Stories about metaphor
6 Buddhist wisdom stories about metaphor from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- Everyone has invisible spikesAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Analogy: everyone grows invisible spikes. Some people enter a room and scratch everyone; most have average-length spikes that hurt only up close; a few have almost none — you…
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invisible spikes I forget where I learned this story it's a very beautiful image everyone has got spikes coming out of them invisible spikes some people their spikes are so long and so sharp they come into this room and everyone feels uncomfortable you get scratched you feel real you don't want to be around such people most people have got average leg spikes yeah you can be sitting next to them it's fine but you get too close and you get scratched but most some people have only got small amounts of spikes yeah you know you can be friendly to one another but you get too close and no you get scratched you know even in relationships you know your spikes are very very withdrawn but you get too close and there were some people who've got no spikes at all if you ever meet there wow they're amazing people you feel so safe they will never criticize you or harm you no matter how close or stupid you get
- How heavy is the glass?Analogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Brahm's own analogy (he laughs hearing someone else quote it): how heavy is the glass? The longer you hold it the heavier it feels — minutes to pain, agony, hospital. When it…
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how heavy is the glass and i was laughing my head off when she was saying this because i i made that this story up how heavy is the glass the longer you hold it the heavier it feels if you hold it for two or three minutes you'll be in pain four minutes should be in agony five minutes you'll be in a hospital case and really stupid what do you do when it starts getting too heavy to hold comfortably you put it down
- Looking for matches by candlelightAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Analogy: a man has rice, water and wood but hunts for matches — by the light of a candle already burning in his hand. If he knew what fire was, dinner would be ready.
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cooking his rice in the evening for dinner. He had the rice and water in the pot. He had the the wood underneath the pot, [snorts] but he couldn't find the matches to light the wood. He was looking for the matches. Where did I put the matches? You know what he was looking for the matches with? With a candle. Where's the matches? I can't find the matches. If he only knew what fire was
- One empty room for emptinessAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Analogy: why put a picture on every wall and a pot-plant in every corner? Keep one room in the house deliberately empty — a fashion statement for emptiness and freedom — and…
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it's my empty room well put something in it no it's for emptiness for freedom and now we can store stuff in it no it's empty that will be pretty radical to have one room which has nothing in it just for the sake of emptiness
- The tadpole who studied waterAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Analogy: intelligent tadpole goes to school and university and even becomes a nun studying the chemical composition of water — while already swimming in it.
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little tadpole and she was born in this wonderful lake she was a very intelligent tadpole and she went to school and she went to university and she even became a nun this little tadpole and at university she learned all about water now this chemical composition or what it does and when she was an Angie even studied the abbe de mer on water what its nature was but even the socio is one of the highly most intelligent tadpoles in the whole lake and she had a PhD in hydraulics could the little tadpole understand what water really was no more than a fish could understand what water is
- Time your anger — try to beat your recordAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A teacher tells someone who always gets angry: next time, put a clock in front of you and see how long you can stay angry — try to beat your record. Destigmatising the anger and…
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see how long you can be angry for see if you can beat your record and straight away what it was actually doing it was actually destigmatizing anger and straight away such a stupid thing to do put a clock out there and see how long you can be angry for it can't be angry very long