Stories about sport
10 Buddhist wisdom stories about sport from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- A Buddhist footy team would always loseJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: He once imagined a Buddhist footy team vs Christians/Jews/Muslims — but Buddhist principles would mean giving the ball away out of compassion and deliberately missing goals so as…
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I once thought of actually starting a soccer team well no footy team know a Buddhist footy team and we know we could play the Christians you know just but you know as soon I decided that wouldn't work cuz I started to think about it you know if you started a Buddhist footy team and you played the Christians or you played the Jews or the Muslims or whatever we'd have to play by Buddhist principles first of all let him go if the other two wanted the ball here take it take it compassion cuz you know if the Buddhist team scored a goal that would really disappoint the opposition so you on purpose you'd kick it so you know it missed the posts out of kindness compassion so if we did have a Buddhist team it would always lose
- Can I play for the other side?Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: In his last ever soccer match, for his Cambridge college, the other team turns up with only nine players against eleven. By half-time his side is about six-nil up, so he asks his…
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The last soccer match I ever played this is absolutely true for the college you know which I went to in Cambridge if you know soccer it's 11 aside only nine of their team turned up and we were 11 so we had two more players than they did and at halfime after 45 minutes we were about 6n up it was such a onesided game that I went to my captain and said, "Can I play on the other side for the second half to make a game of it?" He swore at me. He said, "No, we're here to win." And that just I wasn't going to play anymore because for me it was like playing for fun. It didn't matter who won.
- I realized I didn't have to winStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Olympic-prospect distance runner loses his first race; asked why, he says he realised he didn't have to win — compulsion to win had made every race painful.
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This fellow is likely to do so well that he will probably be in the Olympic Games and maybe win a medal for the country." But then what happened, this guy, he lost a race. It's the first time he ever lost a race. And then the friend asked him, "How come you lost this long-distance race?" And the friend said, "Because I realized I didn't have to win
- My son is a sports mechanicJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A Russian boasts his son earns millions. Doctor? Lawyer? No — sports mechanic: he fixes soccer games and cricket matches.
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there was a Russian man and he was so uh he was praising and boasting about his son his son had a job which was bring in2 or three million US doar every year a really big salary and his friends asked what do you do is he a doctor is he a lawyer no said the Russian he is a sports mechanic and sports mechanic I've never heard of that before what does a sports mechanic do well he fixes soccer games he fixes cricket matches he's a sports mechanic I thought was a nice little joke
- 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
- She waved the gold medal at the monkStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: At Sydney 2000 a Thai monk in the Olympic village taught meditation to an Eastern European finalist who could not sleep from stress. Later mother, father and daughter walked…
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this happened in 2000. Sydney Olympics. You know, in the Sydney Olympic Games in New South Wales, the New South Wales government made sure there was like leaders from all the major religions there to serve the athletes. This was a high stress situation. And they even had a monk in there. He was actually a Thai monk [clears throat] who I knew. So he was in the village, the Olympic village, Home Bush Bay, I think that's what it was called, and just if anyone needed him and he said this was actually printed in I think the uh Sydney Morning Herald or something as one of the things which happened during the Olympic Games. He said that one day these three people came to see him, mother, father and daughter from Eastern Europe somewhere. Their daughter had unexpectedly got into the finals of one of the track events. [laughter] Whoever is laughing like that, I like you very much because it's not even funny, but you laugh [laughter] going into the finals. Now, imagine that was you. You know, you exceeded your expectations. You're in the final of the Olympic Games and you'll be on the TV the next day or next couple of days in front of know all your family and friends and people from your home country cheering you on. That is really high stress and so because of that she wasn't able to sleep and she even her training was all over the place. She was overly excited. So the parents uh took this girl to see the monk. You know you know meditation it's one of the things which monks are well known for. You know we can teach meditation. can you please teach our daughter how to relax enough to sleep at night. So he gave her some instructions on meditation. He didn't know what happened next. He didn't watch TV. And in those days we don't have internet. We can't find out what the latest news is. So what happened was that he had didn't know what had happened, what had occurred except he wrote or in an interview that he saw in the Olympic village three people coming towards him again. Now the mother, the father and the athlete in between. They were smiling, big grins on their face. So they knew something good must have happened. And as they came closer, as he described it, the girl in the middle was waving something on a string. [laughter] What do you think that was? A medal. When they came closer, he could see the color gold. And they come to say, "Thank you. Thank you for teaching our athlete daughter how to relax so much that when it came to the finals of these Olympic games, she managed to win the gold medal for her country
- The Colombia coach brought her World Cup teamStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: The head coach of Colombia's women's soccer team, in Perth for the Women's World Cup, came to a Friday talk after listening on YouTube and brought her team for a boost; the next…
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head coach of the Colombian international women's soccer team. They're playing the Women's World Cup in Australia. And one of those teams from Colombia, they were playing here in Perth the following night on a Saturday evening. And she said she'd listened to my talks on YouTube and she brought her team along to be able to get a boost of energy. You know, even like meditation can help. You know, honestly, not exaggerating. Check it out if you wish. That evening or next evening, sorry, Saturday, that Colombia, they beat some other team or something in the women's World Cup. The only team we ever beat, but at least it was because of my chanting
- The day after England lost to PolandStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: As a 22-year-old teacher, Ajahn Brahm watches England fail to qualify for the World Cup after Poland's late goal. Next day all 900 pupils and the staff are so depressed there are…
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One of the experiences I had as a kid, no not as a kid, I was a school teacher, twenty two, just before I went off to Thailand to become a monk, and this is very apt right now because this was World Cup in 1972, 73? Must have been 72. 74? It was World Cup, I don't know. Anyway, around that time. I will never forget this, it was a qualifying match, England versus Poland. Remember I was English. We were watching it on the TV. England only needed to draw to go through to the finals. And it was a close match, they were winning 1 - 0 and at the last moment, Poland scored. And England got knocked out. There was a match, it was a good match, exciting and I enjoyed it. Next day I went to school, all the kids, there were nine hundred kids in that school, and all the staff were all looking down at the floor. You know kids are usually, you know teenagers are usually sometimes naughty in class, this day there was no discipline problems at all because they just couldn't bear to be naughty, they were just so depressed. And I thought it's a bloomin' football match, what are you getting depressed about, it's only soccer, why are you going to spoil a whole day about that?
- The runners who stoppedStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Many people have told Ajahn Brahm about a Paralympic final in which one competitor stumbled just before the line — and instead of racing on, all the others stopped, picked the…
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You remember that sort of just comes to mind the parolympics. I never actually saw this, but so many people talked to him about it in the Parolympic race when one of the competitors in the final fell over and everyone stopped to pick them up and help them along across the line all together. Just what an inspiration that was. Did I describe that correctly? Cuz I I didn't see it cuz I don't watch the TV. They said this was Olympic, Parolympics or finals of some race and the last competitors they trained for years to get to this level and they were in the final watched by millions of people throughout the world and one of the competitors stumbled and fell just a little bit before the light and instead of all the others carrying on to win, they stopped or they all stopped and picked up this person and they all cross the line together. That was inspirational.
- Twelve blessed strings for Sri LankaStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: During a one-day match at the WACA, with Australia hammering Sri Lanka, young helpers come to Ajahn Brahm: the Sri Lankan captain wants holy string from a good monk. He blesses…
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This was the um the time I got into trouble. I had to I had hid this for many years. I should have just admitted it straight away. And that was with the with the um cricket. Many of the Sri Lankans know this story. I haven't told this to the the last uh uh there's a Sri Lankan New Year over in 70th anniversary was it Was it? Or independence or whatever. Anyway, in front of the the former um governor of Western Australia, Quentin Bryce. And she reminded me of this. But fortunately she's she's retired now, so I can't get into any more trouble about this because it was the um sometime people ask, "What are you doing going to the Sri Lankan Independence Day when you're a Brit? You know, that's like you know, that they kicked your ancestors out of the country. So what are you coming to celebrate?" I said, "Because I support Sri Lanka and their cricket team." Because what happened? There was a cricket match between Sri Lanka and Australia at the old West Australian cricket ground, the WACA. And only one day match. And at lunch interval the Australians, they were just hammering the Sri Lankans. They were winning by such a big amount. So some of the boys who actually come here, they were helping out at the stadium. They came here and said, "Ajahn Brahm, Ajahn Brahm, we've been asked by the captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team to get some holy string from a good monk and we think you're a good monk. Can you do this blessing string?" And so now I shouldn't have done this. I mean, it's a ridiculous thing to do, but I I blessed 12 pieces of string. Cuz you know, one for the 12th man in the cricket. I knew cricket. So 12 pieces of string I blessed and I sent them to the ground. You know what happened? Sri Lanka lost. But because they asked for it too late. [laughter] But that was not the really important match because that that was a warm-up game for the World Cup cricket. And as every Sri Lankan knows the Sri Lankans had never won much before. But this they had the final Sri Lanka this World Cup cricket final, Sri Lanka versus Australia. And you know how much Australians love their cricket. And Sri Lanka won. Against all predictions, Sri Lanka beat Australia and won the World Cup cricket. And that was Any Sri Lankan remembers that. Remember the occasion. It was uh the captain. I remember his name, Arjuna Ranatunga. Cuz I saw people show me in the the Western Australian newspaper, the big picture of the captain holding up the World Cup and the whole Sri Lanka, they just celebrated. I don't know for how long. And of course Australia was just so upset. They just missed out. But as he was holding up the cup, you know what I saw? On his hand my string. It was my string which was on all of the cricketers' hands there except the Australians. That was why they won the World Cup. Cuz an Australian monk and it took years before I admitted that. Otherwise I got kicked out of the country.