Stories about renunciation
14 Buddhist wisdom stories about renunciation from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- Ajahn Chah soaked to the skinStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Walking alone on tudong in the Thai jungle, with all his possessions on his back, Ajahn Chah put up his umbrella-tent with its mosquito net one night in a harsh storm. It gave no…
Read full story
One of the things he did, remember he was uh just uh walking in the jungles of Thailand by himself. They called it just going on this um uh like dutanga. All your possessions on your back, sleeping in uh under a little umbrella with a um what's it called? A mosquito net on the outside, having such few possessions. And one day when he put up his uh little sleeping umbrella, the rain was just really harsh. And just like you know, we've had some big storms here. When you have a big storms like that, the umbrella just doesn't save you anything. And it's everything he had, every robe which he had, everything which he had was just soaked to the skin. There's no one there to talk to. and he felt just so alone and almost like rejected at the time and just so wet. He said, "This is not what I really expected meditation to be like.
- Ajahn Chah's broken heartStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Ajahn Chah told Ajahn Brahm that as a young man he had a girlfriend in the village; they loved each other and wanted to marry, but a mother decided it was not a good match and…
Read full story
he did have a girlfriend in the village and no, they loved each other. They wanted to marry and, you know, live together. But then what happened was they decided or the mother of one of them said, "No, no, this is not a good match." And they chose a better partner for this girl. So Ajan was brokenhearted. I don't know if I told you that story before. I remember him telling me that. And so that was one of the reasons why he decided to become a monk because life sometimes just doesn't go the way you expect it to.
- Gave away the furniture to a young coupleStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Before ordination he gives a young recently-married couple his expensive furniture for free — they look at each other thinking him mad; he is off to become a monk and does not…
Read full story
Nothing. It's yours." I remember them looking at each other. I said, "This this lad's crazy. He's mad cuz no one gives you expensive stuff like that." And then I said, "Look, I'm off to become a monk. I don't need a table. I don't need money. It's yours. Please take it now. Have a good start in your life. They were just a young couple, recently married, didn't have any kids yet, just starting off in life. And I had the opportunity, the means to give them this beautiful piece of furniture. They said, "All it cost me was nothing, but I got so much out of that. The joy of helping a couple of people I didn't know
- Giving away the motorbike before ordinationStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Before Thailand he realises monks cannot keep a motorbike (robes balloon on one ride); he does not need the money — he wants to give the bike away.
Read full story
motorbike and I was going to become a monk and I knew enough about Buddhism that monks can't ride motorbikes there's a good reason for that that only once in my life as a monk have I ridden on the back of a motorbike once and never again cuz when you're on a motorbike with these robes the air gets inside it balloons up and you have to hang on because everything is trying to blow you off it doesn't work with these robes so never again but I had a motorbike when I was a lay person a nice Mo nice bike I thought what am I going to do with this I can't take it to Thailand you can't ride a motorbike as a monk and I don't need the money cuz monks don't have money so I want to give it away
- Giving up tea for three monthsStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: People told Ajahn Brahm he was addicted to tea. So he decided to give it up for the three-month Rains Retreat. The monks begged him not to: another monk had tried it and was 'a…
Read full story
Believe it or not, that one year people kept on telling me: ‘Ajahn Brahm, you’re addicted to tea. You always have your cup of tea. Cup of tea in the morning, cup of tea in the afternoon.’ I said: ‘okay, I'm going to give it up for three months’. And then all the monks came up to me and said: ‘Please don't do that’. I said: ‘why not?’ - ‘Because’, they said, ‘another monk tried that and he was a pain in the butt for three months without his tea - he was such an awful person to live with’. 'Well no', I said: ‘I'm going to try it to see if I'm addicted to it.’ So I gave it up for three months. I was very happy, very peaceful, no problem at all.
- 'I would'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Asked in Q&A what he's been most afraid of: at a friend's wedding reception while at Cambridge, the 19- or 20-year-old lads joke about who'll marry next. Pointing at his friend…
Read full story
I was still a lay person at the time. I think some of you heard the story before that uh still yeah still at uh college at Cambridge and still just uh you know messing around in the world but you know just I was pretty much committed to being a Buddhist and maybe in the future being a monk. And then it was one of my friends was getting married. So, you know, we just all went to the the marriage and after the marriage ceremony, we're at the reception just all dressed in nice actually dressed in nice suits. Actually did wear a suit. I think I only wor once or twice anyway. I was not really into suits, but anyway, that uh and they were just, you know, messing around about 19 or 20 year olds. And then somebody asked who's going to be next and then we just pointed to one of my friends still a I know him really well. His name is Jeff. Jeff Perry his name was. If he's listened to this I'm sorry but this happened. He's a good mate. And so they said oh Jeff he'll probably be next. And then know all the the guys said ah no one will marry him. Yeah it's guys being guys. Okay. And just and then they pointed at me. You know, my lane name was Peter. Said, "Oh, Peter, he'll probably be next." And I got the same response. I know I would marry that man, Peter. But you know what happened next? There was this little girl, you know, she was standing right next to me and she whispered into my ear, I would. And I think that's the most scary moment in my life so far. I was terrified. I moved far away as possible and made sure for the rest of the night the next week I wasn't close to her. I don't know. It was really unfair. But, you know, I was only 19y old, 20-y old kid, you know, young man growing up. But that really terrified me. So, I think that was the most scared I've ever been.
- Monk at Centrelink: prove you existStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Applying for a Commonwealth seniors card, Ajahn Brahm is asked to prove who he is. Forty-three years of trying to find out who he is, he says — 'not metaphysically', they reply.…
Read full story
i thought it's about time i applied for a commonwealth seniors cut to get some more respect we already get meals on wheels every day people bring down the for us so i went in there to the center link and they said okay can you prove who you are and i thought you know for 43 years i've been trying to find out who i it's a am difficult question so i said no no no not metaphysically have you got your passport you know that's i think that's a certain number of points and i said okay let's see your your your bank accounts or your bank card i've got that have you got marriage license no have you got your your ownership of your house no your rental agreement no your driving license no we are so difficult to prove we exist that's why we believe in oneself we're just not here
- No Sex in the MonasteryStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Someone told him Sarah Jessica Parker had been seen in a US coffee shop reading Opening the Door of Your Heart. He imagined it was only a matter of time before he got a cameo in…
Read full story
some years ago somebody told me that uh Sarah Jessica Parker from Sex in a City. She was seen in a coffee shop in United States reading my book Open the Door of Your Heart. She was a Buddhist. She was a follower. So I thought, "Wow, if Sarah Jessica Parker of Sex in the City was one of my disciples, it was only a matter of time that I get a cameo invited to actually to come in to one of her episodes." And I thought that would be really interesting. Aan Brown in one of the episodes in Sex in the City. And then I started thinking, what would it be like? I I I wouldn't mind doing anything. Just within reason, not breaking my precepts. We'd have to change the episode title to instead of Sex in the City, No Sex in the Monastery. And then I thought, hang on, I don't think anyone would tune into that episode cuz I know human nature. So So that was the end of that idea.
- The Biggest LoserStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Challenging the slur 'loser', Ajahn Brahm lists what he lost becoming a monk — money, girlfriends, possessions, a nice motorbike — sleeps on the floor with no phone or…
Read full story
look I admit I'm a loser I've lost so much becoming a Muk I lost all my money I lost my girlfriends I lost all my possessions I lost my motorbike had a really nice motorbike so really in this whole world because now look at me I just sleep on the floor you know I've just got no possessions I've got no super annuation I've got no TV I've got no mobile phone I've got nothing you know in this Australia you know I claim the title is The Biggest Loser because I've let go so much so why is it that people say you're a loser see people said look at me a from you're a loser say yes thank you so much it's wonderful being a loser come and join me
- The mango tree with no mangoesAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A king sees two mango trees — one laden, one bare — and almost curses the bare one. Returning for fruit he finds soldiers have stripped and ruined the laden tree; the bare tree…
Read full story
one of the kings in his Buddhist story he went went this is in the time of the Buddha he went with his soldiers to train and as he was coming back to his Palace after doing the training he saw two mango trees one of those mango trees had so many ripe mangoes on them the other tree had no mangoes at all and he thought what's the point of being a mango tree if you don't have any mangoes so he almost cursed that mango tree with no mangoes and the tree with lots of mangoes he thought that when I finished and got back to the palace and got changed I'll come out and enjoy some of these R mangoes that's what he did so he changed and got on his horse and came out to taste some of those right mangoes and only then he saw that his soldiers who's helping train they never bothered to get changed they stripped that mango tree which had the mangoes of every fruit which was on there and as they were stripping every mango they broke so many branches and stripped off so many leaves that mango tree which was once full of succulent mangoes was actually destroyed he looked at the mango tree which had no mangoes and that's the still had all its branches and leaves intact and he thought I'm going to renounce being a king if you have power and wealth there's other people who want it isn't it more happy to be someone who has enough to live but not too much so other people will never want to break into your house they never want to steal anything that's just like Monastery you know right now where I live the door of my coutti is open I never locked it this after oh it's actually this morning when I left bodana to come here my cave those doors are open too there's nothing in there just space there emptiness who can steal emptiness we can't st
- The retreat that ended a romanceStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: As a Cambridge student with a lovely girlfriend (not a Buddhist), Ajahn Brahm asks her permission to go on a meditation retreat; she says go. On one meditation it goes so deep it…
Read full story
I still remember the time when I had a very wonderful relationship with my girlfriend at the time and then I asked her permission. Actually I asked her so there's a retreat on a meditation retreat. I was a Buddhist at the time and she said yeah please go off have a nice retreat. She wasn't a Buddhist she wasn't interested in that but nevertheless I went there by myself and meditated. What is meditating? Just what I said, just sitting down, letting go of everything, relaxing your body, being happy to be here. And just on one of those meditations, it got so incredibly deep. That was some of the biggest happiness I've ever experienced in my life. Bliss. Many of you may have heard about um hermits or religious people who are getting into these incredible bliss states and what's it like? And of course, just as they say, just so much joy, so much peace, so much love, so much happiness and freedom from everything else. And once you can taste that type of freedom from suffering, otherwise known as bliss, I feel sorry now for that girlfriend. That was the end of that relationship.
- 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…
Read full story
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
- Walking home from the airport without askingStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: With no money, Ajahn Brahm finds people offer him a cup of tea at the airport. One of his monks tests it: returning to Perth from overseas, he tells no one his flight and just…
Read full story
even just when I was going to Sydney last week last week after giving a Friday night talk the following morning after to S you to give some talks you get to the airport of course no monk don't have any money so how can a monk get himself a cup of tea so you look around and kind to somebody say oh do you want a cup of tea that' be very nice thank you it's amazing actually really if you have lots of compassion you don't need even need to have a credit card so one of our marks was trying this cuz we always have these um you know s of almost like competitions to see whether this actually things actually work and he decided he came back from overseas to Perth International Airport and he deliberately did not tell anyone of his flight details when he was going to arrive he just said I'll make my own way from per airport to Bing Monastery of serpentine and he thought you know it's a long way it's about 50 km he didn't put his know finger out a hit shik he just wed just to see how powerful kindness was he got about 100 m from the airport when the car stopped where you going and gave him a lift all the way to bodana Monastery and he was just so impressed just how powerful kindness is
- 'You ordained to forget'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Visiting Ajahn Juin, a famous old Thai monk at the top-hat-shaped mountain monastery Phu Tok, Ajahn Brahm hears a Bangkok lady ask him, 'Did you become a monk because you had a…
Read full story
there is a monk called...Ajahn Juin. He was one of the old Thai monks who lived in this beautiful monastery "~Phu ~Top". It's like a top hat mountain and some of the Thai people know him and I - I mean he was a very famous monk at that time - I went to visit him and this lady came from Bangkok and asked this monk, "Did you become a monk,because you had a failed love affair?" He said, "No, of course not." She said, "Ha, that makes sense, you ordained to forget and you have forgotten by now."