Stories about travel
26 Buddhist wisdom stories about travel from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- Ajahn Sajato flew to the wrong airportStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Ajahn Sajato flew to the wrong Indonesian city for a conference; as a moneyless monk with no phone he was stuck until someone recognised him and got him on another flight to the…
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ajahn sajata he was going to conference over in indonesia i don't know how he managed to do this but he flew to the wrong airport and he went to the airport and when he went through there's no one to meet him i wonder what the heck's going on and of course being a monk has no money no mobile phone what am i gonna do fortunately in his case anyway somebody recognized him don't just see your buddhist monk where you going he said it's supposed to be a conference here no conference on this town but i managed to find out where the conference was and give him another flight to go to the right place
- Buddha Air — no seats, just cushionsJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Fantasy airline: no seats, sit on cushions, meditate instead of entertainment — twice the passengers, no aisles needed.
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Buddha air where we don't have any seats everybody sits on the ground with little cushion Z underneath they will save a lot of money and get more people in and you don't need inflight entertainment because you just meditate while you're sort of going there so even a small plane you get twice as many people in you don't need the only reason why you have to have these aisles
- Do you know Ajahn Brahm? — asked on Adam's PeakStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: WA politician Mike Nahan told a BSWA gathering that climbing Adam's Peak (Sri Pada) in Sri Lanka, his guide asked who he was; when he said a WA minister, the guide asked: do you…
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the head of the conservative party here in west australia mike nahan some years ago you know he came i think was the head of multicultural affairs when the the tory government was in power here in western australia and so he came along to one of his buddhist um events and he went on to the microphone and he said i just returned from sri lanka i'm part of going to sri lanka this was many years ago was climbing up adam's peak a sui pada and he said the guide there was talking to him and said who are you and he was a minister in the the state government what state government west australia oh do you know our john brown he said right now what they realized that was quite well known over there
- Eye shade for a stranger at ChangiStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: At Changi Airport a Western woman could not sleep on a busy bench after an overnight flight. Ajahn Brahm, carrying eye shades for retreats, gave her one and walked away — her…
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I was going through Changi Airport and saw this Western woman, she was trying to get some sleep on one of the benches and she was moving out all over the place because she'd obviously done an overnight flight and it was in the middle of the day and so busy, she couldn't get any sleep. And I carry all these —what's it called—eye shades because I get these eye shades, I use them for meditation retreats so people can actually meditate and not see things. I had one in my pocket so I... I'd never seen this girl before in my life, and I said, "You're having a hard time sleeping; try one of these." I just remember the look on her face: it was astounded. What? Someone's being kind to me? I don't even know them. And I gave it to her and said, "Have a nice sleep," and walked away. And I know that I made that woman's... certainly her day maybe her week, her month. Simple thing like that just means so much in this world
- Eye shades for a stranger at ChangiStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Between flights at Changi he gives airline eye shades to an exhausted Western woman he does not know; her smile stays with him.
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changy airport once and I saw this poor Western lady trying to get some rest I know what it's like when you've been over an all night flight and you know feel really terrible you just want to get a few hours of sleep before you get your connecting flight and know she was on some sort of couch trying to get some shut ey you know moving all over the place and I had uh I ey Shades you know from the air aircraft and I got out the eye shades she didn't know me I didn't know her I said have some eye shades ma'am
- Feeding the mosquitoesStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Bitten all night in an Indonesian hotel room, Ajahn Brahm reframes the mosquitoes as recipients of his dana: laypeople feed him every day, so tonight he feeds the mosquitoes,…
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there was a room and there was so many mosquitoes were in the room so I was being bitten all night another night without much sleep so what did I do so this is Indonesia's Asia what do you expect there are mosquitoes around it's Asia so I accepted the mosquitoes and I was kind to them because I thought to myself well you know I don't work for my food I don't cook my food and buy it in a supermarket people come and feed me every day so this is my chance of feeding the mosquitoes it was what we called in Buddhism dhana generosity so now I know you know you have to work very hard working hard gaining the food from the supermarket cooking it for me presenting to me sometimes you come all the way to Monastery to feed me so I thought now this is payback time so mosquitoes come on because I thought look they're going to eat me anyway so I might as well give come on take service so you had the choice that you often have in life you can't change the world but you can't change the situation but you can change the way you look at it and as soon as you change the way you look at it there's something much more positive like an act of kindness an act of generosity these poor mosquitoes because have you ever had thought about what a mosquito must feel like you know they're really hungry and they sort of come and land on a human being it's really dangerous imagine you go to a restaurant and you don't know if you're going to come out alive that's what a mosquito does every time so it's also I imagine those mosquitoes you know when they had with that all the time in the world they could relax and drink as much as they wanted most of these mosquitoes because they're so afraid of being swatted they must probably have really bad digestion they're so anxious to get it out of the way quickly and run away as far as they can but so now I gave this beautiful kindness and time please have as much as you like and I got plenty left in there and my bread is pretty good it's like holy blood so it's like giving them a blessing as well
- Free buffet lunch on the Norway ferryStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Hitchhiking student on a cheap Norway–UK ferry; a couple say he reminds them of their son and buy him a huge buffet lunch — first and only such feast.
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cheap boat going over from uh Norway over back to UK. I was just hitchhiking, living on a cheap and this uh couple came up to me and they said, "You remind us of our son who was also hitchhiking during a summer vacation over in Europe." So [snorts] I said, "Please let us give you this wonderful lunch." And they paid for this incredible lunch for me. And it was like a big buffet. And it was actually the first and only
- He ran for the camera and missed the HimalayasStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: On a monsoon trip near Kathmandu he hitch-rides a post truck toward the Tibetan border, climbs a small hill, and for once the clouds part on the full Himalayan range. He races…
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we found out there was the post truck. The post truck would actually deliver letters from Kathmandu, the center, over to the the Tibetan border. And you know, you what is you know, it wasn't we supposed to do this, but the post driver to get a few extra uh rupees would allow a couple of um travelers to go in the back of the post bus, you know, and take them to the Tibetan border then come back again. So, it was a really nice little trip. And so, halfway up there, stopped for tea and then there was a little hill, not a big hill. Took about half an hour to get up. We climbed up or maybe 20 minutes. Climbed up the hill and as soon as you got to the top of the hill, the clouds parted. And you could see the the clear range of the Himalaya mountains from far left to the far right. It was an amazing sight. You know what I did? I ran down the hill to get my camera. I don't know why I did this. Totally stupid. And as you know, fast as I possibly could, I was much fitter and much thinner in those days. Ran down, got the camera out of my little bag, ran back up again and as soon as I got to the top of the the the hill, I could just see just the clouds came up and closed. Just maybe 10 seconds. And then there's a there's another uh couple of travelers there, Americans. They were just They were not smiling. They were just sitting down there just enjoying. And they said, "Where did you go?" And I missed everything and I never saw those Himalayas for the whole trip, 3 months. That was my one chance and I missed it because I wanted to capture it. And to me, there were some things in life you can never capture. And thank you, I learned my lesson there. It was worth it. Later on, you see the Himalayas. But this time, I missed them because I tried to capture them
- I'm leaving — but there's only oceanStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Janice and her husband, finishing a mining contract in WA, sold their house, bought a yacht with another couple and sailed for Vancouver. Mid-Pacific the engine failed; the two…
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Janice was uh from Canada came with her husband he was working up in the mines somewhere some engineer here on a contract when it finished they had to go back home to Canada the young couple and they were very smart very wise instead of doing what most people would do get an air ticket they decid no no let's sell the little house we have and use the money to buy a boat so they got a yacht idea let's sail to Vancouver in Canada when we get there sell the the yacht we got our deposit for the next house a brilliant idea you have an adventure of a lifetime imagine that my sailing from Perth you know over to the north of Australia and then through the South Seas over to you know maybe up the Atlantic coast eventually up to Vancouver like a journey of a lifetime and on the cheap too because you know you buy the boat you sell it when you get to the other end brilliant idea and of course you know they wrote to us when they arrived safely back in Vancouver but what Janice said in the story you in a letter a brilliant thing happened in the middle of the ocean their engine stored that actually I should have said that Janice and a husband they teamed up with another couple two married couples you know to help on the journey so in the middle of the ocean so the engine store they will be calm they couldn't go anywhere now this was 26 years ago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean you can't call up the RAC you're stuck you have to fix it up for yourself no satellite phones so you're in big trouble but you know they had a good tool kit and they knew what they were doing and so the two guys went into the engine room to sort out the the problem with the engine the two girls apparently were on Deck reading magazines sexist but that was 26 years ago so two guys in the engine room now any of you guys who've ever tried to fix up an engine you know that sometimes as I said in the book it just does not want to be fixed up and they were getting more and more frustrated maybe you haven't tried to fix up an an engine of a boat but maybe you try to fix up your computer and you start swearing that's what these guys did they started swearing cuz they're getting frustrated and frustration led to blaming each other it's your fault stupid and blaming each other soon led to a full on argument and the argument got to such a high level of conflict that one of them threw down their wrench in anger and said right that's it I'm leaving and this actually occurred he was so mad with his rage he went to his cabin he actually changed cleaned up he's all dirty changed into his best clothes packed his bags and appeared on Deck carrying his two suitcases and the two women almost fell off the boat laughing cuz he looked around and there was ocean in all directions as far as you could see there's no place to go so he had only one choice red in the face with embarrassment he turned around went back to his cabin got back changed back into his work clothes back into the engine room to help out and they ended that Voyage as they began the best of friends I love that story CU that's like our world we like a boat in the ocean there's nowhere to go you may think right that's it I'm leaving where you going to go to instead go back into the anent room help your enemy fix up the problem
- “It's only fat” — “Same thing”Joke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Travelling through the US with only his one small bag, a customs officer asks where the rest of his baggage is, then what's under his robe — a suicide belt? He opens his robe:…
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When I was uh traveling through United States a few years ago, they looked at me, I only have my my bag. That's my baggage. Said, "Where's the rest of your baggage, sir?" said, "This is all I have." He said, "Well, what's underneath your robe?" And what this customs agent said, we said, "Is there a suicide belt under Europe?" Because in those days people would use suicide bolts. And so I opened up my R said, "No, it's suicide belt. It's only fat." And that's when the customs officer said, "Same thing.
- Late-night Thai TV in BangkokStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: After flying Perth–Bangkok from a 3.30 a.m. start, Ajahn Brahm is scheduled for a 10.30 p.m. live Thai TV interview. Nested: the Perth Thai talk hearers thought was Pali. On air…
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It was very, very dodgy when I went to Bangkok all the way from Perth, getting up really early in the morning, to get to the airport, to get on the plane, I got up about 3.30 in the morning, and by the time I got to Bangkok late in the afternoon, I found out they had scheduled me for a TV interview at 10.30 p.m. I just had time for a quick shower and [went] back to the studios, which is not so bad, but it was in Thai. Sometimes you think I'm fluent in Thai, but once - here in Perth - there were some visiting Thai people and they asked for some teaching, so I taught them maybe 15 minutes of Buddhism in Thai. And afterwards they said they were so impressed. "We didn't realize that you could give a speech in Pali." [audience laughing] That wasn't Pali, that was Thai! "Oh", the Thai people said, "really?" In other words, they didn't understand a word of it - not one word. [audience laughing] And here I was on live TV, making an idiot of myself, I thought, speaking in Thai, but I did really well. There were actually two other Thai people there, two Thai monks being interviewed, one was the rector of Mahajula Lukon university Venerable Dammakosaja and he was very good, but the other fellow being interviewed was a Thai monk who was a resident in a Buddhist monastery in Oxford. And apparently, afterwards, my Thai, even though I'm a Westerner, that came across much more fluent than this Thai guy who was staying at Oxford for the last few years. [audience laughing] And I thought "How can that be?" Well, I was from Cambridge and he was from Oxford. Cambridge is always supreme.
- LAX bomb scare — LAPD with machine gunsStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Los Angeles airport bomb scare wakes him better than coffee; Canadian-terminal walk; LAPD car screeches up with sirens; cops emerge with semi-automatics — not for him.
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bomb scare that was actually wonderful having a bomb scare because it's very boring going on this aircraft we have a bomb scare and wow wonderful it wakes you up it's better than a cup of coffee and it was it got a lovely story for me which I mentioned here at the time because as I was going from one terminal cuz a Canadian aircraft came in one time I had just to walk only a couple hundred meters so without in the single Airlines terminal M was walking a police car you know an LAPD police car right in the movies came screaming down with it Sirens flashing and zooo it really exciting and it screeched to a hul right in front of me like put on the brake stand and went kind of halfway up the pavement and I thought my God they're going to arrest me what have I done they weren't interested in me instead these two cops came out and they didn't have guns they had like semi automatic machine guns I thought wow this is really in
- Minus 36 — airports closedStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Visiting somewhere so cold (about −36°) that airports and roads shut; wandering in a frozen world becomes the talk's 'infinite wonder' image.
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minus 36°. Really incredibly cold. So they closed down the airports. There was nothing on the roads. So when I went out they say only mad monks and English men go out in the so to say midday sun but this is in the the wintry cold. I had boots on and scarves and woolly hats and everything. So I was quite insulated from the freezing cold. But it was one of the most magnificent experiences of my life
- No toilet stopsStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: On a six- or seven-hour bus journey across north-east Thailand, the senior monk (captioned as Ajahn Liem) says there's no time for toilet stops: he walks down the bus handing…
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when I was in Northeast Thailand we were going on a long bus ride over the northeast of Thailand maybe six or seven hours and they they had monk who was among kodachi and Liam he said we haven't got time to do Todd it stops so he came down the bus and handed every monk about three plastic bags and some rubber elastic bands is they were just in the bus your monks just in a plastic bag rubber band and then we can get rid of it on the destination Center Friday night no oh come on and the eighth of the Box we Rebel said no way stop the bus
- On top of the pyramid at TikalAnalogy · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: At 18, in 1969, before university, Ajahn Brahm got bored of the USA and travelled into the jungles of Central America — buses, fishing boats, a river between British Honduras and…
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one of the great ways I figured out how to overcome confusion was uh a time when I was 19 no 18 only 18 and I went to uh just before going up to University went over to United States you know just didn't have a gap year but a gap three or four months and I got really bored with being in the US it just like any other country and just to the south over the Border was Mexico and a little bit South in the jungles of Central America and that was really interesting because there was indigenous cultures over there which were totally different than anything which I had known and so I went into the jungles of the Yucatan Peninsula in bordering Mexico and Guatemala and I always wanted to go and visit those great pyramids in the middle of the jungles and those were 1969 there was no other way to get to that central part of the Jungle except on Old buses and fishing boats and uh trucks on the back of heavily Laden trucks going through the jungle it was like an adventure and I always remember just going down this river which separated uh bise British Honduras and Guatemala and you know it was literally just jungle on either side any moment I expected Taren to come swinging through on the trees and there was a Dugout boat with a couple of Indians indigenous uh jungle dwellers totally naked and I remember we stopped at the cafe and the Cafe was this is old thatch and bamboo Hut which serve this incredibly thick and sweet coffee and black beans with tortilla absolutely delicious probably terrible for your health but absolutely delicious and just going from there to the end of the river and then on the back of a truck and for about 3 days traveling through the jungle until you got to the the pyramids in teal and as soon as I arrived there there was I think one person supposed to be maybe an archaeologist was fossing around but no one else was there it was no sort of place where you had to pay entrance fees no shop selling artifacts or selling uh Cups of Tea it was actually totally sort of free and no signs telling what you could do what you couldn't do so I was an 18-year-old boy so you know what 18-year-old men do when they see a pyramid climb it don't worry do those things but so I climbed it not knowing what I'd find at the top but when I got to the top of this PID it's a long way up there I found a story about confusion and about insight and about wisdom and about truth because I was told that these pyramids have some religious or spiritual significance but I hadn't any idea what I never I couldn't afford any guide book and I hadn't done any research at all about those ancient um Mayan civilization they disappeared and no one actually knows why they disappeared and so it was totally unknown it's beautiful if you can have what we call like this open empty mind whenever you face any experiences because if you expect to find something if you know what you're supposed to see it spoils the whole experience you're not open to truth and seeing things in incredible beautiful ways and so as soon as I climbed on the top of that pyramid it was obvious to me what they were there for because I'd spent three days at least traveling in the jungle and if you ever been in real rainforest real jungle which hasn't been developed you'll find that any road or path they cut through the jungle within a few days gets covered over with this this Jungle which is full of Life trees branches they all cover over the path so you are literally traveling through tunnels and I'd never seen the Horizon for 3 days I never seen any far distances and now for the first time in 3 days I climbed up to the top of that pyramid and it was just above thee tree line and now I could see the Horizon these great distances and first of all I thought wow what it would be like to have been born in that jungle spent all your life never see seeing far distances and for the first time some priest takes you up to the top of that pyramid and now you can see Infinity in all directions with nothing between you and the infinite in every direction wow the metaphor was so striking you understand why sometimes when we put things between you and whatever you take to be the infinite in other words religions that that blocks you experiencing the vast emptiness and space there's no barriers there as you stand on top of that pyramid and see forever in every direction and of course afterwards then I looked down at the jungle and you could see where you'd come from it took days to get there but you know because it was Jungle you can't travel fast it's not like the freeway it takes forever and on the top there you can see these great distances I could see the village which I slept in the night before wasn't that far away away and you got the What I Call These Days a Google map view of the Jungle now I was not confused and I use that simil about how to overcome confusion in life wherever it happens to be cuz confusion is like you're right inside the jungle and you can't see great distances all you can see is the next tree the next Vine the next Bush and you know you don't know where you are where you should go even where you've come from to arrive here and the obvious solution when it's confusion is to try and find metaphorically a way to get out of that jungle a tree a tower or in this case a pyramid so you're actually out of your confused little lifestyle that your um entangled web of relationships emotions where you're climbed out beyond the the thicket of thoughts and when you climb out above that you can see from above all the confusion is resolved not only can you can see where you come from you can see where you need to go the path to go on you can also understand why you had to come that way and the greatest thing is to being above all of that thinking emotions difficulty entanglements you're so high above all of that for little while that you can see this great emptiness Infinity foreverness which Embraces and covers everything and gives it some meaning wow so I always thought that that was the meaning of those great pyramids only works in the jungle because it gives you that few moments where you're totally free of confusion
- Perth Airport: 'That's my favorite book'Story · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Landing at Perth Airport around 11 pm after Taiwan, the immigration officer asks if he has written any books. When he names Opening the Door of Your Heart she lights up — it is…
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it's even just coming back last night, 11:00, I think, through Perth Airport. You know, just after you Those of you who do travel like me, as soon as you sort of go through the immigration, they check your card to see whether you go through straight through the um the customs or you have to get things x-rayed and stuff. And the lady who sort of checked me said, "Have you written any books?" Said, "Yeah, I've written this book, Open the Door of Your Heart." "You are Open the Door of Your Heart. That's my favorite book. I bought three extra copies to give to my friends. It's so wonderful. You're such a great man." Go through. Now, it's very nice being able to go through instead of getting everything checked and standing in line.
- The Japanese monk who just started walkingStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A Japanese fellow-monk of Ajahn Chah flew to Tokyo to visit family in the north without telling them, walked from the airport with no money or plans, made the news, and was taken…
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there's one monk he was a japanese monk a friend of mine and uh now with ajanchar and he decided to go and visit his family in japan but instead of actually just arranging everything he never even told his family he was coming his family lived up in the north of japan he just arrived at the airport in tokyo just got out of the uh the aircraft and just went to the customs and had his passport stabbed and then started walking just walked into tokyo and then just where he rested that night was just in the park in the morning got up and started walking again and you know we just had no plans no money first couple of days didn't get anything to eat but did you know go on arms round in tokyo and as he was walking somebody saw him he said who are you because he was japanese he spoke obviously perfect japanese language and then he said he was just a monk he's walking from the airport to visit his family and of course that was newsworthy he got on the news and after he got on the news the thai ambassador to japan saw that and so at last a real monk someone who doesn't make plans doesn't have money to survive somewhere and sleep outside and just walk and just living with the uncertainty of life and that she took him under her wing and just really looked after him and she later on became the ambassador thai ambassador to australia so you know she came here a couple of times that was suchitra and that's where she got her faith in buddhism again
- The monk in the front seat of the busStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Thais believe a monk's good karma protects those behind him, so monks are seated at the front of buses. Travelling from Chonburi to Bangkok, the young Ajahn Brahm is waved on…
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this happened once accurate story I was traveling from chury to Bangkok not a long distance only 2 hours thank goodness cuz as soon as I got in this big bus the bus driver smiled he didn't want to take any money he just put me right in the front seat about that far from the wind screen because there was a movie on that bus which he really wanted to to watch but he was scared of crashes so he always had to pay attention to the road now I was there taking care of crashes he could watch the movie as much as he wanted and I was watching all these big trucks and cars just hurtling towards our buz as was going over the road to the other side fortunately we survived so it's obviously it was true but I tried that once when I was flying in tight Airways I was in economy class and I told the flight attendant you know sometimes uh aircraft crash into mountains so why don't you put me up front and then I can protect everyone behind because you know up front is first class on his business I thought it was a very strong argument but they wouldn't accept it so so I had to stay in economy
- The NHS invitation — bad for my healthStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: After an HR conference in London (business class, hotel, family visit paid), the UK National Health Service asked him back to Birmingham for the same talk. He replied that they…
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I got another invitation from uh the National Health Service in UK. They said they attended my talk they liked it. Can you please come back to London? Actually the their conference was being held in Birmingham. can you please come to Birmingham in UK to give the same talk for the National Health Service? And I replied to them. I said, "Listen, you're the National Health Service. You should know better. I've just did an international tour, a long flight all the way from from London back to Perth, and now you want me to come back again. That's bad for my health." and you're the National Health Service. The lady who invited me wrote this lovely letter back saying, "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. That's on my desk. It cheers me up. Instead of complaining, you made me laugh. Made me happy
- The nun and the last pokie coinStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: After a UK retreat a famous Buddhist nun must eat before midday; the only place is next to a pub with pokies; the driver feeds coins as she arrives — last-coin / one-armed-bandit…
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this nun, a very famous Buddhist nun, who was teaching a retreat over in UK. That's what I'm going to do after on Monday or Tuesday. Two retreats, two small retreats. So she was teaching a retreat in UK, and when the retreat was finished, had to drive to Heathrow Airport to fly back to I think she had a monastery in Germany. I shouldn't give too much [clears throat] I will give all the details, why not? She's dead now. So anyway, after teaching the retreat, they had to go to have something to eat cuz monks and nuns, we have to eat finish eating before midday. So the only place they could find, it was a restaurant, but next to a pub. You're not supposed to go in a pub, but it's only just going in the front door and then a side door into the restaurant. Nothing wrong with that. So they went there, they had their their lunch, and when they paid for it, had to pay for it in English money. It was in the days before credit cards. And so they had their change, had a few English coins which they couldn't it's not really worth um exchanging, there's not enough of them. So the driver had about £6 of English coins to get rid of. There's a good solution. There's one of these what we call in Australia pokie machines. I know in in UK we used to call them one-armed bandits
- The parrot ordered whiskeyJoke · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Passenger and parrot on a cut-price airline; attendant asks for drinks; parrot demands whiskey; attendant shocked; passenger only wants tea.
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there was this guy sitting next to a parrot and then when the flight attendant came said can I get you something to drink the parrot said give me whiskey you who the flight attender was really shocked and really confused and the guy said no can I have a cup of tea please and the flight attendant still in shock you know went to the galley and brought a whiskey back for the parrot and the guy said no my cup of tea
- The patient monk's police escortStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Asked what a patient monk does on a four-hour, 220 km drive from Bangkok airport to a retreat, Ajahn Brahm reveals he got a police escort and arrived in two hours — and was…
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what happened to me last week when I went to Thailand to teach a Meditation Retreat this is know how a monke is patient cuz I landed at the airport and it was a 220 km uh ride to the uh Retreat Center I was giving my retreat so it usually takes about 4 hours hours so what does a monk do for 4our Journey I'll tell you what I did I got police escort we we we we only took me 2 hours that's what happens when you're a patient monk you get there faster than anybody it's very fun being a monk having a police escort but I was very disappointed when I came back to Perth where's my police car actually once when I was in Sri Lanka that was given a police escort down the G a very busy road and so you know I had a policeman in front of me in the car with the cers waiting and I was sitting in the back with know a friend who was a driver and the driver's one I think his brother passed him on the other side of the road he didn't realize he was taking a monk to sort of an important engagement and his his brother seeing his uh uh this know the friend seeing his brother behind a police car sort of rang him on his mobile phone are you in trouble do you want a lawy is anything I could do so that's one of the problem troubles if you follow uh if you're following a police car think people think youve broken the law
- The sandflies weren't in the brochureStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Invited to teach in New Zealand, Ajahn Brahm gets a brochure of Alpine mountains and placid lakes — just the kind of place a monk loves. But in the South Island he can't stand…
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I remember to seeing a cuz I was invited to give some talks in New Zealand and so I got a brocher on New Zealand the most beautiful countryside there and know his mountains you know like the lakes with his like the Alps with his beautiful Placid lakes and there wonderful scenery there and I thought wow that is the sort of place a monk likes to go to mountains lakes beautiful Forest but when I went there I couldn't stand still for one minute sandflies for those who've been to New Zealand you know what I'm talking about and the South Island sandflies everywhere and so it was very tranquil on the pictures but the glossy u crossy pictures in the magazine they couldn't show you the sandflies
- The sniffer dog at Perth AirportStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Back from an early trip to Sri Lanka, his robe smelling of spices and curries, Ajahn Brahm queues at Perth Airport passport control. The sniffer dog stops at him, buries its nose…
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that actually happened once I love telling this story I was coming back from Sri Lanka this is one of the early trips to Sri Lanka I don't know what's in Sri Lanka but they got so many scents and curries and you know sometimes you spill things on your robe so when I came through Perth Airport and was queuing up to the passport control and they were taking the sniffer dogs up the lines of passengers up and down up and down they go and when they came to me the dogs stopped and honestly buried his nose in my robe and was wagging its tail ferociously and the hand I tried to put it away it wouldn't go poor poor poor and when it was pulled away the person in front of me looked around and took a step further away from me now we're not traveling with this guy and a World Behind also and everyone was looking at me and then it takes in that you've been through Perth Airport it takes forever on these cues and lines and that gave them time to do a second check they came up again and the dog stopped again now everyone was really looking at me now and of course as soon as you got through the passport control come over here sir and they the Customs officer he was so fortunately you know I don't have suitcases just have my bag actually where is it actually I travel this is all I travel with so it's very easy have a look inside it just takes five minutes had a look inside and he said what's under your rope nothing ever Easter Flash because Navy got Zips and stuff it's so hard to actually turn to take off things I didn't have to take off I just open up and show them yeah it'd be good fun being a mark you could just be a bit you know a bit crazy because you're dressed crazy so people sort of expect it so anyway and afterwards you said well well why did the dog stop at you and I just started to explain about loving kindness and compassion and this Castle though I said get out of here get out of here
- Tiger's Nest climb — then a hot bathStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: Bhutan: climbs Tiger's Nest in thin air panting; hotel has a bath — usually too much indulgence for a monk, but after the climb he soaks.
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bhutan and went climbing up the the tiger's nest and then it's a it's not that far up but it's like very low oxygen in the air so you're always panting just getting up there that's what you know what really makes it very arduous physically we're getting up there and coming back down again where they were letting me stay the night was in a hotel which had a bath i had a hot bath now usually as a monk that's too much indulgence
- Vomiting through the book signingStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: On an Indonesia tour Ajahn Brahm's stomach turns during a talk and the book-signing queue. He finishes signing, runs to his room and vomits, then calms his sore tummy with the…
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one night when I was in Indonesia I was up most of the night vomiting what happens when you travel people are very kind they give you all sorts of food you don't know what food is the proper food for you and it's and it happened when I was giving a talk you start to feel the stomach start to move and move and all these people were waiting for you to give an exciting talk like this evening and afterwards to sign the books and just you know have photographs afterwards and the I could vomit while I was having a photograph taken with somebody but it's wonderful that how as over the years of meditation practice how you've learned to deal with this sort of stuff and it's actually so easy with a bit of practice exactly what I was teaching you during the meditation period you're aware these feelings now the rumbling in your stomach and the feeling that something very very wrong in there what most people do they get excited they get sort of worried but for me I don't get excited or worried anymore just leave it alone and give it lights of kindness and kindness so it just relaxed enough to finish off the sighting of the books and then run to the room and vomit but even afterwards you know it's sometimes you know people get so much negativity to being sick for me I always look to the positive side of sickness because I was vomiting it was at least that day I lost a bit of weight [Laughter] it's interesting stuff to see what you know I got in my tummy all the time and after a while it all just disappeared and vanished but afterwards with a very sore tummy and tried to get a few hours of sleep again I did exactly what I was teaching you there to relax the body relaxing relax and relax it until any of that pain ache or even the aftermath of a sore tummy just vanishes completely away and because practicing this for such a long time whenever you do have any pain or sickness irritation it's so easy now for me to deal with it you feel it that's the mindfulness really aware of the irritation the pain the sickness whatever it is that's a mindfulness and I keep saying mindfulness is not enough you do need to have the kindness that little extra thing which helps so much you've got your focus right now do something to care for this little body of yours and so I give my little tummy some kind that's all you poor little tummy I'm sorry for putting that in there with you I didn't realize what I was putting in there I do apologize please forgive me you know I'm not your enemy I love your little tummy whatever it is you treat it with kindness and it's amazing just how it relaxes you can actually feel it and you feel it you relax it some more you feel it relax more you give it more kindness and it relaxes and relaxes until it totally softens or just like this morning walking out for breakfast past the dogs in Bali if you've been to Bali there's always dogs around the place so you give them kindness nice dog you're fine woof woof no stuff wolf nice dog and it comes totally down that's like my tummy my tummy was like this dog woofing at me all night and I just calmed it down and calmed it down until it stopped barking it stopped vomiting