Stories about pride
5 Buddhist wisdom stories about pride from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- Father and son who couldn't remember whyStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Blessing a house in Brisbane, Ajahn Brahm learns the father and his eldest son haven't spoken or seen each other for seven years. He has the younger son phone his brother,…
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there is a gentleman who was visiting our monastery in Serpentine and he insisted on taking me to the airport. And the reason was that he was from Brisbane if you are listening ... you are a hero for me and he thinks I am just the Bee's Knees because three years ago I went to his house in Brisbane and a little ceremony part of the job of a monk - bless this, bless that. You name it, I've blessed it. One of the reasons, it just give people a bit of encouragement in their lives. So I went to his house, his youngest son was there but his eldest son was absent. And I asked where is he? And the youngest son said "he hadn't talked.." the father and the son hadn't talked together for seven years. They have't even seen each other for seven years. They have been estranged. That really sort of hurts my heart, I believe hurts your heart. It's called compassion, you got empathy, you feel for people. How can a father and son be apart for seven years! Never sending any Birthday Cards or Christmas Cards or telephone calls or anything. But I know I do have some authority. I am a senior monk, I am well known and some people actually afraid of me! They are! Now there is no reason for you to be afraid of me I am a very gentle monk. Going off track I can never forget the silly thing I did once when I was visiting my mother in London years ago when she was still alive. I went to visit her and staying in her house. She was making my 'one meal a day' in the morning for me. Now that's very important. If you only eat one meal a day you got only one chance every day you got to make sure it hits the spot. So when somebody rang her door bell I volunteered to answer it so my lunch would not be spoiled. Totally selfish. I went to the door and it was a type of person, anyone from may be the UK might know this, they call them gypsies. They are itinerant people who had been in that country for 100s of years. But they decided, they do not wish to live in permanent houses. They usually live in caravans going from place to place. Good on them, if they want to live like that. But they have a reputation for trying to solicit funds, doing silly things. So it was one of these women, she knocked on the door. She said "would you like to buy some gypsy heather?" Just weed basically. And I was very polite I said "no, thank you" And she said to me "If you don't buy some of this heather I would put a gypsy curse on you" it was a marketing technique. Now imagine somebody threatening to curse me. They didn't know who they were messing with. (laughter) I had my robe on but I stood up really tall in my robe. And I looked her in the eye and said "I am a very senior Buddhist Monk, my curse is a much stronger than yours." That's what I said I overdid it. Honestly, I really overdid it. Because that women, her eyes went wide, her jaw dropped she turned around and she actually ran! She ran away. (laughter) We never curse anybody but I do use that in case people mess with me, then I can always mess back. Because people have all these superstition Buddhist monks... what can they do they don't know, but they tried to mess with me so I messed up with them. I know I shouldn't have done that but actually I am quite happy I did. (laughter) Makes it a good story. So anyway, that's just how.... We don't curse, we really don't have curses but people don't know that. So at this house, I told the youngest son, "Have you got your brother's telephone number?" He said sure... "Call him right now!" So he got out his smart phone and called his older brother, the one who was estranged. Give the phone to me. And I said "I am Ajahn Brahm you know me?" "Yeah I know you, I listen to your talks on YouTube." I said "I command you to come to your father's house. You better come or else" and I hung the phone up. So this poor man, he hadn't seen his father for seven years, he was either coming to break that estrangement or risk the curse and bad kamma of not obeying a very senior monk. Of course there is no bad kamma there but people really don't know this. So yeah let's use whatever you got to solve the situation. So he came in but wouldn't look at his father, wouldn't talk to him. But first time in seven years in the same room. And I sat them down together looking this way not at each other. And I asked the father ... What an amazing thing, shows you how stupid people can be! What did your son do, seven years ago, you got so upset you don't even talk to him anymore or look at him? You know what he said? "I can't remember." (laughter) So I looked at the son, the eldest son "What did your father do?" "I can't remember either." (more laughter) Human beings. They are so lovable, they are so cute. Just stupid but lovable. So I said: "enough is enough, forgiveness time." I forget who did it first. I made them "Father look at your son. Son look at your father." I forget who did first. Say to your father: "Look at him and say for the first time in seven years, "Father whatever you've done by body, speech or mind, that irritated me whatever it was, really hurt me deeply I forgive you". And the other way around too. "Son whatever you have done I forgive you back". They reconciled. That's such a beautiful thing to do. All you needed was somehow or rather overcoming that pride. I am not going to forgive him he is got to ask forgiveness first and then OK. He is gonna make the first move and it's worth waiting till we die for the other person to make the first move. That's why a circuit breaker like a monk can actually do that.
- Oh my God — the Fremantle DockerJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Four Catholic mothers compare pride: one son's a priest (Father), one's a bishop (Your Grace), one's a cardinal (Your Eminence). The fourth: her son never joined a church — he…
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There was four mothers having a cup of coffee in Cottesloe somewhere. (LAUGHTER) And one of the mothers said, "This round of coffee is on me because I'm celebrating. Today," she said, "Today, this morning, my son became a Catholic priest." She said, "I'm so proud of him," —this is a bunch of Catholics because it doesn't work if it's not Catholic, nothing against Catholics, (LAUGHTER) it doesn't work otherwise— and she said, "Now, everybody in his church bows and calls him father. I'm so, so proud of my son." And then the next lady, another Catholic, she sniffs and says, "Ah, that's nothing. Only a priest? My son became a priest ten years ago. Now, he is a bishop; he's a bishop. When he, in his church, people go on one knee; they kiss his ring and they call him: Your Grace! Your Grace! I'm so proud of him." The third lady, she sips her coffee and says: "Only a bishop? My son was a bishop five years ago. He is now a cardinal. When he comes into the church, everybody gets down on both knees and they call him: Your Eminence! Your Eminence! I'm so proud of my son. He's now a cardinal." Then they all look at the fourth lady. and the fourth lady finishes her coffee, and she says: "That's nothing; that's nothing at all. My son... my son never joined any church; my son...my son joined the Fremantle Dockers. He is 6 foot 4 inches tall; he's drop-dead gorgeous; when he comes into a room, all the girls go right on the floor, and say: Oh my God! Oh my God! (LAUGHTER) I'm so proud of him." (LAUGHTER) Okay. for those who are listening overseas, Fremantle Dockers is one of the footy teams over here. Please, excuse me, if you're an Eagle supporters, but I try and balance it every time
- The monk with the divine ear sat in Ajahn Chah's chairStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A monk Ajahn Brahm knew in Thailand claimed he could hear people talking about 12 kilometres away; when tested it was true — a 'divine ear'. Pride followed: one day he sat in…
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and just to make things interesting there was one monk I knew when I first went to Thailand who had that power he was tested out when he said he could hear people talking about 12 kilo meters away. when he made that claim we said you are crazy he said, no it is true and when we went to check in it was absolutely true he had what they say in the suttas a divine ear this incredible hearing And the problem what happened with him was he started getting this psychic power, obviously with incredible meditation then he thought he was so highly attained and one day he actually sat in Ajahn Chah's chair and said... Ajahn Chah is nobody I am the real Abbot here And it was an example of the pride and ego which sometimes comes up when you start to attain such things which is one of the reasons why in monastic Buddhism they are suppressed If you do get any psychic powers we don't talk about it that much especially if the person is still alive If they are dead we don't mind
- The PhD who was shown how to sweepJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A PhD graduate can only find work sweeping floors in a supermarket and complains to the boss that he has a graduate degree. 'Oh, sorry, I didn't realise you're a university…
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but that old story years ago I believe it's okay now as well this person who had graduated with a PhD from one of the great universities ities, you know, the only job he could get was in the supermarket, you know, sweeping the floors and the the young graduate just complained. Said, "Look, I've got a graduate degree and you give me the job sweeping the floors." And the boss of the supermarket said, "Oh, sorry. I didn't realize that you are a university graduate." Now, here is the broom. This is actually how you sweep.
- The torn-up degrees his mother taped back togetherStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: On his first visit home as a monk, Ajahn Brahm finds his BA and MA certificates at his mother's and, needing them no longer, tears them up and throws them in the bin, feeling…
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when I went first went home to visit my mother know she had them my ba my ma and I thought I'm a monk I don't need these I tore them up and threw them in the Dustbin and I thought that was a wonderful thing to do until an hour later I saw my mother patiently taping them together with C on the kitchen table I felt terrible when I saw that and I realized they weren't my degrees they were hers cuz her son she was proud of me