Stories about questioning
5 Buddhist wisdom stories about questioning from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- Raise them honest and questioningStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: An English Buddhist couple ask a monk how to bring up their first child without brainwashing — Buddhist, no religion, or every religion? The advice Ajahn Brahm repeats: raise the…
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That is why this is one of those stories of I This was one of my friends a long time ago over in England. A Buddhist English family, Caucasians, had their first child and they asked him, "How should we bring up our child? Should we teach him to be a Buddhist? Or should we teach him no religion? Or should we teach him every religion? We're confused. I don't want to brainwash my kid cuz I was brainwashed. And I want to How do you bring up a child to have a good ethical foundation? And a monk gave this very brilliant advice, which I've repeated to other people. Bring up your child to be one, honest, and two, questioning. And if you encourage that in your child, honesty, it means that they will never deceive themselves believing something which is ridiculous. Truth will be so important to them that even religious statements, they would check out if it doesn't make sense, doesn't matter who said it, they'd reject it. Honesty will be one of the greatest uh filters of truth for misinformation. And secondly, questioning will always be challenging, challenging, challenging until they found out once they've questioned and challenged what's left. More they're questioning and challenging, which they can honestly believe in, that will be the truth. And that would be the best way to to encourage a child's religious or spiritual development as it is yours as well. Please always question and be honest. If you don't agree with it, say so. Don't believe it just cuz I say so. Don't believe it if everyone else in the world except you says so. No, don't believe it. Be honest with yourself there. If it really is true, you feel it is true, even if it goes against your beliefs, if it feels true and is true, change your beliefs. Never bend the facts to fit your faith, bend your faith to fit the facts. That's honesty. So that way, that is how good teachers teach. They don't teach you what to believe. They teach you to be honest and also to question.
- Sheep circling a bush foreverStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A monk who grew up on a farm near Mundijong once found the sheep walking in a circle around a thick clump of bushes, each following the one in front, unable to see that the…
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When it comes to sheep, I always remember the little story told me by one of our monks, Vasavado [?] He grew up on a farm just outside of Mundijong, really was local boy. And he said, once, you know, he went out to check out on the sheep in the farm. And he saw the sheep, he didn’t know how they started, but they had formed a circle around a thick lump of bushes. So they could not see the other side of the bush, but they’d formed a circle and they were walking round and round and round, as sheep always do, following the one in front, and they didn’t realise that they were going round and round and round in a circle which had no end. And if he hadn’t chanced on this and pulled one of the sheep out of line, they’d still be walking around that circle [chuckles] years later.
- The crab with a limpAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Ajahn Chah's last teaching before he stopped teaching, acted out with his hands: a crab with a wonky leg tells its babies, 'I walk with a limp; don't you walk like me.' But all…
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he would get his hands out, and imitate a crab with a lame leg. So, once there was a crab with a wonky leg, and it always walked with a limp, and it told his little baby crabs, he said, "Look, I've got a bad leg. That's why I walk with a limp. Don't you walk like me." But all the baby crabs also walked with a limp, just like their mummy. They were just sheep. And he said, "Don't do that".
- The priest who checked heaven and hell by trainStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A wealthy philosophy professor asks a priest whether virtuous non-Christians (Buddha, Socrates, Marcus Aurelius, Voltaire, Gandhi) must go to hell. The priest stalls a week,…
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an anecdote at the end of the sermon they asked a question it happened to be this new uh member of the congregation who was not only very wealthy but was also a philosophy professor at University and so when he put his hand up and said I want to ask a question the priest said okay you can ask it's not usually done and the question was this he said you just know taught you know from your Christian Bible that the only people who can go to heaven have to believe in Jesus and he said is that true because said the professor there' been these wonderful people such as you know such as the Buddha such as not Socrates he was a very wise and very virtuous man such as the uh the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius you know have you ever seen his contemplations of Marcus ofus is very inspiring stuff you know you got people even like new people like say Maham m Gandhi he didn't believe in Jesus he was a Hindu so what happens to them do they have to go to hell now the priest you know was very smart guy so he said well you it's a really big question and I don't think we got the time now to answer I'll tell you next week in my sermon it's one of the things I always do if in doubt procrastinate so usually you know as a priest you know they work very hard on a Sunday so Monday they have the day off it's rest relaxation day on Tuesday he went into his study you know got out all the books and tried to find an answer and it was a really good question he couldn't find an answer which would be suitable for a professor so he rang up his mate another sort of priest much older than him on Wednesday they made an appointment had coffee and discussed it and the priest said look this is too complicated for me too you better go and see the Archbishop so on Thursday went to see the Archbishop I so the Thursday the bishop and on Thursday went to see the bishop the bishop Bop said well you know this is something for the Archbishop not me so on Friday went to see the Archbishop and the Archbishop said actually you should go and see the Theologian you know these professors who live in universities they'll probably know the answer so on Saturday he went to see the Theologian the Theologian gave him an answer couldn't understand a word of it that's what theologians are like only other theologians can understand what they're saying so there he was Saturday night without an answer to following day he'd have to front up you know to this uh Professor so he didn't sleep well that night in fact he was just very restless what was he going to say so he got up very early in the morning he did what he should have done to begin with he went into his church early in the morning and started praying and it was probably because he hadn't slept the night that he fell asleep fell asleep at the alter and as he was falling asleep he had one of these dreams these really Vivid dreams he was at a railway station and he sort of knew where that train on that platform was headed for but he asked you know the station gu said that train over there it wouldn't be going to heaven would it and the station guard said yes and seeing as you're a priest you can go up there half price so he got a half price ticket and he got on the train just like in dreams like time is really weird in no time at all the train appeared on this platform and he saw on the side of the platform the letters h e a v n it was Heaven he'd arrived so he got outside so he could actually ask his questions he searched around for a little while and so soon he found this man in this white robe with a little donut on top of his head and he said excuse me sir he said yes how can I help you he said now what's the name of this place he said it's Heaven welcome he said great now I want to ask you two questions he said of course ask he said how long you been up here and he said I've been up here hundreds of hundreds of years said this Angel he said great so you must know most people yeah I know most people up here how can I help you what's question number two he said look I want to know if these people are up here first of all there's this Indian guy the Buddha is he up here he said the Buddha never heard of the fellow what about Socrates this Greek guy very very smart very wise said no haven't heard of him either what about Marcus aelius no what about Vol this really funny guy volarus know his playright and philosopher said no what about Gandy just a new arrival haven't heard of that name either he said and the priest was So Satisfied he have his answer he'd got it right the Bible was correct so feeling self-satisfied he went back to the station to get the train back but he saw on another platform there was another train and he just wanted to make sure he knew where the other train was going to so he went to the station guard and said that train over there would be going to a place called hell he said yes that's where that one's going to so he brought a return ticket and he got on the train and in no time at all it arrived at this other station and he saw on the outside this big sign saying h e l l but he saw some balloons tied to the the station sign which was a bit strange and as soon as it got out he didn't need to seek anybody someone came right up to him and gave him a big hug welcome thank you for coming is anything we can get you to drink how about a nice cup of tea or do you want some orange juice or apple juice you don't just hold on a bit what about a sandwich you must be very tired sit down the fellow was so kind and compassionate said look look please please thank you so much for your kindness but you know what is this place it's hell welcome are you sure you don't want something to eat how about a pizza how about some fish and chips we've got some really nice fish and chips down here freshly fried no no no no look come please please I just want to ask you two questions how long you been down here I've been down here thousands of years he said great he said so you know most people oh yeah I know everyone up here there such nice people up here you know he said look look look look are there anybody down here call the Buddha oh the Buddha such a wise and compassionate being oh he's one of the most important people down here so what about Socrates oh yeah my goodness his wisdom is so deep Marcus aelius great poet voler such a funny guy we love going to his place what about what about Gandy a him he's just come here he's so well respected he's so peaceful and kind and the priest was actually quite happy he said look that's what I always believed in but there's something wrong cuz I always told that hell was a place of torment and tor culture where people are having a very tough time but you seem so happy and there's even balloons along the station what's up here and the a the hell being whatever you call him said oh well yes it used to be like that before the Buddha came down here
- 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."