to our Fame our Fortune our family and this thing called karma that's the only thing which you take with you
- The monastery monkey reborn as a boyStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A Thai Buddhist buys an abused monkey at a market and gives it to a forest monastery in Thailand. It becomes almost one of the monks — it even sits holding a cup of tea at the…
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If you want a nice story about that, this is one of the little anecdotes you pick up in your life as a monk. In one of our monasteries in Thailand many years ago, a uh Thai Buddhist went to the market and saw there was a monkey up for sale. And this poor monkey was in a small cage, had been abused. And this man took pity and compassion on this monkey and bought it and wanted to release it in a place where it would be well looked after to give this monkey some freedom. So instead of actually taking it to a nature reserve where it wouldn't be able to look after itself, it took it to one of the monasteries. You know, the monks are nice and kind. So gave it to the head monk, let it out of the cage. And the head monk, you know, fed it, looked after it. And it had a bit more freedom, it could run around in the the forest monastery and swing through the trees. But because it was so associated with human beings, it was like half monkey, half human. Now whenever the monks would have their tea time in the afternoon, the monkey would also always also come and look very cute. It would also hold a cup of tea just like all the other monks and sit there while all the other monks were drinking their tea. It was actually basically one of the monks. And after all, there's only a couple of letters uh difference between a monk and a monkey. So there it was enjoying life in the monastery. But you know, it was very protective and you know, the sometimes the monks loved that little monkey and you know, it would just feed it and had good fun with it. But the monkey was very protective and one of the things it would do would be to chase any cars which came outside if they were making too much noise cuz it it liked being in a peaceful place. It realized this was a forest monastery and the monks wanted to be quiet. So unfortunately, one day it chased the a truck and fell under the wheels and got killed. And that was the end of that monkey in that life. But the head monk, who's I won't say who it is, but he's actually been here, he sat in this seat here and given talks some years ago. He had a very good meditator and he told everybody what happened. Cuz he had been meditating, he could see what happened, you know, in his meditation. Soon as that monkey died, the stream of consciousness, what some people call the soul, but in Buddhism we call it a stream of consciousness. There is a slight difference. So you don't need to worry too much about that as far as this explanation is concerned. This uh stream of consciousness of the monkey went out of the monkey's body, went into the village where one of the ladies was pregnant. And he saw it actually entering this woman's womb. And he told the monks what had happened, which is how I can tell you. And so because he told the monks that this woman who was pregnant, they saw this this monkey as he entered the womb was going to take rebirth as a human being. Why that would happen is because that monkey was associating so much with human beings. Basically, it thought it was a human being. It thought that's where it belonged. That's why it's attracted into a human life. Many times, if you have animals, pets, dogs, cats, kittens, whatever, because, you know, you're with them all the time. How many of you have got cats and dogs which actually eat human food? They would refuse to eat Whiskas. They want sort of chicken or whatever you eat. And you give it to them, don't you? And they're so associated with you that they very often they get reborn as a human being. That's what they really think they are. So, he got reborn as a as a human being, a little boy. And when I first heard of that, the baby hadn't been born yet. And all the monks were waiting to see cuz this was a local village. So, you know, you go and ask around over there. These were your local people. So, they would actually they knew exactly what was happening and they would actually see this woman. And they told me that as soon as that baby was born, they noticed an interesting thing. That baby was exceptionally hairy for a baby boy. It was a monkey before and it still had a tiny bit of that monkey character. And of course, you know, probably was a little monkey when it grew up. And it was actually true cuz I knew that came from a monkey before.
- The monk in the front seat of the busStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Thais believe a monk's good karma protects those behind him, so monks are seated at the front of buses. Travelling from Chonburi to Bangkok, the young Ajahn Brahm is waved on…
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this happened once accurate story I was traveling from chury to Bangkok not a long distance only 2 hours thank goodness cuz as soon as I got in this big bus the bus driver smiled he didn't want to take any money he just put me right in the front seat about that far from the wind screen because there was a movie on that bus which he really wanted to to watch but he was scared of crashes so he always had to pay attention to the road now I was there taking care of crashes he could watch the movie as much as he wanted and I was watching all these big trucks and cars just hurtling towards our buz as was going over the road to the other side fortunately we survived so it's obviously it was true but I tried that once when I was flying in tight Airways I was in economy class and I told the flight attendant you know sometimes uh aircraft crash into mountains so why don't you put me up front and then I can protect everyone behind because you know up front is first class on his business I thought it was a very strong argument but they wouldn't accept it so so I had to stay in economy
- The monk who thanked his accusers for jailStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A senior Thai monk, next in line to become Sangharaja, is framed by a jealous rival with spliced tape recordings that make him seem a communist, and jailed. He blames no one —…
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This was a Thai monk a long time ago "Thepsidimoon" his name was. He was number two in the hierarchy. Because in Thailand they organize; I don't really agree with that. Organizing into leaders of monasteries, leaders of districts, leaders of provinces then the Head Monk of Thailand; they call him the Sangharaja, the king of the Sangha just like in Sri Lanka they have Maha Nayakas as well. But this was the head of the whole monastic community of Thailand. Why anybody would want to be that leader is crazy.. but you know what it's like pride and jealousy. People always want to be the top. So anyway, he was a really good monk; he was number two in line he didn't really care. He is one of these really good ones. But the number three was very, very jealous and wanted to be the number one. But number two was in the way. So you know what he did... This was many many many years ago when many countries were afraid of communism. And at that time in Thailand it was against the law to be a communist. Just like the United States-- The reds under the beds scares. So, this monk, just like me gives many many talks. Many of them were recorded; and you take a statement here and add it to a statement there and put a statement in between mix it all up; and you can prove anything. With all the stuff which I have taught; if you sparse a statement here, and sparse a statement there you'd think that I am a some sort of ... even this evening, that I am a follower of Kim Jong-un. You can do anything if you have got those bad ideas in your head. So this person, number three inline accused number two of being a communist. And it stuck ... And this monk was put in jail. Number two was got rid of by putting in jail for three years. But what happened next; be very careful of Buddhist monks curses. Actually didn't curse but it's Kamma. The head monk, the number one did die. Number three got promoted to be the Head Monk of Thailand. And one day... because he was a senior monk, he would go everywhere with Police escort. Police car in front, Police car behind he was in a very nice car. And a car on the opposite side of the road loss control went over the median strip and crashed into the Head Monk's car and killed him instantly. No one else was even injured, Just one monk was killed. And everybody thought ' this must be kamma'. Why was one monk killed and no one else? They thought that Head Monk must have done something very bad. And they looked and saw his past and that's what they saw. They looked at the evidence and they realised; that monk has been setup and put in jail for something he never did. So they released him, they gave him full pardon, turned over his conviction. Was he upset? Was he angry? Did he ask for compensation? No way, he said, This was the best three years of my life. It was like being on retreat. I never had to answer anybody's questions, about their marriage, about their jobs, about their children, about their health, about all the stuff which I have to talk about all the time. Didn't have to talk about anything like that, didn't have to give any talks could read any books he likes, meditating, rest and it's the best years of his life, he said. Now that is a monk! And he said also, really, really thankfully he said because if I hadn't been in jail I would have probably got that top job now somebody else had got that after me. So I am free.
- The razor wheel in hell (Borobudur)Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Shown a Borobudur carving, Ajahn Brahm tells of a man who pushed over his mother and, out of guilt, is reborn in hell, where a razor wheel cutting another man's head passes to…
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it was an old Buddhist story of a guy who had actually pretty good guy but he did one bad act he pushed over his mother and she injured herself and of course he felt so guilty about that that when he died he got born in this hell realm and he he went down to meet this guy you in this terrible realm and he saw this fellow you know having his head cut with a razor wheel you know just cutting into his head continuously you know obviously without him dying and he's in great pain but this guy said at last you've come because when I got this wheel it was 600 years ago cuz I hurt my mother and I was told that in 600 years time another guy will come cuz he also hurt his mom and when he comes the wheel will leave my head and I'll be free of this torture and it will go into this other guy's head and here you are here's a wheel so the wheel left this other guy and the guy sort of know vanished from this torture and he went into this new guy's head and he was cutting his head in an incredible Agony but this fellow this new guy he had thoughts of kindness of compassion and he said I'm going to take this wheel not for 600 years but for 3,000 years so the next four or five guys don't have to bear this I'll take their punishment for them and that kind thought the wheel shattered and he was taken away from this hell realm and reborn in the heaven realm Just one thought of kindness and compassion did that
- The river and its banksAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Q&A simile for what carries karma between lives: crossing the Swan River each Friday it looks the same, but it's always different water; the banks guide the flow — that's like…
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It's like a river. You look at the river Swan, you know, just going over that bridge today again. Coming here from Serpentine. As you go over that bridge, it always looks the same. every week, every Friday. But of course, it's always different water flowing in that river. But the banks are always pretty much the same. It's like the banks what guides that flow of water. That's almost like a karma. It channels it can go this way, not another way. But the water is, you know, your five aggregates and you know what you take as your body and mind that is always flowing, never the same today as it was last week. probably hardly even a molecule of water in there today which was there last week when I came over it last time but nevertheless it looks the same because it's channeled in that direction but of every now and again there's a flood or a drought or the government decides to make another channel somewhere with big bulldozers so that karma is not permanent also sometimes that is also changed adjusted
- The two mangoesAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Simile for rebirth: you eat a mango, plant its seed, tend the sapling, and years later the tree gives a new mango. The two are connected by cause and effect, yet share no…
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the best simile which I have manag to concoct is the SYM of the the two mangoes so imagine a mango when you eat it today don't about you but I like mangoes we use many mangoes in simes in Buddhism I don't know why maybe it says something about my cravings and desires but nevertheless imagine a mango and you eat it and enjoy it and you take the seed and you put it in your garden and you water that mango and after a while the mango germinates and a sh comes out and you look after that little sapling and it grow go into a nice tree and eventually the tree flowers and you have another mango now we know that those two mangoes the one you ate years ago and its descendant on the tree from which it grew they are connected there they're connected but it's also totally different from the first mango to the second mango if you compare those two mangoes the one you ate and the the new one from the seed there's probably not even the the same DNA in there there's always mutations you know from from time to time certainly there's no of even molecules which are in the new mango that were there in the old mango so it's a totally different mango but nevertheless you can see a connection a cause and effect process so in other words at any moment in time you can find the link between where say that sapling came from and you know where that sapling is going to and you have this whole chain this connected chain of links from the first mango and the seed inside of it to the new mango and the new tree and this actually this chain of events this cause and effect process is how even the Buddha described this life and also that that incredible time where we go over the horizon from this life into what's beyond into a new life but first of all just working on that simile of the mango you can see if the mango which you ate before was very sweet and juicy it's very likely the new mango will be juicy if the mango you ate was Sour it's very likely the new mango will be sour there has been some tender Tendencies which have gone across from one manga to its descendants and it's that tendency what we call the inclinations this is actually what we always say goes across from life to life the thing in itself there's no connection there's no there's no sameness there but there is this connection this cause and effect process which carries with it the Tendencies the character traits our inclinations which we bu up in this life
- Two cakes: karma as ingredientsAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Simile (from Opening the Door of Your Heart): one person bakes a cake with mouldy old flour, cheap sugar and butter and an old kitchen; another has organic gluten-free flour,…
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the best simile I've got two people baking a cake the first person baking the cake has got the very worst ingredients they got white flour which is so old it's got green moldy bits in it I remember flower like that when I was a student we couldn't afford anything so you know we'd have to take the green bits out and use the other bits white moldy flower uh diabetically enhanced sugar cholesterol enhanced butter and whatever fruit you can get you know to put in there and just an old kitchen to actually to cook it in the very worst ingredients but the second person has got the very best ingredients organically grown whole wheat flour gluten free if sown in a field where there has to be no genetically modified crops for a thousand kilometers surrounding a free range wheat that is I don't know what I'm talking about I sometimes read this on the stuff which I see and I don't know what it means but anyway and canola oil which is people I'm not sure if it's just true or not it's supposed to be cholesterol free beautiful honey from Western Australia and fresh fruit from their back Garden and the very best of ingredients and the most modern kitchen to cook it in so those are the two people who bakes the best cake and this is actually where you understand what karma is who makes the best cake it's not always the person with the best ingredients it's not always that you go to Asia Penang where'd you get the best food in the restaurants in the streets yeah the Hawkers they can't afford the best ingredients or the best kitchen but that the competition is so cutthroat that they have to make the best to survive they have to put so much more effort energy love and skill into their cooking they have to otherwise they won't survive and that's why they're cooking is much more delicious now that is like you know what the law of karma it's not just the ingredients you have to work with the most important part of calm is what you're doing with those ingredients how you put them together
- Why did I get shot?Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A man drafted into the Thai army, wounded in a border skirmish, comes to Ajahn Chah asking what bad karma caused it — did he kill someone in a past life, mistreat his parents?…
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To understand that part I'm going to digress now onto the story of the soldier. This is a powerful story which happened when I was a young monk in Thailand where I got a lot of my stories and understanding from. A young man was drafted into the Thai Army and he was wounded in a battle on the border. Even though there was not supposed to be any battles going on, there were still struggles in the border, both the Burmese border, the Laotian border, the Cambodian border which wasn't being reported for diplomatic reasons, but there was still firefights went on. He was wounded and so he had to leave the army and he came to see his teacher Ajahn Chah, with his arm bandaged and he said “oh I just had really really bad kamma because I got wounded in the battle, why did it happen to me?”, and Ajahn Chah looked at him and said, “what do you mean, why did it happen to you? You're a soldier! That's what happens to soldiers - you shoot bullets at other people, you can expect other people to shoot bullets at you, and some of those bullets would hit
- Why some are born intelligentStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: From a sutta: a man asks the Buddha what karma makes people wealthy, then what makes them beautiful or ugly (Ajahn Brahm breaks off to explain why he now stares at the carpet…
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And there they tell the story of this man who came up to the Buddha and asked him like a question on karma. He was saying, you know, I've noticed in this world, some people are just born wealthy, and they managed to maintain that wealth and increase it. Now other people are born poor, and sometimes they get wealthy, but you know, there are some people, they're poor, they work really hard, and they try very hard and they work just all hours of the night and still, it's just so hard to make ends meet. Why can't you be wealthy? While other people they seem to work much less than you, they just got the gift of making money. It must be some karma from a past life that we're born poor in this life. So he asked, What do I have to do in this life? What karma do I have to make in this life to be rich in my next life?" That's a fair enough question. so the Buddha gave him an answer. He was so happy with it. He asked the second question, he said, I've also noticed that sometimes people are very beautiful, while other people are ugly. And you may notice when I mentioned the word "ugly", I stared at the carpet. And the reason for this, the reason for this is I told this story in Singapore once. And I just, I just happened to be looking at a certain woman when I mentioned the word "ugly". Oh, my goodness, did she complain. She said, "Why did you mention the word ugly when you're looking at me?" It's even worse, if I've mentioned the word "beautiful" when I'm looking at someone, they get the wrong idea. (laughter) So anyway, he, the Buddha explained the cause for beauty and ugliness in your next life. But then the killer question, why are some people intelligent, and other people they just have such a hard time at school and university. You've been with some people, they hardly do any of the homework, they just float through school, they get the prizes, and they go to universities, they get double first. You know, for the rest of us. It's just so hard just now just getting the TEE passed. He said, "Why is it? What's the karmic reason why people are born intelligent, and other people aren't intelligent? What's the karmic cause?" And the Buddha said, and this was a beautiful answer. "The karmic reason for stupidity in your next life is not asking questions in this life."