Stories about service
22 Buddhist wisdom stories about service from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- 'Are you the YouTube monk?'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Walking through Paddington Station on his way to teach in Oxford, Ajahn Brahm is stopped by a woman running up: 'Are you the YouTube monk? ... Yes, you are.' She tells him that…
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Last time I was in the UK, just getting off the Underground, going to Paddington station to get to Oxford where I was going to give a talk. Just walking through Paddington Station, just minding my own business. And this woman came running towards me and said, "Are you the YouTube monk?" [laughter] That's what she called me "the YouTube monk". And then, I didn't have time to answer. She looked me in the face. "Yes, you are." And then she said, "I just want to say thank you to you. You saved my life". She was going through a divorce, oh not a divorce, a separation from her long term partner. And that she got really depressed, suicidal. Doctor couldn't help, psychologist couldn't help, psychiatrists, whoever she saw, none of them could help. And then she was just at the end of her rope, as they say; And then she just managed somehow or other, to get on YouTube. And I think she got that one of my famous talks 'four ways of letting go'. And she listened to it and "wow It made so much sense". She listed about three or four that time, one after the other. She said that got her through her crisis. She told all her friends, "You must go and listen to these things as well from the BSWA, all for free." And then, afterwards, she said, "Thank you Thank you so much for saving my life."
- Banned from being presidentStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Ajahn Brahm asks a busy businesswoman to become president of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia; she says she has no time. So, 'out of compassion' so she won't feel…
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And I said some years ago we were trying to get you know the president of our Buddhist society and there was one person which I thought would make a very good pres president. She's not here this evening. It's Rachel in Aral group and she admits it is totally true. Now I approached her and said, "How about being the president of our committee if I bought a Society of West Australia next year?" And she, you know, she was running her own business and she said, "Look, I'm really busy. You know, my business is growing. I've got to give all my attention to the business. I just can't find the time." So she said, "No, it's very easy to get your own way as a Buddhist monk cuz I know psychology. I teach psychologists. You know, I know more than they do." So, even though this was a good business lady and she was supposed to be smart, but well, she is very smart. I say this cuz this is being recorded. I got to be very careful what I say when these talks are recorded. So, I said, "Look, now I'm I'm really compassionate." I said, "Look, I know you you probably go home and worry and feel guilty about this now that you've refused this offer of mine cuz I've helped you before and now I've asked you to help me and you can't do it. So to make sure you don't feel guilty about refusing this offer, I'm telling you here right now, I ban you from being president next year. Don't even think about it because if you do, I won't allow it. I'll ban you. I'll use everything in my power to stop you." She went home and she thought, "What do you mean banning me? He can't ban me. Who do you think? Who does he think he is? He can't stop me. I can do whatever I want." And so she nominated for being president. And she was president for 2 years and she admitted I got her. I checked her.
- Can I ask a meditation question — in the toilet?Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: After a long Jockey Club auditorium talk and an hour of book-signing he finally reaches the gents; a man washing his hands turns: Ajahn Brahm, can I ask you a question on…
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by the time I got to the toilet you know as knows this was the jockey club auditorium in the one of the universities over again it was one of these big toilets you know the mail toilets and as soon as I got in it is the sense yes I can actually go to the toilet now and as soon as I walked in the door this guy was just washing his hands and he turned to me so Oh a giant problem can I ask you a question on meditation within the toilet there's a good good anecdote for people anyway just I survived somehow other
- Jumper leads on the prison road at dawnStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Driving the monastery road between the prison and the dam at dawn, the monks find an elderly couple stuck all night with a flat battery. Jumper leads start their car; the couple…
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there was this old couple had been stuck in the car all night their car had had a low battery and they didn't know how to fix it and that part of the world that's kings we drive between the prison and the dam no one uses that road at night time so this elderly couple had gone out for a nice little Drive and got stuck in the middle of nowhere and they stayed there five or six hours all night until the dawn came up and of course the first car on that road with us the Buddhist monastery car what and our car had some jumper leads in it so he could charge up the charge up there their battery so that car could start again although it is so happy and almost nothing could convert to Buddhism if we were like that but we're not doing things to get anything out of anybody
- Mother Teresa held the man from the gutterStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Journalist with Mother Teresa watches her pick up a stinking, oozing cancer patient from a Calcutta gutter and carry him to her sanctuary — asked how she stands the smell.
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Mother Teresa where that when there was another journalist with her and she was picking up this poor fellow from the the gutters of Calcutta who had very bad cancer and was stinking and oozing and the sort of person which a lot of people would just be repelled. Almost naturally in spite of their their kindness, be pushed away. But this Mother Teresa just went straight for her and just uh him and just held him up and picked him up and took him to her little um hospital sanctuary to look after him. And they asked him, "Didn't you see his smell
- One phone call to the vice-chancellorStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Many years ago a Sri Lankan nursing student at Curtin University lost her husband: working two jobs to pay the bills, he fell asleep driving home early one morning and was…
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There was a Sri Lankan woman and she would come here, not that often because she was very busy looking after two children. And her husband was actually working two jobs to get enough money, because the wife was actually doing a training in nursing at Curtin university. And unfortunately that one night, double job, not enough sleep, he crashed the car and killed himself. It was a tragedy, you know, just trying to work too hard. And the wife, the two kids, no way she could pay the tuition fees at Curtin. So, I got on the phone to the vice chancellor, Jeannette Hackett. She became a good friend. I confessed this that on one occasion, she was just retiring "Ajahn Brahm, I just loved my association with you" she said. She said "I'm going to give you a hug." You're not supposed to do that to a Buddhist monk but she was too fast for me. (laughter) It's only once. But anyway, I called her up I said "Look, this is real tragedy." She said "What is it?" And because they know you, you can actually get straight through
- Only you, Ajahn Brahm — the retiring officerStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Retiring high-security prison officer insists only Ajahn Brahm return to teach; Brahm feels busy and lazy but the request is personal.
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come back to teach in our prison? And I said I'm too busy, and he said no we really want you to come and teach. Because I really am a very very busy monk, it is Friday night talk, tomorrow morning four o'clock leaving here to get to the airport to catch a plane to Indonesia to give a talk tomorrow night in Medan. 244 minutes I found out today, and then over to another city, six cities
- Singapore Airlines after the Friday talkStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A supporter who had bailed out Jhana Grove finances lost her husband; they asked him to do the Saturday funeral in Singapore. After the Friday talk he flew overnight, arrived…
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I got a call from Singapore that the husband of one of our um supporters had really helped us so many times. Even just when we got John Cowell for our retreat center, we just didn't have enough money to pay the bills. And when I went to over to Thailand, she said, "How much?" And I said, "Here's a check." She did it. And a a little Well, maybe a little thing or big thing like that, I always remember that. People really helped me, got me out of difficult situations. I will never forget you. Her husband died. And they called up I think in the morning of Friday. And said, "Can you come, please, tomorrow for the funeral on Saturday?" I said, "That's impossible. I've got to give a talk on a Friday night. I've got so many things to do. It's a really stupid thing to try and probably won't be able to get a flight." So, I rang up Singapore Airlines and got a flight. Leaving right after the Friday night talk. That's so stupid. I just arrived in Singapore on Saturday morning, sort of really tired, half asleep, but did the funeral for her
- Six months of silenceStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Ajahn Brahm spends six months in a little hut in total silence, seeing no one: a monk leaves food in a box, he eats and returns the clean bowl. He wonders whether he's just being…
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I did a six-month retreat, pure silence, never saw a human being for six months, never said a word. And I first of all thought, am I just being lazy? I'm not teaching. I'm not helping. I'm not doing anything for anybody for 6 months. Just staying in little hut. A mug would bring food and put it in the box. I wouldn't see them. And I go to that box, open it, see if there was any food in the bowl, which there was. After eating, clean my bowl, put it back again. And that's how it worked for 6 months. And I I must admit I did feel a little guilty towards the end. Maybe I should come out early and do something. But no, I stayed for 6 months. Then afterwards so many people said thank you. That was really inspiring that people could see it can be done by example.
- Thai lady grabbed the tea towelStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: After lunch at Bodhinyana Brahm goes into the kitchen to help wipe dishes; a Thai lady gives him a terrible look — 'Ajahn Brahm, you're not supposed to be in here' — and yanks…
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I went in there to pick up a a tea towel to help wipe the dishes. You know what happened? [laughter] [snorts] This Thai lady gave me this terrible look. "But Ajahn Brahm, you're not supposed to be in here." And grabbed the tea towel, pulled it [laughter] out from my grasp
- 'Thank you for saving my life'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: As a young monk assisting another teacher at a retreat in Oban, Scotland, Ajahn Brahm is dulled by the usual complaints — until a woman comes to thank the teacher for saving her…
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this anecdote I'm not sure when the last time I told it but this happened in the fishing village of Oban in the northwest of Scotland it was not the summertime when it's really beautiful it was maybe spring time maybe about this time or maybe just February cold but we could hire a place to have a retreat as really have you been to the north west of Scotland is through modes it was peaceful just a fishing village and with her I thought as a hotel or something it was a nice retreat center there well steer but a place where people could come just to do some meditation and I was just listening to the same old stories again and again again again about not being able to meditate and not being good enough having problems with the family at the same old same old and then this woman came in and she really shook me out of my miletti dullness she said to the the teacher they'll come here to thank you for saving my life people can say that but when it's real when you really have a have had your life saved you know big time I just woke up with the power of where that came from and I was really interesting why what had happened what had happened with this woman she told her story interesting story that she was a student somewhere in middle England and she got a bit difficult with their studies with her social life with the pressures on any young woman trying to sort of achieve under pressure and she got a little bit depressed and the GP at the time just this was maybe 40 years ago GP at the time just gave her some volumes just no easy to take this pills but she got addicted got addicted to valium and sometimes that some things are very hard to break off their addiction to then I told the monks I think on Wednesday night I knew this gentleman who was addicted to brake fluid it's a brain fluid but he said he could he could stop at any time that was a joke addicted to brake fluid but he could stop at any time you fishing there what can we expect from our children anyway bingo serious dated the valium and when she comes on one of these retreats I have these things called no precepts especially the Five Precepts sometimes people listen and they don't really understand totally I needs Buddha's not supposed to take alcohol or drugs fifth precept and it wasn't explained to this means like Norma dissing all drugs like the recreational drugs nothing about sort of you know if you've been prescribed in medicine for by your doctors but she never understood that she got it wrong but on a retreat when it's nice and peaceful people aren't talking much to one another they're smiling they're kind everything is there there's no stress she could give up that valium for nine days it was hard but you know she could do it and she started to feel what it's like to be without that drug in their system not totally but then the problem came when they were treat finished and she thought I've done nine days this see if I can carry on without the valium so she decided to throw the pills away but she never realized that being in a retreat in a place of safety where people nice and kind you don't feel the people are threatening you or putting pressure on you to be anything but then she had to go through Glasgow to get back home and that meant going through Glasgow railway station you been through any terminus a station this is so distressing it soaked crazy it's just people all over the place running this way and and so noisy it's like a chaotic environment and she said that she almost has totally lost it and of course you can imagine when someone is that sensitive so actually it's a go through a railway station not like Perth Mint think more like like Sydney central or the Victoria Station in England or something it's crazy place and then she managed to get back home where she said that she spent the next I was a month I think just sitting in a chair hardly able to do anything as the effects of that works slowly wore off and it is not recommended for people to do such cold turkey it was just by mistake she did this because she started off misunderstanding about the precepts in Buddhism and had a supportive start and then just managed just to keep it together long enough to get back home and was this immobilized just sitting in a chair but she got through it and she said thank you because now she has her life back a life which is clear and free said thank you no she left and I was so impressed I remember that certainly the details that I made a resolution arrogant young monk I was said if I if I ever do that and hear someone say that because of how I've served whatever I've done I Tim Brom thank you for saving my life I think my life had found its meaning just one that's all I wanted just one
- The floor the monks finished overnightStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Building Jhana Grove for an Easter 2008 opening by its patron, former Premier Geoff Gallop, Ajahn Brahm is assured it will be ready well ahead of schedule. On the Thursday…
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Notice the floor in the meditation room, it hasn't got a carpet because we thought there's some people want to meditate and they have allergies. So, it's just a bamboo floor. It's very beautiful, but on bamboo floor. You know what happens again, Ajahn Brahm being the builder. I'm not really the builder, but it's my project, so I had to make sure everything was done properly. And it's a huge project, I asked the person in charge of doing the building, "Are you sure it's going to be ready by Easter 2008 or nine or 12? What was it, about 12/13 years ago? 2008. Are you sure it's going to be ready?" He said, "Yes! No trouble at all! Well ahead of schedule." And I should know by now. I'm really stupid. I trust people too much. Because it wasn't. It was a real rush. Especially the last day. We're going to have the opening ceremony, it was on the Easter retreat. And we're going to have it on Friday, the Good Friday. And we invited even the the former Premier, Geoff Gallop. He was gonna, he still is the what do you call it? The patron of Jhana Grove Retreat Centre. And he was gonna come and open it for us. And as soon as the opening was finished, we're gonna have our retreat, the 8/9 day retreat, and we had all this ceremony all arranged. And you know what happened? You know what happened? It wasn't finished. Thursday evening. Half the floor had not been laid. It was just concrete. Half the floor was finished. Half the floor was bare concrete. We tried to get floor makers in to come and finish it off for us. Would they work on Thursday evening, before the long weekend? No way. So what happened? Duh duh duh, in come the monks like the seventh cavalry to save the day again. And it was brilliant. It's beautiful. Ajahn Brahmali and Ajahn Santutthi, they were the main collaborators. They worked till 4am. All night. 4am. And that's a beautiful job they did. If you sit on that, when every time I see that, I feel so much joy and happiness. Just finishing off like that. They had a lot of fun. A lot of joy, not sleeping, working hard. Had an hour or two to sleep before we started the ceremony in the morning, big ceremony all day. Have a look at it. It's gorgeous. That is how we work. Do we get paid? Imagine if we did get paid. There'll be it's Easter. So that's double time. Overnight, that's double time again. So, night time work, oh, they could have made a fortune. If we were paid. But we don't do that. Do it for the fun of it, the joy of it because you don't have fault finding. You have the opposite. Joy finding, beauty finding. And that's one of the reasons why we don't get paid, we get exploited. Please exploit us some more. We don't think like other people. So instead, we just see the joy of doing these things and the wonder of doing these things, which means the fault fighting is not there. So we don't get upset and don't argue. And if you notice carefully, there is a mistake in that floor. Have any of you seen it? It's in the corner, which is closest to the entrance door. Doesn't quite match. But that's beautiful. It doesn't have to match and be perfect.
- The foster-care leader who had been a foster childStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: At a Curtin medal ceremony, one recipient had been put into foster care as a child and suffered. After raising her own family she fostered others, then devoted her life to fixing…
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And this year, one of the recipients was, uh, a woman that if I remember correctly, she, you know, was put into, uh, an orphanage, foster care when she was very young. And she had a terrible time, as many people do. And so, she survived. And then when she survived, uh, she had a family. And when her children grew up, she thought, "What can I do, you know, to actually to to help?" So, she started with fostering other kids. And then from there, she was so good at it, so energized, she gave all of her time, her life to making sure that the foster care system in Western Australia was not going to follow the mistakes which she had endured as a foster kid when she was young. And so, I think she's now head of foster care WA. The person's running the organization. The person who's spending so much of her life making sure that kids who don't have a home, kids who don't have a family, have one. Now, she had been there, she had suffered, she knows what it's like. But she also knew what the solutions were. And when I sort of heard that, I thought, "Wow, these are great people. People who actually doing something, but you don't know about it.
- The paralysed man who forgave his surgeonStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: As reported in a Singapore newspaper article someone sent him: during spinal surgery a surgeon drops an instrument on a man's spine and paralyses him. Instead of suing, he says,…
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there was actually an article uh which was in one of the newspapers in Singapore about a man who had an had a sort of some spinal problem and had an operation and during the operation the surgeon actually dropped an instrument on his spine and paralyzed him it's a surgical accident what would you do if that happened to you in Australia would you sue the doctor this guy said I forgive you it's an accident never mind even though he was paralyzed he forgave the doctor and had no anger or ill will and so not hardly being able to walk just to be able to stagger with incredible pain he goes to the hospital every week to actually to to help some of the medical students learn about these difficult conditions like paralysis he offers his time there for free without a complaint just getting on in his life not with any negativity but learning how to be with his So-Cal disability and this is an important thing in life a person could do that and he's inspiring so many people apparently simply by the fact that something terrible happened to him and instead of being negative about it instead of complaining about instead of getting a a lawyer and suing this doctor he's learning how to be with his disability to embrace it and use it for something wonderful to inspire other people on how we can live a much more beautiful life without complaining so much
- The woman who swapped seats to talkStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Exhausted on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Perth, Ajahn Brahm sits by the window. A woman asks if he's Ajahn Brahm because she really needs to talk; he points out there's someone…
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It happened I was on another flight once, really tired from Kuala Lumpur back to Perth sitting on the window seat, a woman come pass and she said "Are you Ajahn Brahm? I really need to talk to you." and I said "there is another fellow who is in the aisle seat" Never mind. You know what this woman did? She bent down and asked this guy in the aisle seat "Would you mind exchanging seats?" And I was praying "please say no, no, no!" (laughter from the audience) That bastard; he said ''Yes'' So this woman all the way from Kuala Lumpur to Perth asked me about her marriage, her relationships.... And I had to come back and give a talk that night as well.. Really unfair...
- The zookeeper who freed the orangutansStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: At the annual John Curtin Medal presentation, Ajahn Brahm (a past recipient) hears about that year's winner: a man with learning difficulties at school who, with help and…
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And I don't mind sharing this about this gentleman uh who won the award this year and he was a person with yeah if I remember it correctly please excuse me if I get some details wrong. Uh he had learning difficulties at school but he pushed through. Now with help with encouragement he got to university to curtain university where he was studied I think animal sciences or whatever applied science and eventually he managed to with a lot of extra work tuition and help eventually to get his degree number one it says that this is agrees with my experience when I was a school teacher there's no one who can't do things. Now, if you want to get your degree in this or get an a a um qualification in something else, if you keep on going, you don't give up, there's many people out there will help you and look after you and care for you and just encourage you. The human capacity in my experience is huge. Basically anyone can do almost anything within reason just as they believe in themselves or sometimes that belief is given by other people. People inspire you. Your mentors if you get a really good mentor an inspirational teacher they take you so far in life. But anyway, eventually he got the job over in uh in Perth Zoo and he was apparently he looks he looked after the the the primates and the orangutan enclosure. And this gentleman, the first name was Leaf something. But anyway, just a person with intellect with learning difficulties looking after orangutans and then seeing what the problem really was. That apparently many of these small baby orangutans were taken to shopping centers cuz they were so cute and cuddly for promotions to sell products or something. And this is what human beings do. But apparently he knew he'd been looking after the orangutans for a long time that that really hurt the mother child bond. And he just know he just used everything he got to to stop that exploitation of baby orangutans. Next, to make sure the cages or the compounds were a little bit less like prisons and more like places where they could relax and enjoy and have some uh similarities to the wild jungles where they came from. But even that wasn't enough. So then he started to return them to the jungles of Bornea and to start a big fund of oh no what was it called something orangutan fund just now worldwide and just millions of dollars in the fund because he was he was producing providing he was actually doing something for some animals who are just really close to homo sapiens, the people sitting right in front of me now. He connected with them and basically freed thousands of them throughout the whole world.
- This is not what I signed up forStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Years earlier, midway through a two-hour Indonesian book-signing and photo queue, Ajahn Brahm thinks this is not what a monk should be doing — he wanted a cave. In that moment he…
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I still remember this one time years ago where I thought what the hell am I doing this for this is not what a monk should be doing signing books and smiling and sort of having a photograph taken this is not what I signed up for I want to go into a cave and meditate I want to just be simple I just want to be disappear from the world and then I realized that that was my expectation when I first became a monk and it's because you have expectations that you suffer so in that one moment in the middle of you know signing about two hours of books in that moment I decided no no expectations let go of all those things you mentioned you should do once you become a monk let them all go and just be because in those moments there were so many people are getting a lot of happiness and joy and that was really what a monk should be doing giving happiness and joy in whatever way you can it was service it was giving I got nothing out of this at all instead just a sore arm two hours of signing books makes you sore two hours of smiling for photographs that makes my jaw sore and I did hear that in Indonesia in Java the Buddhist Monument bubble door they have asked people to refrain to stop taking photographs of that Monument because all those flashes are degrading the stone and now they're degrading me
- Two hours signing books in JakartaStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: After a talk of four or five thousand in Jakarta, a huge line wants books signed and photos — two hours of signing and smiling for the camera.
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Indonesia I think it was in Jakarta where my books you know all of them have been really big best sellers in Indonesia some well known over there and so after the talk there's about four or five thousand people at the talk then they wanted their books signed and there was a huge long line of people two hours it took of signing books and smarting for the camera signing books sliding for the camera exciting a book smarting for the camera and that's okay for the first hour but after an hour of doing this I thought what the heck am I doing I'm a monk I should be in some cave somewhere meditating what do I what am I doing signing books and having my mug shot taken
- Volunteering with the kids who taught him to be huggedStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: At Cambridge, when a Christian friend starts volunteering at the local mental hospital, Ajahn Brahm feels he'd better go too. The Christians drop out; he keeps going for two…
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Again, just when I was at university, I was the only Buddhist, I knew at that college. So it was very lonely. So, you had your friends and you have great philosophical arguments. There's one guy who was a very close friend, he was Christian. So we had these great discussions. It wasn't sort of antagonistic, but it was animated. And when I heard he was going to the local mental hospital to do voluntary work, I thought I'd better go along as well. I'm a Buddhist, I'm supposed to be compassionate, even though you are very busy and all this other stuff you're supposed to do at university, I went. And I enjoyed it so much that I kept going for 2 years, those Christians, they just actually dropped out. And I went for 2 years, sometimes, "what are you trying to prove?" they asked me. And I think about it, actually it went way beyond doing service, I wasn't there to do service, I was actually getting joy out of this. It gave my week meaning, just to go and hang out with Down's Syndrome kids, and that's really all I was doing. I wasn't an expert, I wasn't trying to do anything much with them, except just be with them. And to this day, I credit that with teaching me what I call like "emotional language". So if I'm a good teacher, 4 years, not just the way you speak, anyone can say words, it's just where they come from. These were kids who can't speak, in the same way, at least these kids, were institutionalised, couldn't speak the same way as I speak to you if you come to ask me a question or we just talk about whatever. They didn't have the vocabulary or the way to articulate their thoughts. But they communicated through their emotions, through their hugs, through their facial language. And my goodness, they were just so clever. I remember many times, just going there and they, they sized me up straight away, if I was in a bad mood, they'd know - what's wrong. They'd give me hug. It was the first time as a man I'd allowed another man to hug me. I was a heterosexual. I was afraid of, sort of homosexuality. That's just the way I was conditioned and they had to allow, as a male, a young male in 1969 or 70, allow another male to hug you. That was tough, you're English, stiff upper lip and all that. But it was so wonderful for me to learn just how to be loved. I got so much from those kids. I really thank them so much. So I thought I was giving when I first went there. No, I got heaps and heaps, I got enormous gratitude, what I learnt when I gave that's where you start to understand what meaning is.
- 'Welcome to Australia, mate. Have a beer.'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A Vietnamese boat person, just in sight of the Australian shore, was greeted by two West Australian fishermen: 'Welcome to Australia, mate. Have a beer.' He always remembered it.…
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I don't know if you know that one of those boat people years ago know he's uh that's right he was uh from he was was it Bangladesh no from Vietnam also Vietnamese and when he arrived you know in Australia actually just in sight of shore he received this wonderful welcome to Australia by these two West Australian fishermen These two West Australian fishermen shouted at him, "Welcome to Australia, mate. Have a beer." And he always remembered that. And eventually, you know, got settled in South Australia and became the governor of South Australia for two terms.
- Who learned the most after Cyclone NargisStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Groups in Singapore took privileged, highly educated teenagers to southern Myanmar to help villages destroyed by Cyclone Nargis. The students told Ajahn Brahm they learned more…
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They took a whole bunch of kids, elite, I think you probably call elite, rich parents, very comfortable, highly educated uh to it was I think southern Myanmar after the the Naris um cyclone destroyed so many villages in southern Myanmar. And because I go to Singapore, I've got some groups over there. Some of the kids were telling me that they learned more in those two or three weeks than in their whole school life. Being able just to be with children who they couldn't really understand their language and the Singaporean English or Chinese which they were talking totally incomprehensible but they could still bond. They could feel one another. and connect with one another and work together and have something which who benefited the most from that interaction. Was it the kids who had no place to go to school, no place to go to sleep, their houses destroyed, infrastructure disappeared by cyclone Naris? Was Naris, wasn't it? Yeah, I think so. Yeah. by that devastation. Who learned the most? It was the kids from Singapore. They learned so much about the big world and how they could help.
- You're the only one who deserves this awardStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Receiving his Order of Australia medal at Government House under Governor Kim Beazley, Ajahn Brahm wonders whether a monk should accept awards. Two or three women working there…
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Some years ago they gave me this That's right, the Order of Australia medal. I had to go to Government House over there. Kim Beazley was the governor then. Uh to get this award. And I often wondered, should I be going to this? A monk getting awards. You just do this for no You don't expect anything back in return. And but the best part of that ceremony was I don't know actually who they actually were. I think they were working in Government House. There's these two or three ladies. They came up to me and said you're the only person who deserves this award. Cuz they too had gone through a terrible divorce or separation. They said, "You saved our life, too." And those words meant far more than the little medal which you got from the governor. And so I said, "Okay, yeah, it's worthwhile coming to get that. That is real job satisfaction.