Stories about patience
22 Buddhist wisdom stories about patience from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- Ajahn MosquitoStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: As a young monk, Ajahn Brahm finds the mosquitoes intolerable and asks for repellent, coils and screens — surely the monastery can afford them. Ajahn Chah says no: from now on…
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the mosquitoes will irritate you so much And it was worse for the Western monks We used to get bitten maybe 10 or 20 times as much as the Thai monks did I didn't understand First I thought what it was Now Look; if you were in Thailand you are lucky because you got hair on your head Actually what we are supposed to in Thailand, it's so hot we have the bare shoulder So literally we had more seats at the dinner table for the mosquitoes They can get on you because you had more exposed skin And number two: it was the very first time in Thailand that there were westerners in that area. I went to many villages and I was the first westerner, the first white man they have seen in the village. Let alone a monk. So that was the same with the mosquitoes That was the first time they had western food in that area of Thailand You know what it is alike a new Chinese Restaurant a new Lebanese Restaurant people love to taste it First of all it's like a specialty, a rarity, a novelty So all those mosquitoes were going around and telling their mates Hey there's western food in this monastery 'come on taste it, it's a novelty' So we got bitten to death. And we complained to Ajahn Chah Look can't we get some repellent, can't we get some mosquito coils Can't we get some mosquito nets? Help us! Look, we are getting bitten to death And Ajahn Chah told us 'from now on you call those mosquitoes--Ajahn Mosquitoes They are now going to be your teachers not me
- Coffee for “the Dog”Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A prisoner who hates the cruel officer he must serve coffee — the man who deliberately made another inmate miss his wife's rare visit — accepts Ajahn Brahm's challenge to serve…
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The first time, over 20 years ago, when I told this story it was when I was teaching in prison, in Karnet Prison Farm, just down the road from my monastery. We still go there most Fridays. When I was teaching that at Karnet Prison Farm one of the prisoners complained and he said, "That is just new age rubbish. It doesn't work in the real world, especially in a prison. Prisons are tough places. If you've got a difficult person you've got to stand up for yourself. That's the only language they understand." Of course, I wasn't having any of that. I said, "I don't believe you." He said, "You don't live in prison." I said, "Monastery we have cells, we have wall around." Actually, they don't have a wall around Karnet but we have a wall around our monastery. Sometimes people, in the early years, they'd actually drive all the way to Karnet Prison Farm and ask where are the monks. [laughter] It was very embarrassing. Luckily, there weren't any monks in it. But anyway, I challenged this guy, I said, "Okay, in this prison, who is the most difficult person you have to deal with?" The prisoner I challenged was with a number of other prisoners. He said, "The chief officer. The chief officer, my job is to serve him tea and coffee every day. That's my job in prison. I hate that guy. He's always really nasty." He told me a story which happened a week before. One of the prisoners in Karnet, he hardly ever had a visit from his family because it's such a hard place to get to. There's no public transport and if you're poor and haven't got a car you have to find a friend who can actually take you all that way. It's a difficult place to get to. He said this man's wife had managed to get a lift to come and see him, but before you can go and see your relations in prison you have to check in, say your name, go through all the security stuff. The chief officer had seen this woman checking in and knew that she had come to see this prisoner and decided to be cruel to the prisoner. On the PA system he said so-and-so, I've got a job for you on the other side of Karnet Prison Farm and sent him to a place where the PA system didn't reach. It's a huge prison farm. He did it on purpose because as soon as his wife had checked in the PA system announced prisoner so-and-so, your wife is here, please go to the visitor's area, but he couldn't hear it from where he'd been sent. The message was repeated two or three times. There was a search to try and find him. They did find him. By the time they found him and he came back visiting hours are over. Better luck next time. He said, "The chief officer did this on purpose with no reason other than spite and trying to give the prisoners a harder time than they deserved. That's why, in that time in prison, he was called a dog." I said, "You hate him?" He said, "Yes. Really big time. He's so difficult. He never respects us, never says anything to us. He always puts us down and treats us like dirt." I said, "Great. This is a challenge. You meet him every day serving tea and coffee. Be kind to him. Don't embrace him with your arms, you'll get in trouble that way, but at least you can embrace him with your heart." I said, "How you can do that is every time you serve a cup of tea or coffee try and put some love and care into that tea or coffee. Try and make it the most beautiful, delicious cup of coffee you possibly can make. Find out what he likes and be kind. Get lots of love and compassion whenever you serve him tea and coffee." So all credit to this prisoner, he tried it, for a week. When I came back after one week, "How is it going?" He said, "It's a complete waste of time. I'm really trying hard to be kind to this guy but every time, even if I put lots of effort into making a nice cup of tea and coffee, he completely ignores me as if I don't exist, as if I'm lower than a cockroach. He even says to the cockroach get out of here, but not me." So I told him, "Carry on." It was about, I'm not sure how long, maybe a couple of months, I had to encourage him and force him to do this, before we got what I call the big breakthrough. One day I actually came to visit and he couldn't wait to tell me this. He said, he'd made this prison officer a beautiful cup of coffee with cream or whatever he found, just the type he thought the prison officer liked, and managed to find him some biscuits which he noticed the prison officer liked, and he said, "Here you are sir, have this coffee, and I've found some special biscuits which I know you like," and the prison officer said, "Er." He grunted. That was our breakthrough. [laughter] It was the first time he acknowledged that this prisoner actually lived and existed and breathed. That grunt, I said, "Wow, this is exciting!" That is the crack in the dam wall. I was right. It was only about two or three weeks later the prisoner managed to find a special cup of tea, a sandwich or whatever, handed it to this prison officer, the chief officer, who was a dog, and the chief officer turned around and said, "Thank you." All the other prisoners were telling me this and they were all looking at me and they said, "You don't realize just how the prison grapevine works. That has gone to every prison in the state." That this chief officer could say thank you to a prisoner was unbelievable. I won the challenge. I knew I'd win eventually. Even such a dog you can change into a cuddly little puppy with lots and lots and lots of kindness.
- Don't hold back a spooked buffaloAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: In 1970s Thai villages the water buffalo were docile family members — until spooked: head up, snorting, then running in any direction. One day a farmer passing the monastery…
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I was writing this story, a couple of days ago, you know water buffalo in thailand? They don't really have that many water buffalo left, because now they've got tractors. But in the old days, this is 40 years ago, when I first became a monk. Now, the water buffalo would be under the house of every villager. It was part of the family and they would use those water buffalo to plough the fields. And their excrement was the fertilizer they used for the fields. It was a very naturally and environmentally friendly way of farming. And those water buffalo was some of the most docile beings you could ever imagine. During the hot days of the hot season, you have seen the little kids falling asleep on the back of these water buffalo while they were grazing. So safe, except a few times a water buffalo got spooked. And I saw that a few times. When a water buffalo got frightened, they'd lift their head up, high. Instead of always being, know, looking at the grass. And they lift their head up high and they'd snored and the next thing they do is run. In any direction. Now, when they started running, they are very, very dangerous. You had to get out of the way. And sometimes people where caught by the water buffalo running, because water buffalo didn't know what they were doing and they were just panicking. And one day this farmer, was taking his water buffalo passed the monastery where we living. And the water buffalo saw something in the forest, which spooked him and was about to run away. Lifted up his head and started snorting. The farmer realized what was gone happen so he actually got hold to the little rope, which was tied loosely about the water buffalos neck to try and restrain it. A stupid thing to do. Cause the water buffalo run of. The string tied itself around the mans finger and took the finger off, with it. And we saw that, because this poor guy came into the monastery with the half of finger with blood all over his hand. And the top of the flesh of the finger would came off. And of course, we took him to the hospital to get patched up. He was fine, it is actually very easy to scratch his head after that. With a stump. You know, it just very painful, very unpleasant to look at, but he was fine. We often use that simile. What a stupid thing it is to try and hold back a water buffalo. Let it go. It is gone be stronger than you. So please let it go, otherwise it takes off your finger, metaphorically. If you just let it go, the water buffalo only goes a little way. And it calms down.
- I'll explain patience tomorrowJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: At a China retreat someone asks him to explain the importance of patience. He says he will let them know tomorrow.
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one of the questions that the retreat in China have a couple of days ago people can't one of the questions they asked can you please explain the importance of patience I said well well I'll let you know tomorrow
- I'll only go to work on FridaysAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A man works hard Monday to Thursday with no paycheque, thinks of quitting, is forced in by his wife, then gets paid on Friday and decides to work only on Fridays thereafter — not…
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I remember this fellow who went to work on a Monday morning, he worked so hard all day and at the end of the day - didn't get paid. He went to work on Tuesday, worked all day, worked really hard, he said he got nothing for his effort. On Wednesday he thought what's the point of going to work but his wife forced him to go, so went to work on Wednesday, worked hard - still got nothing. Thursday, well nothing much to do, so he went to work on Thursday as well, and on Friday he thought what’s the point going to work but end of the week, nothing better to do, so he went to work, and on a Friday his boss gave him a cheque, and he thought well from now on I'm only going to go to work on Fridays. [laughter] And of course you don't realize that the Friday cheque is accumulating all that you've done before, all of your good kamma which you've done before, that's actually how kamma works.
- Nick's kindness cracked the 'dog'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Prisoner Nick at Karnet serves a hated senior officer who ignores him. Brahm challenges him to put love into tea and biscuits for months. Breakthrough: special coffee gets a…
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senior prison officer and Nick's job was actually to serve him some tea and coffee or just look after his office, clean it up and stuff. And he said he really tried to be kind to this what they call "dog" of a prison officer that's what he called him, this "dog". But this prison officer would not even acknowledge his existence. And so we had this test, competition, and of course you know who won the competition because otherwise I wouldn't tell you in the story... But anyway this... I asked him “look, when you get him a cup of tea or a coffee, get him some biscuits or sandwiches or anything you can rustle up and really put some love into that tea or coffee you're giving this man”. "It won't work" "oh come on, you know me, I've known you for a long time, just give it a try". So every week I'd go there to teach and I would ask him "how's it going?" “Hopeless. I really go that extra effort for him to make the tea how he likes it and gave him something he likes to eat but I just put it in front of him "got some nice sandwich here for you sir" he doesn't even say anything, he just totally ignores me. It's like he doesn't even see me, like I don't exist”. "Carry on." I remember the time, it was a long time, about three months if I remember correctly, when we got our breakthrough [chuckles] and the breakthrough was he got some sort of special coffee from somewhere and just gave it to the prison officer “Here you are sir, I've got some really nice coffee for you today sir. I got it from somewhere or other. I hope you'll like it.” And the prison officer didn't look at him but just said "uhh". [laughter] Just grunted. And that grunt was amazing, You know, he actually acknowledged a prisoner. And I said that this is it, the wall is cracked, carry-on, won't take long. And it didn't, about another month and he got some biscuits, some special biscuits, you know, which the prison officer likes and he gave... “I got some really nice biscuits for you here today so I hope you like them” and the prison officer turned around and said "thank you" to the prisoner
- Sit still under the mango treeAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Ajahn Chah's simile, taught in a monastery that was a mango orchard: the only way to get the mangoes is to sit perfectly still under the tree and hold out your hand, and a mango…
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I'm going to finish off with one of Ajahn Chah's profound stories which I usually only give at retreats but now I think it's good time to share it here I was telling this in Thailand many people, they have read books by Ajah Chah but this is not in any of those books. The great teacher was telling me how to meditate and get enlightened. How to be at peace with myself, how to be free And this is the essence of the talk which I have just being giving about no authority. One of the reasons why Buddhism is growing in our modern world. He said when I first went to his monastery about 38 years ago now. He said his monastery in this forest in the middle of the Northeast of Thailand; he said his forest was a mango orchard. He said those mango trees were planted by the Buddha himself. He said those mango trees are now mature; and there’re thousands of ripe juicy sweet mangoes hanging off the branches and twigs of all those trees. He said, "you monks, nuns, men and women in these days; you don't need to climb the tree to get a mango you don't need to shake the tree, you don't even need to throw a stick up at the tree to get a mango All you need to do to get a mango is just to hold out your hand, open our palm and a mango will fall into it". When I heard that I thought that's absolutely stupid and crazy. I have known mango trees; if I sat under a mango tree with my hand open way before, it would probably be hours before a mango fell anyway, if it did fell; knowing my luck it would fall on my head. (laughter) Never in my hand. But that was Ajahn Chah's simile. You know what he meant now.. Stop shaking the Mango Tree. Stop trying to control your partner. Stop trying to climb the tree of life. Sit underneath it, Open the door of your heart to the beautiful peace and happiness freedom whatever you want in life will just fall into it
- Sixty pilgrims' photographs and a near-missed flightStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Changing flights at Singapore airport, Ajahn Brahm is recognised by 60 or 70 Indonesians returning from pilgrimage in India. Group photos, individual photos, family photos — it…
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This was at the airport in Singapore. I was going from one terminal to one a flight to another flight connecting flight and all these Indonesians they just come back from going on pilgrimage uh in India and they recognize me Ajan Brah said yeah oh it's not so lucky to meet you can we take photograph of you of course I don't mind but there was about 60 or 70 of them and they had to have the group photograph individual photographs photographs with their close close family. It was taking forever and that's the only time the only time when I had a collecting a connecting flight and when I got to the gate they were calling out my name. Mr. Brahma Wango, your flight is about to leave. Come quickly. I almost missed my flight because of that. So I tried to stop the problem and the reason I tried to stop the problem I actually the way I started to uh stop the problem I was telling people that when I went to that big monument in central Java Bora Pador there were signs there saying please don't take photographs of the great monument B pador and I said ask Why? Actually, the flashes of the cameras was degrading the stone, was destroying the monument. It's proved scientifically. And I said, "Well, look at me. I'm degrading fast." So, they thought that was very funny. So, they took more photographs.
- Surrounded in Burma: “Sit down and make a cup of tea”Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: An older fellow teacher tells young Ajahn Brahm how, as a frightened WWII conscript in Burma, his patrol was surrounded by Japanese troops; he wanted to fight out heroically, but…
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It was a story of the guy who was a soldier in Burma during the 2WW. This was a fellow school teacher in the one year I was a school teacher. This guy told me this story is very old about to retire. Because he had been drafted into the British Army during the Second World War and sent to Burma to fight Japanese and he wasn't a military man, he was like just a schoolteacher. Everybody had to join up in those days. So he found himself fighting a war in a foreign country which he didn't really understand with real bullets and he was very very afraid and what happened one day he told me that his fear got reached its peak. When he was out on patrol in the jungles with a small group of fellow British soldiers. And the captain or other Scout came back to tell them the news that they had stumbled into a huge number of Japanese troops. They were vastly outnumbered and now they were surrounded and there was no way out. He thought he was going to die. This was war, surrounded by the enemy, outnumbered, about to die. Now those of you have ever known people who've fought in wars or battles you will know from the tales of soldiers that no one ever knows who's going to be the hero and who's going to be the coward. These big strong guys sometimes in those terrible situations they just fall apart where these little guys you know you never think will be the hero stand out for the occasion and they become tall they're the heroes and this was this guy he said he had all this great heroism coming through his system, he decided to be the hero. He told the captain ''let's fight our way out''. the chances of anyone surviving, a zero but who knows sometimes you know somebody might survive, they certainly survive in the movies but against all the odd. Who knows? And anyway, even if we do all die we take some the enemy with us into death. That's the heroic thing to do that's what real men do. So he wanted to fight his way out. But his captain said no, we will not fight our way out. That's an order. and they had to follow that order instead said the captain I order you to all sit down and make a cup of tea and I often say at this point. It was the British army after all. And he couldn't believe this order ‘make a cup of tea ‘ when we're surrounded by Japanese troops at war, outnumbered, about to die. How could you think of having a cup of tea but an order was an order they had to follow it, he thought this was the craziest thing he'd ever done in his whole life. It was to save his life because what happened by the time even before they'd made their cup of tea the Scout came back whispers something in in the captain’s ear and the captain got all the troops together and said the Scout has said the enemy has moved there is a way through, put your stuff away quickly we can crawl through this gap and all escape and of course they all did. Which is why he could tell the story and he said he'd owe his life not just once but many times the wisdom of that captain when there's nothing to do when you're surrounded and about to die what should you do? Sit down and have a cup of tea, if you prefer coffee, coffee will do. I don't care, sit down and enjoy some honey because you know that things change the surrounding army never stays still they move and when they move if you have a scout called mindfulness awareness it will see gaps in the surrounding forces it will see a way through which wasn't there before, a way to escape. And if you've waited you'll find that gap and you will escape. The trouble with most people when surrounded by the enemy about to die when things are really going wrong. we just lose it, we get upset, we get angry, we get depressed. We don't know how to have a cup of tea and enjoy ourselves just before we're about to die and then we find we don't die. We enjoy ourselves, we wait situation changes and then we can make our move and escape with our life he said later on he had cancer, terminal cancer. He thought he was about to die, he remembered that story about when he was a soldier surrounded by the enemy, no hope by these tumors or whatever else he had. He didn't tell me what cancer it was and what did he do. Just relax and had a cup of tea and didn’t worry about anything. That's what he learnt in the jungles of Burma. Maybe because he didn't worry because he had tea and I know that tea has lots of T cells and T cells are supposed to (inaudible) you know it’s tea and T- cells. Okay, I'm not a doctor or medicine man. (Laughter) Why, the doctors are going crazy but no, he had a cup of tea just relaxed because he didn't worry the cancer vanished he saved his life he found a way through.
- The 18-hour flight delayStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Ajahn Brahm's flight to Indonesia is delayed 18 hours; he thanks the desk and goes back to the monastery, while the passengers behind him thump the counter — which does not make…
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And just was it in January, when I was going off to Indonesia to give a series of talks I got to Perth airport and found that the Garuda flight was cancelled. It was actually delayed by about 18 hours. And I was a monk so I just went up to the counter and said, "Oh is it delayed? When is it going to leave? 18 hours. Okay, thank you very much," and I sort-of called the monastery and got a lift back to the monastery. But the people behind me they were thumping the counter - "You can't do this to us! I've got all of these arrangements and plans!" I had arrangements and plans as well - thousands of people were waiting to listen to my talks. But I couldn't do anything about it. And you know all that anger and all that thumping and all that shouting.. it didn't make the plane leave earlier. It didn't do anything good at all except making people upset. Themselves upset, and other people upset.
- The boy who stretched his seedlingsStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: One of Ajahn Brahm's first meditation teachers recalls planting seeds with his father at five or six. After three days with nothing showing he complains; his father explains the…
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there's a story of one of my first meditation teachers in Thailand he told me I usually tell this on the meditation Retreats not usually on a Friday night he told me when I was starting out my meditation career that when he was a young boy in Thailand that his father gave him some seeds to grow in the garden he was only about five six years of age and this was the first time he grew anything so this little five or six put his little seeds with the help of his father underneath the ground underneath the soil and he would water them every day after 3 or 4 days he saw no result said where are my plants where my flowers is three days now can't see anything his father had to tell him that when you have seeds when the water gets to them they germinate they split the seed a little green shoe comes out it's probably under the ground right now pushing its way to the surface just wait for a little while and you'll see a shoot be patient and he took his father's advice and fortunately at the end of two days a tiny green shoot was appearing above the Earth so so he decided to water those flowers two times a day he was getting excited and those flowers grew grew grew until about 2 in high and that's when he lost his patience he decided to stretch them to make them grow faster and he killed every one of them but he learned a wonderful lesson you can't stretch nature nature takes its time to grow
- The cold stone benchAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A simile he made up: on life's journey you come to a rough, cold, lumpy stone bench, the only place to stop. It's uncomfortable at first, but the longer you sit the warmer it…
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a Sim which I made up is like on life we're always moving always going on to the next thing and sometimes it's because we got no place to stop so sometimes on the Journey of your life you find this old rough Cold Stone bench it's not even even it's all lumpy and it's cold and it's really hard but it's the only place you have so you stop your journey and you sit down on it for a few seconds and it's not comfortable when you first stop but on that stone bench the longer you sit on it the warmer and more comfortable it becomes soon the cold has disappeared and it's quite warm next the bumps disappear so it's very even next it's not hard anymore it becomes soft like a big cushion like a sofa and soon it becomes the most comfortable place you could ever sit the hard bench transforms into something so comfortable and so wonderful
- The emperor's three questionsStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Ajahn Brahm summarises the short story (by Tolstoy) that changed his life: an emperor, fed up with organised religion, decides he needs only the answers to three questions — When…
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There was an emperor who was fed up with organised religions, none of it made sense to him. And all the people teaching those religions were so hypocritical. They told him to do things they didn't do themselves. So he rejected organised religions. And being an emperor, he thought "Why don't I find my own religion?" So, he got the wise people, the impressive people, he talked with them, investigated, and he finally came down to his three questions, thinking, "If only I could find the answer to these three questions, I'd have all the religion and spirituality which I needed in my life." And the three questions were, "When is the most important time? Who is the most important person? And the what is the most important thing to do?" The when, the who, the what. Now I know that many of you have heard this story before, but there are many people who haven't heard this story before. And those who haven't heard this story before, I want you to think about those three questions and what you think the answers are. If you've heard the story before, please don't spoil my fun, be quiet. Because there's a point to this. So, those were the emperor's three questions. He eventually found the answers in an unexpected source. But what are the answers? When is the most important time? Christmas time? Vesak? Friday evening when you finish work? When is the most important time? Come on. "Now". Correct, exactly. It's the most important time. So when should you say "sorry"? "Now" so turn around and say sorry to your partner for what you've done. When is the most important time to say you love your parents? Now. Please don't wait till tomorrow or this evening. Because you know, what happens? So often it happens the moment passes, you don't have that opportunity, to say how much you care for someone. You find they're dead, or they've gone overseas. Now you may think that's, such a simple and obvious answer. But if you practise that, if you take that on as one of the most important parts of your life, that 'now' really is the most important time. It really is; You'll find that your relationship to others, your relationship to life will totally change. For many people, "now" is not the most important time. We sacrifice too many moments of "now"; getting things out of the way, and then I'll be happy. For many people, "now" is not really important. That's why we get so old and all the things we should have done, we find we haven't done. Now is the most important time But the second question is the best. Who is the most important person? Yeah, can I hear you? Ah you are spoiling it. You've read it before. Most people when I say this, if they haven't heard it before, they all say "themselves", which is a wrong answer. We are in a such a self-centred society. We always think that I am the most important person in the world, which is totally wrong. And the answer, that's what I thought, first of all, because that's what I've been taught, come on, you are important. You make sure, that you get what you want. Your relationship, what satisfies you, your job which you really want What you really deserve in life. You go for it, you go and get it, you're really important. But the answer someone suggested was 'the person you're with'. The one in front of you is the most important person in the world. As soon as I heard that, this is what I mean by wisdom. You understand it. Why didn't I see that before? It is important. So whoever is in front of you, they are the most important person in the world. Give them that importance. And of course, as soon as I point that out, you know what I'm talking about, because how many times have you been talking with your partner and they've been ignoring you. They're not giving you a sense of importance. They are trying to get rid of you. I remember just when I was a student, when I read this story for the first time, Sometimes at the end of a lecture, I got up to the lecturer to ask a question. He wasn't listening to me; he was just trying to get rid of me. I was a small, hairy, insignificant student. He had better things to do. And that was a terrible feeling. That you're asking a question, and the other person was just trying to get rid of you. You weren't important to them. And if that happens to you too many times, you lose all your self-esteem, you get depressed. And you don't need to do that. So ever since I read that, and when I become a monk, one of the core practices, which I really try hard to live by, is even though I may be really tired, and you come up after the talk, and you want to ask a question, you are really important to me. I don't try and get rid of you, even if I'm really tired, because I try and practice; if you're right in front of me and I'm talking to you, you are the most important person in the world. And it's important for that. And there are many times in your life, you're by yourself. And of course, then, who you're with? You're with yourself. And then you're really important. So important that I said here before, whenever I go to bed at night, the last person I say goodnight to is myself. And I say that, "Good night me. Have a great night. See you in the morning." When I wake up in the morning, "Hi, good morning, here I am again. Have a great day me." That's no joke, I do that. I'm not crazy. And that actually is just showing that I'm important to me. Instead of just "No, you're not really important. So just sacrifice yourself, for the company, for your partner, for your kids, for other people." No, don't do that. So when you're by yourself, you are the most important person in the world. When you're with somebody, they're the most important person. And the last question, "What's the most important thing to do?" It's a obvious Buddhist answer, 'is to care', to care for yourself, to care for others.
- The filthy ragStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: In front of the other monks, a monk angrily tells Ajahn Brahm that wiping his bowl with that filthy rag is a filthy habit. Tempted to argue — even to punch him — Ajahn Brahm…
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There's one case this monk of all people got really angry with me in front of other people in the monastery. And this monk and I was actually wiping my bowl with a rag said that's a filthy habit. You shouldn't wash your bowl with a filthy rag like that. Was that impressive? No, not really. Okay. [laughter] I don't usually get angry. But anyway, he was so angry at me and I realized I had a choice. I could get angry back, which was fair. But no, I want to try something else. And I remember just this was done with a lot of willpower. I must admit, I don't usually use willpower, but I really wanted to punch him or something. But instead, instead, I just went over to the rag bag. I changed over and got a proper cloth and started wiping my my bowl. And all the time I could see all the monks gone quiet. They want to find out what happens next. We didn't have TV in monastery. I didn't sort of see anything interesting and this was actually, you know, drama, something happening. So anyway, I went over there and I just uh changed my my bowl lid. They changed the the the rag I was using and then I looked up at him and so did everybody else and he went red in the face, bright red embarrassment and he walked away and he never got angry at me again.
- The husband's photo in her handbagJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Married 30 or 40 years, a woman always carries her husband's photo in her handbag. Whenever life gets really difficult she takes it out, looks at him and says: “If I can endure…
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that um story of that woman who who um always kept a photograph of her husband in her in her purse you know in her s of handbag and they were been married for about 30 40 years and she always carried a photo PHH of her husband around with her to use in times of difficulty and trouble because whenever life was real problem whenever it was just so difficult she would open up her handbag and take out the picture of the man she'd been married to for 30 years and she looked at him and said if I can enure that I can enure anything
- The man paid to irritate everyoneStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: From an early book on spirituality: in Gurdjieff's community in France one man was a pain in the neck to everyone, and members kept asking for him to be let go. After Gurdjieff…
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I do remember one of the early books I read on spirituality was of this teacher called G he was a Russian guy was you know a bit of a guru maybe in the late 50s I think maybe earlier than that and he ran this ashram this spiritual community in France of all places and apparently that when he died they got all his papers together and in his community there was one guy who was really really a pain in the neck to everybody you know a fellow that no one else could really sort of get on with at all and they often ask you know can you let this gu guy go he's causing a lot of problems for everybody it's just so irritating and they found out that everybody else in that Community had to pay no rent or sort of some contribution to the food that was the only guy who was actually paid by GF to be there he was an employee of the place he was paid to be there and irritate people
- The mosquitoes were my teachersStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: As a young monk in Thailand, Ajahn Brahm could not include mosquitoes in his loving-kindness chant; when he finally let one bite him out of kindness, it took advantage and bit…
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Being in Northeast Thailand, we'd always call the mosquitoes "Ajahn mosquito"... [laughter] ...because I learned so much from those damn mosquitoes. [laughs] That's what I thought at the time, those mosquitoes. Because even when we just do loving kindness. For those of you who are Buddhists, you know that we spread love and kindness to all people, all beings, all genders, no matter what you are or who you are. May all beings be happy and well. However, as a young man being a monk in Thailand, I just could not do that. It's impossible. I did the best I can. I used to chant, "May all beings be happy and well, except mosquitoes." [laughter] Ajahn: "May all beings be free from suffering, but not those mosquitoes. They don't deserve, what they've done to me." [laughs] I'm sure that if ever you spread loving kindness, you've also got exceptions. [laughs] But it didn't work well when I had exceptions, so I learned how to learn from those mosquitoes to be kind to them. Sometimes, I was so kind to those mosquitoes I let them bite me. They would land on my hand. I said, "Come on, mosquito, you can bite me. The door of my heart is open to you. It's only a little bit of blood. I know that you need this to have your dinner. And I like my dinner as well, especially as a monk. I know this is your dinner, so have something to eat. Do you know what those mosquitoes did? Sometimes difficult people and difficult beings are like this. They take advantage of you. They put their nose into the skin, and it's irritating. So you just endure that. It's only a few seconds. But these mosquitoes, that was just an exploratory drill. They took their nose out, walked a few steps, and tried somewhere else. [laughter] Ajahn: They were fussy. You have three or four bites just from one mosquito! They were taking advantage of my kindness. [chuckles] That's just the nature of mosquitoes. It doesn't matter. I have plenty of blood, and I learned a lot from that.
- The patient monk's police escortStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Asked what a patient monk does on a four-hour, 220 km drive from Bangkok airport to a retreat, Ajahn Brahm reveals he got a police escort and arrived in two hours — and was…
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what happened to me last week when I went to Thailand to teach a Meditation Retreat this is know how a monke is patient cuz I landed at the airport and it was a 220 km uh ride to the uh Retreat Center I was giving my retreat so it usually takes about 4 hours hours so what does a monk do for 4our Journey I'll tell you what I did I got police escort we we we we only took me 2 hours that's what happens when you're a patient monk you get there faster than anybody it's very fun being a monk having a police escort but I was very disappointed when I came back to Perth where's my police car actually once when I was in Sri Lanka that was given a police escort down the G a very busy road and so you know I had a policeman in front of me in the car with the cers waiting and I was sitting in the back with know a friend who was a driver and the driver's one I think his brother passed him on the other side of the road he didn't realize he was taking a monk to sort of an important engagement and his his brother seeing his uh uh this know the friend seeing his brother behind a police car sort of rang him on his mobile phone are you in trouble do you want a lawy is anything I could do so that's one of the problem troubles if you follow uh if you're following a police car think people think youve broken the law
- The tight bud before it blossomsAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: First year in Perth someone tells him: watch a flower bud — petals press tight inside the protective sheath until catharsis, then it blooms gorgeous. Unpleasant pressure precedes…
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flower, somebody told me the first year I came here to to Perth. So many years ago, 36, 37 years ago now. They said, "Have you ever seen a flower just before it bursts into you know, the blossom, whatever it's called, bursts into flower? It's like a little bud. And if you can watch that bud, it gets you know, in the sheath. It gets so tight. As within that sheath which is supposed to be protecting it, all the little petals, the beautiful fragrant petals inside are growing and growing and growing. And the pressure is building up. In that sense, it must be very unpleasant for that time. But then there comes the point of catharsis and of change and the flower blooms. And it's gorgeous
- The wild horse that kissed the coffinStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Gerald in Hong Kong sent a photo-story: a man tamed a wild horse with only kindness and patience — no hitting or starving — until the horse would greet him with a mouth-kiss.…
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there was a horse which no one could actually tame a wild horse and he decided to give it a try but not training it by hitting it or starving it or punishing it in any which way but just being patient and being kind and of course it took him a long time but after a while this horse you know would allow him to ride on on the horse's back became like an ordinary horse people thought it could never be they used the word broken that's a terrible word to use to break a horse he just used kindness and patience and this horse you know would always you know be this guy's friend would would greet him you know when he would come home from some other business he would greet him by actually putting his mouth on the on the mouth of this owner was actually kissing him but then unfortunately after so many years the owner died and passed away and this guy in hong kong gerald sent this beautiful photograph with the story of when this guy was in the coffin dead the horse came up and kissed his friend kissed the coffin obviously even that horse recognized that this that was his friend i just gave it one last kiss and this is those sorts of stories
- Wait at the crossroads for the busAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Simile from Opening the Door of Your Heart: a decision is like arriving at a crossroads. You don't have to go north, south, east or west — sit down and wait for the bus. Buses…
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In my book “Opening the door of your heart” I said it’s like coming into the crossroads in life. Coz decisions are like crossroads. What should you do? Get married? Become a nun? Sort of go overseas? Kill yourself? I don’t know. But whatever decision you’re about to make, stop for a while, put all the information in Like coming to a crossroads, you sit down. You don’t have to go left, right, north or south. Sit down and wait for the bus. Coz in the crossroad there’s also a bus coming. And most busses have the destination written on the front. And if that’s the place you want to go, then get on that bus. If you don’t want to go to that destination, don’t get on. Coz there’s always another bus coming behind. What that means is that when there is a decision to be made, wait; learn how to put it down. You don’t have to struggle to go north, south, east or west. You can stay still and wait for the solution to arrive. And it does arrive.
- When am I going?Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: At Wat Pah Pong, Ajahn Chah tells the young monk Ajahn Jagaro he is being sent to another monastery ('the banana garden'). Jagaro asks when he's going; Ajahn Chah changes the…
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Agent Chow won't tell me when I'm gonna go. " He kept going there every day to ask him when he could go so that he could actually make arrangements and agent Chow would never tell him. This went on for about two weeks and agent Jack kept on asking, "When am I gonna go? I need to make preparations," and agent Chow would never tell him. Then one day, agent Jackrow never went to ask. And then agent Chow told me, "You're going the next day