Stories about speech
9 Buddhist wisdom stories about speech from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- 'He was a leader in his field'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: People told Ajahn Brahm about a co-worker who never criticised or said anything bad about anyone. Annoyed, they decided to test him: what did he think about Adolf Hitler? He…
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remember people telling me that they had a a coworker who was like that who would never criticize or say bad things about anybody and that they really got upset about that and so one day they decided to test this guy so what do you think about Adolf Hitler and this guy thought for a few months it's a true story how can you say something nice about him and this guy said well he was a leader in his field
- It wasn't the flag or the wind — your mouths were movingJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Two monks argue whether the flag or the wind is moving; a Zen master says their minds are moving. Unsatisfied, they ask a Theravada forest ajahn, who says they are all wrong: it…
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the conflict of the two monks who were watching the flag latter and one monk said look at that the flag is fluttering and the other one said no the wind is moving not the flag and they had an argument this is I'm going to use this as a metaphor later on and they couldn't solve the argument was the wound wind moving or the flag moving so they went to see the Zen Monk and the sand monk said you were both wrong it wasn't the flag moving it wasn't the wind moving your minds were moving and they weren't satisfied with that either so the three of them the two monks and the Zen master went to go and see the theravada forest adjun and he said you are all wrong it wasn't the flag movie it wasn't the wind moving it wasn't your mind's moving the problem was your mouths were moving and that is that the important part that's actually a little bit of a joke and I was actually saw that in a list of jokes not because your mind moves because your mouth moves that's where the conflict starts from
- One sentence every seven yearsJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: In a strict silent monastery a monk may say one sentence to the abbot every seven years. After seven years, the wise words he rehearsed vanish and he blurts: 'The food in this…
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This is an old joke about this man who joined a monastery, and as he joined this monastery, was a very strict monastery, where you weren't allowed to speak at all, its absolute silence except after seven years, you are allowed to say one sentence to the abbot, the idea was so he could have some idea of your spiritual progress. So this young man joined this very strict monastery. And after six years, 11 months and 30 days of absolute silence, you can imagine his excitement when the next morning he could say his first sentence to the abbot. So he decided to practice in his cell something wise, you know, to inspire his abbot, something very meaningful something, you know, like one saying you find in a book. And he practices this amazing wise saying, when he went into the abbot's room, his mind went totally blank, you know what it's like, and the words which came out was “the food in this place is terrible”. Now the point was he didn't have another chance to say a word, he'd had his sentence and he'd blown it and he felt so terrible! Now he has to wait another seven years. So 13 years 11 months and 30 days, now he had his second chance to say something, and this time he was more relaxed, you know, spiritual life had done something, he is more in control of himself. So he had a good night's sleep, really relaxed, rested and his wise words he was supposed to say seven years ago, he went to open his mouth and again he forgot and the words which came out he said “you make us work too hard.” Very good, said the abbot, come back in another seven years. He blown at the second time! And of course, after twenty-one years, now he was totally at ease and he went into the Abbot office, he said precisely what he intended to say, his one sentence was this: “can't stand this place any longer, I'm leaving.” And the abbot replied “very good because you've done nothing but complain ever since you came here.”
- The empty drum and the babbling brookAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: An empty drum makes a big noise when you bang it; a solid piece of wood doesn't. Small mountain streams babble, while the big rivers flow silently. Are you a babbling brook, or a…
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it's the empty things which make all the noise which is true you get like a drum it's empty inside you bang it and makes this big noise if you had like a solid piece of wood it doesn't make so much noise and actually that's why the Buddha said this it's the empty things talk too much and it's see it's the small rivers the small streams like in the mountains they're the ones who make all the noise the Babbling Brooks the big rivers flow silently so you are you a babbling brook or are you a great river flowing majestically and silently through your life
- The fourth priest's confessionJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Four religious leaders, old friends, sit on a bench after a conference and confess their secret weaknesses. One is a compulsive gambler, the second an alcoholic, the third is…
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four priests who were at a conference and over lunch they are sitting together, having their lunch together and one said to the other, this morning we were talking about confession how important it is that we share everything even if we made a mistake that we bring it up and tell our friends. So he said I have a confession to make. I know it is very difficult to say this but ahhh! every Monday is our day-off any wine left after the confession I drink it and I also go to the bottle shop and take as much liquor as I possibly can he said: I am an alcoholic. said the priest. The other priest said you have been hiding it so well; we never suspected that. It's a terrible thing to do for someone who is a moral leader to be an alcoholic. Never-mind you confessed may be we can help you. And then the other one, next one sort of said Well it is a bit hard but seeing as you confessed to be an alcoholic ahhh! he said I am a gambler. He said I am addicted to gambling Sometimes I take money out of the donation box, I intend to pay it back but I'll bet on anything, horse racing, on TV gambling I am an addicted gambler. I have big debts, he said. And the other two... said that's a terrible thing for someone in your position to be stealing and gambling And they all looked at the third person and said what's your thing, you like to confess he said I don't really want to tell you; but they had to forced it out of him he said it's adultery. there is one of the women who comes to his church they have being having an affair she is married That's terrible that you should do a thing like that but isn't it wonderful you can actually confess to your friends. They asked the fourth priest. Said what's your worst thing; and he said 'don't ask me', don't go there. They said no no surely you can tell us, we have told you that alcoholism, gambling, adultery, Surely it can't be worse than that. He said it is, must worse. What is it? He said 'look whatever I hear, I have to tell all my friends, I am a gossip
- The honey and the milkStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: In parallel supermarket checkout aisles, at almost the same moment, one child drops a jar of honey and another drops a carton of milk — two big messes. One mother says, “You…
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And this was an example of the two children at the supermarket checkout, they were in parallel lanes. And almost exactly the same time, one child took out a carton of milk from the trolley, and he dropped it on the ground, and it went "splat" all over the floor, making a whole mess. And his mum said, "you stupid child". Almost exactly the same time in the parallel aisle, another child, they picked up the jar of honey. And it was slippy they dropped it. And they went "smash" all over the floor. But that mother, because she must have come to the Buddhist Society in Nollamara. That mother, she didn't say, "you stupid child". She said, "that was a stupid thing you did." And we emphasise the huge difference between those two responses. Now, if you examine it, you call, that's your "stupid child", it's as if they are totally stupid. They're, like, totally sort of corrupt, that when they were made, there must be some genetic malfunction that they are actually stupid. They're permanently stained with stupidity. And that's that first child. And many of you can recognise, such reactions when you make a mistake, and someone calls you stupid, someone calls you dumb. Someone calls you all these things. And what they're saying is, you're fatally flawed. There's nothing worth redeeming in you. And you know what it's like when that happens to you. You feel totally diminished, totally hopeless. You lose all your self esteem and that's no way to bring up a child. The other child received "that was a stupid thing you did". You're not a stupid kid. But, you had a moment of stupidity. And what that means is that you're recognising the truth, that was the sort of a silly thing to do to pick up that jar of honey making it all slippy. But, you're not a stupid person. There's more to you than that.
- The minister who never stopped talkingStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A king cannot get any business done because one minister talks on and on in every session. Walking in his garden, the king sees a disabled man in a wheelchair who earns coins…
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the first story is a story from an old text called the Dharma part Comm which I adapted for the book opening the door of your heart it's very rare I tell this story and that's a story of the politician you know how much politicians speak and actually met with minist of immigration this afternoon but he's a nice guy I got to say this in public because I wanted to do something for our visus so that's the first skillful speech always speak nice things about people in power always suck up to the boss in your office and you always do well in life but this Minister he was one of these people who would never shut up as soon as they started discussing something he would get up and he go on and on and on and on and on and no one could get a word in edge wise and you may know people like that either in your work or in your home people can just not shut up so in those days know the government was run by a king so the King was like the prime minister or the president and he was at his wits end trying to shut up this Minister and after one of these sessions you get nothing done cuz this guy goes on and on and on thinks he's he knows everything so he just went out for a walk in his garden and in the public part of his garden he saw a group of kids who are laughing and crappy so he went to investigate and there he saw there was a disabled man in a wheelchair and the kids were giving him money and what he was doing was the kids would point to a bush or a tree and this guy had this old toy called a peashooter I had a PE shooter when I was a kid it was like a tube and you put little peas in it and you blow them you know you know just usually the kids you didn't like to no it's only little sting it didn't really hurt I got enough pece blown at me it was just like a little game the kids would play but this guy he was so skilled now when you're disabled in one area you build up your schools in the other area they will point to a tree and say chicken and with his Peach should and every pee would take off a leaf and this is a way he would sculpt trees into like a chicken or like an elephant now you've been to these Gardens where people actually shape trees they sculpt trees into all these beautiful animals and he would do this with the peu and the kids were just so impressed by this they give him a few a few coins here a few coins there and that's how he actually got by in life by sculpting trees with a peashooter it was is disabled that's the only job he could do and when the king saw this he said he had an idea he had an Insight so he went up to this this disabled man with a peashooter and he whispered the words I can make you richer than your wildest dreams all you need to do is to help me he whispered to the the disabled men and disabled man yes yes yes yes yes yes and the following day the following day at the court at the parliament the king started to discuss something and as soon as the king opened his mouth this Minister started saying well in my opinion and I'm always right because I'm very wise and I've got so much experience and I've been here a long time and you should listen to me and this is how we should do it and we should do it this way and not that way and don't listen to these other guys I don't know what they're talking about and he kept going on like this but as soon as he opened his mouth he felt something go into his mouth he never noticed that in this Great Hall there was a new curtain on the wall and he didn't know what was behind that curtain and of course you all know what was behind that curtain but you know just a little thing entering his mouth that never stopped him he kept on talking and talking but every now and again some right in the back of his pallet and of course what' you do swallowed it down and carried on talking and he kept on talking and the longer he kept on talking the more he began to feel a little bit queasy cuz he didn't realize what was actually hitting his throat and going down into his stomach but he kept on talking and talking and talking until he felt really sick now some of these people know they just they so full of of what they want to say even when they're about to throw up they keep on talking and it was only was turning green and he couldn't actually do it anymore he couldn't Tik Tok anymore and he ran out from the hall totally green holding his hand over his mouth in case he uh something very awful came out and when he left the king burst out laughing and no one knew why and what had happened and then he went over to the curtain he opened the curtain there a disabled man with his peashooter and about most of his bag of ammunition was empty and the King held up the ammunition it wasn't peas it was chicken little pellets and for the last 15 or 20 minutes or half an hour with deadly accuracy this guy with a p had emptied half a bag of chicken down his Minister's gullet and apparently it worked a treat that that Min that Minister was absent for quite a few days and they got a lot of work done when this guy wasn't interrupting all the time and when he actually got better and he came back it was amazing just he would hardly speak at all and when he did speak he'd always put his hand over his mouth just in case
- The worst procedure in the wardStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: In a Rockingham Hospital ward with three other men, they compare medical procedures to decide which is worst. Someone names a barium enema; a man in the corner goes white —…
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But one of the things we did in that ward, there was three other gentlemen in that ward and a monk. [laughter] And then having nothing to do all day, we just have these stupid conversations. And one of the conversations that four of us had is what's because some of them been in the hospital many times. That's my first time in hospital for years. And they we asked, "What's the worst medical procedure?" And someone said, "Oh, this procedure." And said, "No, no, no, no, no. That's easy. This procedure, no, no, that's easy." And I think if I get it right, I don't know if I remember this correctly, so many years ago, they said, "Oh, a barerium enema is the worst." And this poor man in the corner, his face went white. He said, "That's what I'm having this evening.
- Whisper when close, shout when distantAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A monk in Indonesia offers a simile: lovers whisper 'I love you'; when upset people shout 'you stupid old cow' — because closeness needs only a whisper, emotional distance needs…
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when people are in love they whisper to each other I love you darling they use Whispers when you're in love but when you're upset you shout you stupid old cow you idiot man why it's because when you're close to someone you only need to whisper but when you're distant from each other that's when you shout I thought what a wonderful simile that is when you're close you don't need to shout you just whisper for when you're distant I don't mean physically distant but emotionally distant from the person you live with that is when you shout and that's the way to stop the shouting close the distance between you and your partner between you and your kids between you and your enemy close that distance and you don't need to shout anymore