Wisdom from Experience

0:00 And again, I still remember those first times which I did meditation. Even the first meditation I ever did was only for five minutes. A monk was, a Tibetan monk, was introducing just how to meditate just by following his instructions, only for five minutes. But even that, it felt good. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:32 I always follow those intuitive feelings rather than theories and that would always be more reliable to lead you into understanding what this meditation was, how peaceful it made you. Report an error in the passage at 0:32 Highlight the passage at 0:32

0:49 But not just peaceful, how more intuition, how much more intuitive you become by calming down all these thoughts and comments and being more Sort of insightful. Report an error in the passage at 0:49 Highlight the passage at 0:49

1:06 Last week, a good example, usually, or not usually, but sometimes on a Sunday, when I go back from this temple here, back to Bodhinyana Monastery, often I just take the opportunity to go and visit Ajahn Santutthi over in Rolling Stone in Kusala Hermitage. It just gives an opportunity to connect again together, find out if there's anything he needs, how things are going. I would always much prefer that than sending emails or telephone calls. Report an error in the passage at 1:06 Highlight the passage at 1:06

1:45 I know there's many other things you can do like chat GPT or something like that. I'm an old mug, I don't know those things. It's much nicer to be able to find out how people are going by sitting next to them and just talking. Report an error in the passage at 1:45 Highlight the passage at 1:45

2:01 That's how I feel anyway. One of the things which Ajahn Suntuti was doing in his temple over in Rolling Stone, that he was teaching a meditation retreat afternoon. Only the afternoon for a few hours. And the people who were going to that little afternoon session, I started to look at them. They were all very young. Report an error in the passage at 2:01 Highlight the passage at 2:01

2:33 Ah, you can stay and cough, please. Don't need to go. But anyhow, they were really young and I started doing a little bit of math and realized that some of those could have been these students I taught in Rolling Stone Primary School about 20, 30 years ago. I was invited to give a talk at the primary school. Report an error in the passage at 2:33 Highlight the passage at 2:33

3:06 But no one told me who exactly I was going to give the talk to. And it was grade ones and grade twos. Now grade ones and grade twos, you can't talk about Four Noble Truths, you can't talk about dependent origination or rebirth or things like that. How on earth can you teach some kids? Six or seven years of age, not seven years of age, five and six years of age. I like those challenges simply because I've never done it before and it makes you become more intuitive. Report an error in the passage at 3:06 Highlight the passage at 3:06

3:52 So what I did on that occasion was actually to ask them a simple question. They were all sitting in front of me and their parents were on the side because Rolling Stone at that time was a very strong Christian. community, and they were wondering what on earth was a Buddhist monk doing to their kids. So I just asked him a simple question. The simple question was, how many of you kids don't like rice pudding? Report an error in the passage at 3:52 Highlight the passage at 3:52

4:31 Simple question. Rice pudding, how many of you don't like it? And of course, you know, Five and six year olds, they look around, see what other people are going to answer. About three or four of those kids put their hand up. They certainly did not like to eat rice pudding. Report an error in the passage at 4:31 Highlight the passage at 4:31

4:53 And then the other kids looked at them. So they put their hand up as well. And then after about five minutes, all the children in that group, every one of them, put their hand up. They agreed they did not like rice pudding. Report an error in the passage at 4:53 Highlight the passage at 4:53

5:13 Thank you. Now please put your hand down. I'm going to ask another question. Can you please put your hand up if you've ever eaten rice pudding? Report an error in the passage at 5:13 Highlight the passage at 5:13

5:26 And only about six or seven kids put their hand up. They'd eaten rice pudding. And the wonderful thing was that all those kids, they started laughing. So did their parents. So did their teachers who were watching. It was a wonderful way to start the little talk to little kids. What things don't you like? Have you ever eaten them or tried them? Report an error in the passage at 5:26 Highlight the passage at 5:26

5:59 A lot of times it's amazing just how we stop so many things in life which are kind of nice for us or good for us and other things we just continue on doing which are still painful. How much of our life know, I don't know. Report an error in the passage at 5:59 Highlight the passage at 5:59

6:18 Meditation is not based on experience. This is one thing which I found really important. Because I saw so often that many philosophies and religions sounded good, but were they really based on experience? And then when I came across things like meditation, that's the only way to learn what meditation is, how it works, is to experience it. Report an error in the passage at 6:18 Highlight the passage at 6:18

6:50 And it kind of blows your mind. There's so many wonderful experiences which you've seen and also experienced which kind of should be impossible but happen. Just like your health. How on earth can you be healthy when you just sit cross-legged for so many hours of the day? Wouldn't it be better to exercise? Would it? Report an error in the passage at 6:50 Highlight the passage at 6:50

7:25 What would you say? And that's actually what you do. And oftentimes, people ask me, and I've known many of you for such a long time, they say, Ajahn Brahm, you should do some more exercise. Report an error in the passage at 7:25 Highlight the passage at 7:25

7:44 And I say, I prefer sitting down cross-legged, being still. That's crazy, you're just too lazy. But honestly, when you sit perfectly still, You get so much more healthier. Even just like a few moments ago when I was meditating, you can feel your body. You can actually see it. This is my own CT scanner. Okay, there was this man who went to the vet and he said, my dog's really sick. Report an error in the passage at 7:44 Highlight the passage at 7:44

8:30 And the vet looked at the dog. He said, your dog is not sick. Your dog is dead. I said, no, no, no, it's just sick. That's what it does when it's sick. It just lays there. And he said, no, it is dead. I don't agree with that, said the owner of the dog. So the vet had to do a test. So what the vet did to make sure the owner understood what the problem was, he got a little cat from one of the cages. Report an error in the passage at 8:30 Highlight the passage at 8:30

9:03 And he got the cat, who was very much alive, and put the cat, the cat's nose, right in front of the dog's nose. And the cat went, the cat was just squealing in front of the dog. The dog never moved. He put the cat on the dog's backside, and the cat tried to scratch the dog. Again, the dog never moved. Turned the dog on his back and put this cat, Right on the dog's soft belly and the cat just was still. So the owner said, my dog would never do that if he was alive. Report an error in the passage at 9:03 Highlight the passage at 9:03

9:46 I admit it, the dog is dead. Sometimes that's how much we have to do to prove to people that your dog has lost its life. But then the vet gave the bill to this. Owner of the dog. And that, when the owner of the dog looked at the bill, it almost like killed the owner. $1,020. Report an error in the passage at 9:46 Highlight the passage at 9:46

10:19 $1,020, how can you justify that? Said the owner of the dog. $20, you know, was for my fee, and $1,000 for the CAT scan. Report an error in the passage at 10:19 Highlight the passage at 10:19

10:36 That's what he used to say, CT scans. Report an error in the passage at 10:36 Highlight the passage at 10:36

10:41 I'm glad you laughed, thank you. But it's kind of innovative. And so many times, like, I love telling the stories when I get... I kind of do this half on purpose, I must admit. When I did get invited to give a talk at... Oh, before then. When I gave a talk... at a human resources conference in Singapore. What am I doing talking about HR? Report an error in the passage at 10:41 Highlight the passage at 10:41

11:21 I'm a monk. I know about meditation. But this was a big conference. I was supposed to give the keynote address in UK. This was at a big conference center they had there in Docklands. Newly built. And you know, because it was UK, That's where my home was, where I was born. And very few people know that actually I was born in the bush. Report an error in the passage at 11:21 Highlight the passage at 11:21

11:55 I was. Shepherd's Bush. It's one of the suburbs of London. Report an error in the passage at 11:55 Highlight the passage at 11:55

12:03 That's a joke. Report an error in the passage at 12:03 Highlight the passage at 12:03

12:07 But, you know, I told my brother I was going to give a talk at this place. And so he never replied. So I went there. And these people, They paid business class airfares to go all the way to UK to give a talk at this convention center. It was like high class. And I was told by the organizer when I got there early, they said, there's a couple of people outside who say they know you. Report an error in the passage at 12:07 Highlight the passage at 12:07

12:46 They're trying to get in for free. And I said, really? And then... It says it's your brother and his daughter, your niece. So I went to the entrance to check out. He never told me he was coming. And he worked for a bank. He was reasonably wealthy. I told him off. Why are you trying to get in for free? Report an error in the passage at 12:46 Highlight the passage at 12:46

13:12 You can afford it. And he said, you know how much they're charging to listen to your talk? And it was like, this was quite a few years ago, about £100 per person. Report an error in the passage at 13:12 Highlight the passage at 13:12

13:26 Now I know how cheaply you're getting this talk this evening. Report an error in the passage at 13:26 Highlight the passage at 13:26

13:34 It's supposed to be 100 quid per person. How many people in this room today? The Buddhist Society of Western Australia, you're losing a lot of money by not charging at the gate. But anyway, he said, okay, you can get in. And the other person was my niece. You know what my niece calls me? Come on, I told you this before. Report an error in the passage at 13:34 Highlight the passage at 13:34

13:55 My uncle. Report an error in the passage at 13:55 Highlight the passage at 13:55

13:59 That's kind of right, isn't it? My uncle. But mankle, it makes much more sense. So anyway, but then, what do you do teaching at a human resources conference? What does meditation and Buddhist teach you about simple things like running a company and having human resources? Report an error in the passage at 13:59 Highlight the passage at 13:59

14:22 Well, it teaches you so many beautiful things. Because I remember just giving a similar talk over in... Because I've been traveling and traveling next week in Cathay Pacific. That's, you know, the Hong Kong airline. Report an error in the passage at 14:22 Highlight the passage at 14:22

14:45 And I gave a talk in there. Many Thai people work for Cathay Pacific. And they invited me to their place and eventually invited me to give a talk. It was a very popular talk. So they also... Oh, it's many years ago now. It shouldn't matter. They also invited me to go into their training section where they train all the pilots and all of the staff. Report an error in the passage at 14:45 Highlight the passage at 14:45

15:13 So even they let me sit in the pilot seat where the pilots get trained. I'm not supposed to be able to do that. They took the photos of me of Captain Ajahn Brahm. Any pilots here? Commercial pilots? Report an error in the passage at 15:13 Highlight the passage at 15:13

15:34 Good. But what they do, they have the window which the pilots face and just press a button. You can choose which airport it looks like. Press a button for New York and it looks like New York. Press a button and it looks like Perth Airport, Sydney Airport. Just a little button on the screen. It looks like you're landing at all these different airports. Report an error in the passage at 15:34 Highlight the passage at 15:34

16:05 I shouldn't have done that but anyway it was good fun. But also why I did that was because the HR manager for Cathay Pacific listened to the talk and found it was really helpful and he employed many of the things which I said there in the training for Cathay Pacific for all their staff. One of those was the Empress Free Questions simile. Report an error in the passage at 16:05 Highlight the passage at 16:05

16:35 This is stuff which is basic Buddhism, but which really applies to anybody in any organization, in any company. In brief, amply three questions. When is the most important time? Who is the most important person? And what's the most important thing to do? When was the last time I said this here? Hopefully it's a while and enough of you don't remember the answers. Report an error in the passage at 16:35 Highlight the passage at 16:35

17:06 The first answer is very easy. When is the most important time? Exactly. When is the most important time to say sorry if you've hurt someone? Report an error in the passage at 17:06 Highlight the passage at 17:06

17:21 Now, please. You know, many of you have partners, you have kids, you have parents. You made a mistake. Don't ever say, I'm going to say sorry tomorrow. It never comes. Do it right away, right now. Report an error in the passage at 17:21 Highlight the passage at 17:21

17:40 That feels so much more alive and worthwhile. So now is the most important time. Who is the most important person? If you know the right answer, please be quiet. Who is the most important person in the whole world? Report an error in the passage at 17:40 Highlight the passage at 17:40

17:59 Me? No way. The answer is just amazing. Most people, if they haven't heard the right answer, they say oneself. It's totally wrong. It kind of shows just how selfish our world has become, that we're the most important person. It's wrong. The correct answer, the most important person in the whole world, is the one right in front of you, whoever that happens to be. Report an error in the passage at 17:59 Highlight the passage at 17:59

18:36 Now I'm not always right in front of you. Somebody got your eyes closed. But the depth of that answer, if you're like working, Report an error in the passage at 18:36 Highlight the passage at 18:36

18:49 On the check-in counter at Cathay Pacific, or you're working as a flight attendant, the captain of the aircraft's not important, they're in a cockpit somewhere. The one right in front of you, the one you're looking at, the one you're talking with. That made so much sense to me. When I first read that, I was still a student. And sometimes, some of these professors who were giving a lecture, you'd go up to them afterwards and ask a question. Report an error in the passage at 18:49 Highlight the passage at 18:49

19:19 And when you ask the question, they try and get rid of you. You weren't important. You were just a scruffy little student. They had more important people to talk with. Have you experienced that? I don't mind saying what they say in English. That sucks. That's terrible. That's not how a person should actually respond to someone. Report an error in the passage at 19:19 Highlight the passage at 19:19

19:43 If the littlest kid in this hall comes up, And asked me a question. If they're right here, right in front of me, I really try to make sure they feel like they are the most important person in the whole world to me. Or the oldest, middle age, I don't care who you are. You may be deformed, maybe going through a bad cancer, I don't care. Report an error in the passage at 19:43 Highlight the passage at 19:43

20:12 It's if you're right in front of me, you are really important. And that changes my life. I don't... I like seeing this, that sometimes when you see my teacher, Ajahn Chah, sometimes really famous people would come up to ask questions. And they just sit anywhere. They would never be given a front seat. Actually today, the most important people, which is right in front of me, are the ghosts right in front. Report an error in the passage at 20:12 Highlight the passage at 20:12

20:49 Is that true, Eddie? Yes. But it means I don't know who I'm going to be talking to. If they're right in front, they are the most valuable person. And the most important thing to do is not to get rid of them, not to get a donation for the Buddhist society or stuff like that. The most important thing is to be kind. When you experience kindness from someone, I mean real kindness, how many times does that change your life? Report an error in the passage at 20:49 Highlight the passage at 20:49

21:25 Or if... You see someone else being kind. That's really beautiful. Just one of those kind things which I remember was when this Laotian lady years ago, she was sent to Perth as a refugee. And all her family was sent over to the United States, to Oregon. And I don't know how that mistake happened. But if you're a refugee and most of your family is on the other side of the world and you're sort of here, that's really, really tough. Report an error in the passage at 21:25 Highlight the passage at 21:25

22:08 And it got very hard for her when she got a, I forget, it was telephone or fax in those days, saying that her mother was dying. Report an error in the passage at 22:08 Highlight the passage at 22:08

22:20 That's your mum. And you can't get to her. You don't have enough money to get an air ticket. So she came up to me on one Friday afternoon. She was crying her eyes out, really weeping. Why does this happen to me? My mum's over in the United States. I'm here. I just can't get to her. And as she was crying and I was trying to think whatever I can do, maybe get a collection and get a ticket for her. Report an error in the passage at 22:20 Highlight the passage at 22:20

22:54 There's a mark, you know, you don't have money. Legally, you can't use BSWA money for that. So I thought, what am I going to do? And as I was feeling guilty that I don't have the means to help her, then there was this Thai nurse just sitting behind us. She was out of work, been out of work for years. She had an injury on her back and she couldn't get it fixed up. Report an error in the passage at 22:54 Highlight the passage at 22:54

23:28 And she got something out of her handbag, got out a pen, a blank cheque, signed it and just gave it to this lady. I knew she wasn't wealthy at all. That's one of the nice things about being a monk, you get to know people who are supporting the monastery and you try and help them out and some people don't have that money at all. Report an error in the passage at 23:28 Highlight the passage at 23:28

23:57 Blank cheque, please go and get an airfare as soon as possible. Go and see your mum. It's one of the most generous and kind things I've ever seen. How many of you have ever written out a blank cheque? I know some of you have, because I've tested you. I usually give it back to you. Report an error in the passage at 23:57 Highlight the passage at 23:57

24:22 But they're so generous and so kind. And that was maybe 30 years ago now. And I still remember it with a lot of joy and happiness. Just the kindness we give to our friends. Report an error in the passage at 24:22 Highlight the passage at 24:22

24:38 So this is one of the reasons why that kindness is so important. One in front of you, whoever they are, is the most important. The only time is now and the only thing to do is be kind. So these are one of the reasons why when I talk like this to Cathay Pacific, to their staff, wow! Thank you. He wanted, he came up to me and asked permission, formal permission. Can I use this as standard training for all the staff who work for Cathay Pacific Airlines? Report an error in the passage at 24:38 Highlight the passage at 24:38

25:21 Of course I gave permission. But you know what happened next? They got into financial trouble because of the COVID times. But not because of me. Report an error in the passage at 25:21 Highlight the passage at 25:21

25:34 It's still a beautiful thing to be able to do. And to be able to teach others. Imagine you had worked in a company like that. The money is not important. It kind of pays the bills. The most important is how you feel when you work in a place like that. Whether you are respected. You can talk to someone and they do give you full attention. Report an error in the passage at 25:34 Highlight the passage at 25:34

26:00 Whether they are being kind to whoever it is who's standing in front. Report an error in the passage at 26:00 Highlight the passage at 26:00

26:11 Do I... Do you practice like that in Bodhinyana Monastery? Report an error in the passage at 26:11 Highlight the passage at 26:11

26:21 Monks have to be honest. Report an error in the passage at 26:21 Highlight the passage at 26:21

26:26 Sometimes it's true, the now times. Like to go and retreat myself. Sometimes I wonder why is it that we have such a large monastery with so many people? Why is it we have a lovely nuns monastery too? What is it which makes the sense of Harmony and people working together in the community. There aren't monasteries like this in Melbourne and Sydney. We hope there will be in Melbourne, but not as big as this, and as cohesive as this over so many years. Report an error in the passage at 26:26 Highlight the passage at 26:26

27:08 And one of the lovely things I enjoy about this monastery, I say this often when I am speaking over in Bodhinyana Monastery. Where everybody comes from. It's not a Thai monastery. It's not a Sri Lankan monastery. You are from so many different nations. You're all so much welcome. Even today, I was saying, we had a Bodhinyana monastery. We had some Thais, some Sri Lankans, some Brazilians, and you know that we even had some weird, even had some Australians there as well. Report an error in the passage at 27:08 Highlight the passage at 27:08

27:55 How can you relate to so many people even though they come from totally different cultures? This is something which goes beyond culture. Being able to have that beautiful way of relating to anybody who's in front of you and being able to give them some beautiful gifts, that's a kindness. Report an error in the passage at 27:55 Highlight the passage at 27:55

28:20 And I've often found this, that sometimes that when you're talking with someone you don't know who they are, Sometimes they don't tell you how deeply they're having problems in their life. Most of the people who come and talk to me are because they have problems. Report an error in the passage at 28:20 Highlight the passage at 28:20

28:43 If they don't have problems, they usually go back home straight away. Don't be embarrassed. I'm very happy to be able to serve as best I possibly can. But when they have so many problems, and all those problems are basically the same, Report an error in the passage at 28:43 Highlight the passage at 28:43

29:02 All of them, you're always asked to perform, but you don't know really what you have to do. All I ever do is listen to you and say a few funny words. If they're not funny words, some of them are profound, if I'm lucky, to be able to reassure you, to make sure that you're felt like you're worthwhile, every one of you. Report an error in the passage at 29:02 Highlight the passage at 29:02

29:30 It doesn't matter how many degrees you've got, how beautiful you are, or how successful the world says you are, how do you actually feel? Report an error in the passage at 29:30 Highlight the passage at 29:30

29:41 And why is it that sometimes we feel that we're not performing, that life is just too tough, the world is just too hard? Why do you ever feel like that? Why do you get depressed? It's because that's such a huge problem in this world. As a Buddhist you have to address it and there's so many wonderful ways of dealing with the depressions in this world. Report an error in the passage at 29:41 Highlight the passage at 29:41

30:13 The best ways is realizing there's always benefits no matter what you ever experience. It's better to experience even those unpleasantness than not experience anything at all. Report an error in the passage at 30:13 Highlight the passage at 30:13

30:33 The disappointment you have in life, what do I mean by this? Sometimes we don't know how things are going to actually work out. Once upon a time, this is a traditional Buddhist story, once upon a time there was a man being chased by a tiger in the jungle. And there's two things to know about tigers. Tigers like eating men. Report an error in the passage at 30:33 Highlight the passage at 30:33

31:06 And women as well. Number two, tigers run much faster than you. If you're being chased by a tiger, you're in big trouble. Report an error in the passage at 31:06 Highlight the passage at 31:06

31:19 So as this man was running away from the tiger, he saw a big hole in the ground, like a well. And he knew he had no choice. He jumped inside that well. And he realized he was in even more trouble. The well was dry. No water in the bottom. It was a deep well. He was going to sort of kill himself for the fall. And even if he survived, he would never be able to climb out. Report an error in the passage at 31:19 Highlight the passage at 31:19

31:51 So intuitively, instinctively, he grabbed on something on the side of the well to stop his fall. There was an old, there was a tree root there, a dry tree root. He could hang on to that and he didn't sort of go any further. Halfway down the well, hanging on to a tree root. Now, what would happen? When you're being chased by a tiger, you make these decisions not worrying about the consequences. Report an error in the passage at 31:51 Highlight the passage at 31:51

32:26 But the tiger hadn't given up yet. The tiger was determined. The tiger was leaning over the edge of the well, trying to paw him. Report an error in the passage at 32:26 Highlight the passage at 32:26

32:39 And he was just an inch or two. ...too low, so the tiger couldn't quite reach him. But that wasn't much of an escape. So he looked in the bottom of the well. In the bottom of the well there was no water. There was a very big black snake. Report an error in the passage at 32:39 Highlight the passage at 32:39

33:05 Thank you. And that snake was disturbed by his fall. The snake had uncoiled, lifted up its head, opened its hood, tried to... ...bite his feet, which were the lowest part of his body. But the man was about an inch too high. The snake couldn't quite reach him yet. So what could he do? He had a tiger on top, a snake underneath him. Report an error in the passage at 33:05 Highlight the passage at 33:05

33:41 So he was thinking, I'm in trouble. And then he noticed these two mice come out from a hole. Just above the tree root, a black mouse and a white mouse, and both of them started chewing at the root, making it thinner and thinner and thinner. Would you get worried? Report an error in the passage at 33:41 Highlight the passage at 33:41

34:12 This guy didn't, because he noticed something strange, as his hold on security, on safety, got thinner and thinner and thinner. It was only a matter of time. Before that root broke and it'd been even really big trouble, he noticed that that tiger trying to reach the man leaning over the well was rubbing his backside against the tree, making the tree shake. Report an error in the passage at 34:12 Highlight the passage at 34:12

34:47 A branch of that tree was overhanging the well. And on that branch, there was a bee's nest. Report an error in the passage at 34:47 Highlight the passage at 34:47

35:01 What happened? Because the tree was shaking, there was a bee's nest there, honey started to drip down the well, right over him. So he put out his tongue and enjoyed the most delicious honey he'd ever tasted. And that was the end of the story. Report an error in the passage at 35:01 Highlight the passage at 35:01

35:28 That is so much like life. How many times... You've been told, you know, no possibility of the company carrying on. You've got a cancer, you're going to die within a few days. You've been told that the world's going to end. You know that just your relationship is on the rocks. I don't know just how many tragedies are just right in front of you, only a matter of minutes. Report an error in the passage at 35:28 Highlight the passage at 35:28

35:54 Just like that guy. But the world gives you wonderful opportunities to enjoy honey. Now is the most important time. The honey right in front of you is the most important, always the most delicious, and the most important thing to do, to eat it. That's why I thought it was a brilliant story. Report an error in the passage at 35:54 Highlight the passage at 35:54

36:16 Now, to make you more satisfied, what's one possibility how that story could end? This is how I imagined it would end. The tiger just went a little bit too far over the well, lost its balance, Toppled into the well, missed the guy, only by a few inches, and crushed the snake dead. So the tiger died, the snake died, and having had the honey, he was strong enough to climb up the rest of the well and to escape without any problem. Report an error in the passage at 36:16 Highlight the passage at 36:16

36:55 That's a possibility. That could happen. Why is it the possibilities, even if they are unlikely, could happen? In real life. And sometimes we don't see all those possibilities. And sometimes we just give up too early. Report an error in the passage at 36:55 Highlight the passage at 36:55

37:18 Please remember that story if you ever get depressed. Oh, sorry, I can't resist this one. About depression. I did tell one of the stories about depression, about having a sore bottom. No, it's not a sore bottom, but an itchy bottom. Was that last week or the week before? Report an error in the passage at 37:18 Highlight the passage at 37:18

37:40 No? Okay, here it comes. A painter, an artist by trade, and he had a motorbike accident. And he went unconscious during the accident and when he woke up in hospital, the doctors told him they had to amputate his hand. Report an error in the passage at 37:40 Highlight the passage at 37:40

38:05 It was too badly injured, a threat to his life. So he woke up in the hospital without his painting hand and he thought, He got depressed. This was what he loved to do, what he was good at, what was his occupation, what was his life. He lost his hand. So he decided, he got depressed, and like many people who get depressed, he decided that as soon as he can get released from hospital, he'll find a nice, like a big office block over in St. Report an error in the passage at 38:05 Highlight the passage at 38:05

38:44 George's Terrace in Perth. Get the elevator up to the office block, which would be unoccupied, go inside, go out to the veranda and jump off to kill himself. He got suicidal. That's the only way he thought he could conquer that depression of not having a hand anymore. And as he looked down on the street in St. George's Terrace, he saw one of the things he never ever expected to see. Report an error in the passage at 38:44 Highlight the passage at 38:44

39:18 There was a man down there with no arms at all. He'd lost both arms. And he was dancing up and down the street for joy. How can a person have so much happiness when he's lost both of his arms? And why am I so depressed I've only lost a hand? So that changed his plan about committing suicide. He decided to live. But he wanted to find out the secret of happiness. Report an error in the passage at 39:18 Highlight the passage at 39:18

39:50 There was a man with no arms. So he ran down and actually he got to the elevator, got down as quick as possible and started running after the man with no arms. When he caught up with him, he hugged him. Thank you, you don't realize you've saved my life. I was about to commit suicide because I've lost my painting hand and there's you dancing up and down the street with joy. Report an error in the passage at 39:50 Highlight the passage at 39:50

40:20 You've lost both arms. How can you do that? And the armless guy said, actually, control yourself, Ajahn Brahm. Actually, I'm not dancing up and down for joy. I've got an itchy bum. That's the only way I can scratch it. How on earth could you, if you've got no arms, scratch an itchy bottom? Report an error in the passage at 40:20 Highlight the passage at 40:20

40:51 Okay, I'll tell the last depression story. Report an error in the passage at 40:51 Highlight the passage at 40:51

40:57 I was just in this mood tonight. That was the... Suicidal spider. Report an error in the passage at 40:57 Highlight the passage at 40:57

41:09 How many of you remember that story? I need to put my hands up, thank you. For those who do know it but decided not to put your hands up, thank you. Report an error in the passage at 41:09 Highlight the passage at 41:09

41:21 So you know spiders, they have to build their own homes. You can't get a contractor in to build homes. You can't rent a home. It's even more difficult for spiders to face the cost of living these days. so this Female spider, she decided to build a home in the corner of somebody's house. And she put so much effort and care and mindfulness into the building of her first home, this beautiful spider web, that when it was finished, little spider was exhausted, but also so proud. Report an error in the passage at 41:21 Highlight the passage at 41:21

42:04 The first home she'd ever built. It was beautiful. It was an architectural masterpiece. And so because of her tiredness, because she was hungry, she sat in the middle of that spider's web waiting for lunch to appear. And soon like a fly or mosquito or something would land in there and that would be her lunch. But before she could have lunch... Report an error in the passage at 42:04 Highlight the passage at 42:04

42:37 The owner of the house saw a spider web in my house and got a broom, smashed the web to bits and that spider had to escape for her life. She had to run really fast and get out of the house before she was squashed. And the spider started thinking, why is it that human beings don't like spiders? Report an error in the passage at 42:37 Highlight the passage at 42:37

43:04 They don't do any harm. They catch mosquitoes and flies and all those things you don't like. They keep the house comfortable for you. If ever you see a spider web in your house, you should thank the spider. Don't ask for anything. They just eat a fly here, a mosquito there. So, she got so disappointed. She went in the next house, but she didn't put so much effort and care into building her next spider's web. Report an error in the passage at 43:04 Highlight the passage at 43:04

43:37 She finished it, really hungry and tired, sat in the center. Only about five minutes before any food came, the husband who lived in the house saw a spider's web and got a stick and smashed that to bits. Report an error in the passage at 43:37 Highlight the passage at 43:37

43:56 Second spider's web was destroyed. Went into the third house and the fourth house and the fifth house and the sixth house. Report an error in the passage at 43:56 Highlight the passage at 43:56

44:09 Same thing happened every house. And every house it made a quick web faster and faster because it wanted to eat something. And then the spider realized people don't like spiders. She couldn't understand why human beings and spiders don't get along. Report an error in the passage at 44:09 Highlight the passage at 44:09

44:30 So she decided not to build any more spider webs. She had what we call these days PTSD. Post-traumatic stress, even just thinking about the corner of somebody's house made her shake. So what could little spider do? She started getting more and more depressed. No one loves me. You're rejected, you're hungry, you've got no home. Report an error in the passage at 44:30 Highlight the passage at 44:30

45:02 Have you ever been homeless before? Imagine being a spider, no home to go to at night. No place to get any food, no place to rest. It's really very depressing. So the spider got more and more depressed and decided the only option it had was to commit suicide. Report an error in the passage at 45:02 Highlight the passage at 45:02

45:27 That's why we call it the story of the suicidal spider. I remember telling this story over in Hong Kong, Chinese University, which had a lot of Report an error in the passage at 45:27 Highlight the passage at 45:27

45:41 A lot of incidences of suicide with the students. Fortunately, this story actually helped. That's why they keep inviting me back again as many times as I can. If I'm in Hong Kong, I have to go to the Chinese University and shut in. So anyway, this poor spider got suicidal, so decided to walk under people's shoes on the sidewalk to get squashed. Report an error in the passage at 45:41 Highlight the passage at 45:41

46:08 Deliberately went underneath their feet. But every time, always got to that space between the heel and the front of the foot. So he decided, this isn't working, so he decided to cross the road and get squashed under a big lorry or truck or something. But every time, made it to between the wheels, never actually under them. He realized something very important. Report an error in the passage at 46:08 Highlight the passage at 46:08

46:41 That when you're depressed, you can't do anything right, not even suicide. Report an error in the passage at 46:41 Highlight the passage at 46:41

46:48 So, suicidal spider was staggering down the road, not knowing where she was going. She was like being drunk, that's what happens. You don't care where you're stepping, where you're going. But then she had this weird experience, which many of you have. You felt like someone was looking at you. Report an error in the passage at 46:48 Highlight the passage at 46:48

47:11 So she turned around. And there was the biggest, fattest, joddiest spider you'd ever seen. He said, what are you looking at me for? That's what she first thought. But then she said, hang on a moment. Are you a spider? Yes, he said. How come you're so fat and happy? I'm a spider too. I'm depressed and miserable. So why? Said the big, fat, joddy spider. And then the... Report an error in the passage at 47:11 Highlight the passage at 47:11

47:47 Very thin spider told a sad story of its life. So many incidences being close to death. She didn't know why. Why do people hate spiders? I don't do them any harm. Well, they were trying to squash me and destroy my homes. How many homes have you ever lived in? Imagine six houses being squashed and you running out in the middle of the night for your life. Has that ever happened to you? Report an error in the passage at 47:47 Highlight the passage at 47:47

48:18 You can imagine why that suicidal spider was suicidal. And this fat spider said, no, it's never happened to me. I just built one web in my whole life. It's still there. And I catch plenty of food. Look how fat I am. I have lots of food. And I don't have to worry about anything. That's why I can come out in the afternoon and enjoy the sunshine. Report an error in the passage at 48:18 Highlight the passage at 48:18

48:48 And the suicidal spider said, Hey, are you trying to con me or something? To trick me? Is this a scam? Where on earth can you build a spider's web today when no one else disturbs you? Report an error in the passage at 48:48 Highlight the passage at 48:48

49:10 And the big fat joddy spider said, I built my spider's web and it's so big, I get so much food, you can come and join me if you wish. But please tell me where you built it. I built my spider's web in the donation boxes of the Buddhist Society of West Australia. Report an error in the passage at 49:10 Highlight the passage at 49:10

49:41 Please excuse me. No one ever disturbs you there. So please, Aurora, do you sometimes empty those donation boxes at the end of the week? Who does that? No one needs to because there's nothing in them except spiders. Report an error in the passage at 49:41 Highlight the passage at 49:41

50:06 So anyway, that's the story of the suicidal spider. Report an error in the passage at 50:06 Highlight the passage at 50:06

50:12 So if any of you get depressed, remember these big, fat, happy spiders. No one ever disturbs my spider's webs. You can come and ordain and become a monk or a nun in here. Okay. Honestly, honestly, truthfully, I did think I'm going to finish by 8.45 because I always go on too long. But I hope you enjoyed the story of the suicidal spiders and the suicidal man who got cured because he saw someone with no arms but had an itchy bottom. Report an error in the passage at 50:12 Highlight the passage at 50:12

50:51 That's the only way to scratch his bottom. Okay, thank you all for listening. Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu. Any questions or complaints? Report an error in the passage at 50:51 Highlight the passage at 50:51

51:10 Yeah, okay. One, two. Yeah, go on. Eddie? No, over there. Hi, in the back. Over there. Yeah. Good to see you again. Hi. Hi. I was just wondering what you thought about the possible changes we may be collectively facing with the increasing rise of AI. I've noticed Brian Cox has been talking about it and Neil deGrasse Tyson and other people, and they're saying that it may get to a point where it's rising so exponentially quickly that we may not even be able to understand it because it may be so far advanced than us and um what do you think the ramifications will be for us collectively Well actually I'm probably the wrong person to ask that question because I'm not internet savvy enough for that. Report an error in the passage at 51:10 Highlight the passage at 51:10

52:06 I did ask one person once, they put in a topic and I think I have enough material online, many of my talks, And AI made up a talk supposedly by Ajahn Brahm on this particular subject. It sounded nothing like me. Report an error in the passage at 52:06 Highlight the passage at 52:06

52:29 I think AI has its limitations. And so I think in the end, I don't. Honestly, I hardly worry about anything. It's just like tigers and snakes. You're halfway down the well. There's still plenty of honey to eat. That's not an intellectual answer. but anyway you had a question and then we have the internet questions where they go okay Report an error in the passage at 52:29 Highlight the passage at 52:29

53:04 One, two, three. Oh, great. Ajahn Brahm, just now you talk about generosity. The lady who gave the blank cheque to the lady to see her dying mother. Ajahn Brahm, you know generosity is an encouraged Buddhist act. By being generous, Below our ego, we reach out, you know, okay, yeah. So don't you think Ajahn Brahm, generosity is also a healer, you know? A great healer, yes. Report an error in the passage at 53:04 Highlight the passage at 53:04

53:36 Yeah, by doing, you know, like we give dana, it's a healer. Yes. You know that it's been a long time now since I can be that generous. I don't have any money, honestly. But you are generous to me. You were at monastery last... Thursday, wasn't it? Wednesday. Wednesday, okay. It's close enough. By the way, sometimes I get kind of, you know, even that incident with that refugee lady and a Thai lady who wrote a blank cheque. Report an error in the passage at 53:36 Highlight the passage at 53:36

54:15 If I had any money, I'd have given it to her and I felt, why can't I have any money? Should I go and get a job so I can help people? But instead of actually getting a job, actually I've got a job, my generosity is answering your questions, being kind enough to you. I don't care who you are, where you're from. So I can serve you that way. And sometimes many of you criticize me for sometimes working too hard. Report an error in the passage at 54:15 Highlight the passage at 54:15

54:47 Please don't criticize me. I will always work more hard than I'm supposed to. That's my generosity and I enjoy that so much, every time. Just one of those things which I did years ago which I'll never forget. I got a phone call from Singapore on a Friday afternoon here and they said this lady over in Singapore, she's lost her husband, he's dead and she was just asking, is it at all possible you can come For the funeral ceremony. I asked, where is the funeral ceremony? And he said, it's tomorrow, Saturday. I said, well, I'm in Perth. Report an error in the passage at 54:47 Highlight the passage at 54:47

55:32 Yeah, I know, but I thought you may ask. So I told him, yeah, okay. I'll see what I can do. So I booked an airline ticket in a couple of hours. And after the talk here on a Friday, I got to the airport, got on the aircraft, and arrived in Singapore on Saturday morning. There's hardly any preparation at all. And I said, I do need a couple of hours of sleep, please. This is no jet lag. Report an error in the passage at 55:32 Highlight the passage at 55:32

56:03 And I did the funeral ceremony for her. And that's one of those kind of sacrifices I'm really proud of. Not what I should have done, but what I was very happy to do. It was just possible, only just. Report an error in the passage at 56:03 Highlight the passage at 56:03

56:23 Also, generosity is similar to empathy, Ajahn Brahm. You put yourself in other person's shoe and that solved a lot of problems, innit? Indeed, yeah. And I've also found that don't worry about your health or fitness. As a generous act, you always get protected. Report an error in the passage at 56:23 Highlight the passage at 56:23

56:42 I don't know how that works these days. I say there's my heavenly beings and stuff which I have confidence in. But you don't have to worry too much. It's all connected, Ajahn Brahm. Absolutely. Anyway, it's one minute past nine, so I'll get these questions. Apparently, the internet or the laptop is not working, you said? That's correct. iPad, okay. Report an error in the passage at 56:42 Highlight the passage at 56:42

57:09 Anyway, question one, I'm feeling afraid I'll be using very harsh speech if people at work keep poking me with unnecessary things. I'm not listening to my point of view. Please guide me. I don't want to do so one day. Okay. If the more meditation you do and the more quiet you become, the less the people will feel it's a waste of time provoking you. Report an error in the passage at 57:09 Highlight the passage at 57:09

57:39 If you respond, then they realize that, yeah, you're vulnerable and they keep provoking you, provoking you, provoking you until they do get a harsh response. Report an error in the passage at 57:39 Highlight the passage at 57:39

57:52 Saying today that because we have this Vietnamese monk at monastery, he only speaks Vietnamese and there's no one at monastery right now who could speak Vietnamese. He doesn't speak any English and so we can't communicate with him. He's staying there for a month. Vietnamese monk who only speaks Vietnamese and no monks at present who can speak Vietnamese. Report an error in the passage at 57:52 Highlight the passage at 57:52

58:22 Sorry? I remember similar cases like that. You know, in Thailand, when they saw a Western monk, they thought, oh, Western monks, they only speak English. And I remember I learned Thai and Lao very quickly as a young monk. And I loved, it's a bit mean of me, just going to these monasteries and listening to what they said of me and understanding every word. Report an error in the passage at 58:22 Highlight the passage at 58:22

58:52 One of them, because this was strict, I don't mind saying Ajahn Mahapura's monastery. When I first went there the first day or two, I was listening to this monk saying, see this western monk who's just arrived? He came by himself. He didn't have an attendant. That proves that he carries money. That's the only way to get here. Report an error in the passage at 58:52 Highlight the passage at 58:52

59:14 Of course I don't. And then they were saying all these things about me. Then afterwards, I said, Gopchai Lai Lai, thanks very much. I said it was such a good accent that the usual reply of the Thai in culture was to say, oh die, may I die, because they realized they'd been busted. I knew exactly what they were saying. They became good friends afterwards, they had to, because I realized they couldn't just say something, I wouldn't understand it. So let them poke you. Report an error in the passage at 59:14 Highlight the passage at 59:14

59:51 with unnecessary things and not listen to my point of view. And then when it's the time for you to say something, then they will listen. Report an error in the passage at 59:51 Highlight the passage at 59:51

1:00:02 If we say too much, people don't listen. We only say important things every now and again. Oh my goodness, this is the next one from Bolivia. Beyond the extreme of everything happens due to past karma, or it's not past karma, it's just life. How can we recognize the ripening of past karma? Sometimes you can't. And not everything is because of past karma. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:02 Highlight the passage at 1:00:02

1:00:35 Some of it is because of present karma, how you deal with some of the problems now. And sometimes it surprises you. So the only thing to do, don't worry about where it comes from, but what you're doing about it right now. And one of those stories is about... You know this one. I'm not going to even ask you. You've heard this before. I say it every week. When you tread in the dog poo, what do you do about it? Report an error in the passage at 1:00:35 Highlight the passage at 1:00:35

1:01:06 Never scrape it off your feet yet. Please take all the dog poo you step in on the street, please take it back home. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:06 Highlight the passage at 1:01:06

1:01:22 And scrape it off in the garden. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:22 Highlight the passage at 1:01:22

1:01:28 tree if you scrape it off under the mango tree next year your mangoes will be sweeter and juicier than ever before and more of them as well and please if you followed my advice I demand would you call it a payment please one at least one mango I'd like to eat that juicy mango because I know it's not It's not really manga. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:28 Highlight the passage at 1:01:28

1:01:55 It's been fertilized by dog poo and when I eat it and I bite into it and feel that sweet juicy mango juice running down my cheek, I will always remember what I'm really eating. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:55 Highlight the passage at 1:01:55

1:02:10 Dog poo transformed into the juiciest mango you've ever eaten. You understand? Do you like juicy mangoes? Anyway, that's how you get juicy mangoes. They're built from dog poo. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:10 Highlight the passage at 1:02:10

1:02:32 Ajahn, help, I struggle with depression for three years and I start losing hope in life. Can you please help me or give me your blessing? I feel so hopeless. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:32 Highlight the passage at 1:02:32

1:02:43 I've already told a couple of stories about depression. There's one story, this guy over in Armidale, he said he was really suffering from depression. And I said, I asked him, what happened to you today? He said, well, you know, I got up in the morning and had some breakfast. What do you have for breakfast? Report an error in the passage at 1:02:43 Highlight the passage at 1:02:43

1:03:03 He said, oh my wife let me have some ice cream for breakfast. Do you like ice cream? Do you ever have ice cream for breakfast? Report an error in the passage at 1:03:03 Highlight the passage at 1:03:03

1:03:17 And I said straight away, look, the only reason why you got the ice cream is because your wife thinks you're depressed. So please, see this is the first benefit of being depressed. Now when you get better, please don't tell your wife. Otherwise, that's the end of ice cream. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:17 Highlight the passage at 1:03:17

1:03:42 When you wake up in the morning, if you want some ice cream, you say, oh, I feel a bit depressed this morning. And you get as many ice creams as you want. What I was doing is showing him the advantages of being depressed. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:42 Highlight the passage at 1:03:42

1:03:54 You get ice cream in the morning when you're not supposed to have it. What else do you get if you're depressed? One of the things you get if you're depressed, you don't have to go to work. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:54 Highlight the passage at 1:03:54

1:04:08 Do you like going to work? Report an error in the passage at 1:04:08 Highlight the passage at 1:04:08

1:04:13 So you can have a nice holiday. So you're depressed. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:13 Highlight the passage at 1:04:13

1:04:22 I'm going to get in trouble one day. Actually, I'm probably already in trouble. But if I'm in trouble, I just said, well, I was very depressed when I gave that talk. And then they were leaving it all. Sometimes if you can see the benefits in things, when you see the benefits in things, then you don't get so upset about them. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:22 Highlight the passage at 1:04:22

1:04:45 That's what I think I said to the monks, I think, last Thursday. So as many of the... Report an error in the passage at 1:04:45 Highlight the passage at 1:04:45

1:04:48 or Thursday that That one of my heroes was a Thai monk who got put in jail unfairly for something he never did. If you were put in jail, would you get depressed? Report an error in the passage at 1:04:48 Highlight the passage at 1:04:48

1:05:05 Would you think this is unfair, especially if you did nothing wrong? But this monk thought, wow, I don't have to give any talks anymore. I can just meditate in the jail cell and have no questions to answer. No one to come and sit in front of me after the talk and ask me to go here, to go there. I have a wonderful life. And so he just saw all the wonderful things about being in jail for two years. And in his autobiography, he said those were two of the best years of his life. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:05 Highlight the passage at 1:05:05

1:05:41 He got plenty of food. He wasn't hurt or tortured. In fact... He had to sleep on the floor, but he slept on the floor in his monastery. No difference. So he said, a wonderful retreat for two years. Would you like a retreat for two years? Okay, well, punch a policeman in the nose and they'll give you... Report an error in the passage at 1:05:41 Highlight the passage at 1:05:41

1:06:06 No, don't do that. I'll get in trouble. He would suggest, I will get a retreat for one year, you for two years. Because see, when you see the advantages in things, then you don't get upset. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:06 Highlight the passage at 1:06:06

1:06:20 Okay. Question. Hey, question four. Okay. A serious one. Would suicide cause rebirth in a hell realm? No. The person will suffer forever, never be reborn. Same as Taoism belief. No. Is this true? No. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:20 Highlight the passage at 1:06:20

1:06:41 At the end of your life, you are not judged by the way it ended. There's so many other things you did in your life, also are very important. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:41 Highlight the passage at 1:06:41

1:06:54 So just, It's one of the reasons why there was this young guy doing his year 12 exams and he just committed suicide before taking them. The poor family were told by some silly monks that, you know, he's going to go to hell. I said, oh, come on. Look, if you are doing an exam, I asked, how many subjects are you doing in that exam? He said, four. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:54 Highlight the passage at 1:06:54

1:07:24 How many papers for each subject do you have to be examined with? About maybe two? Two papers for each subject? Eight papers in all? How many questions in each paper? We don't know, but maybe say eight or ten. So say it's eight questions and eight papers. 64 questions in all. What would happen if the first 63 questions were perfect answers? Report an error in the passage at 1:07:24 Highlight the passage at 1:07:24

1:07:53 And the last question you answered was a real mess. You got it totally wrong. Would that mean you don't go to university? Report an error in the passage at 1:07:53 Highlight the passage at 1:07:53

1:08:03 63 right, only one wrong? Pretty good score. What happens in your life 63 years? How many people are 64 right now? Report an error in the passage at 1:08:03 Highlight the passage at 1:08:03

1:08:19 What would happen, Nicholas, if for 63 years you've been acting so well and so... So helpful, so compassionate. And the last year of your life, you became a drug dealer. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:19 Highlight the passage at 1:08:19

1:08:38 Just only a perhaps. Would those first 63 years count for nothing? No. So you measure a whole life, not just the thing which ended it. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:38 Highlight the passage at 1:08:38

1:08:54 So it doesn't mean you go to hell. Okay. Thank you for listening. Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu! Report an error in the passage at 1:08:54 Highlight the passage at 1:08:54

1:09:15 You know, it's nice being up to those three sadhus, you know, with a nice big one at the end. Because sometimes that's the only exercise I get during the day. I talk so much. Thank you for giving me that opportunity. Okay, great. So I wish you all a happy night. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:15 Highlight the passage at 1:09:15

1:09:35 Okay, so if anyone's got any questions, I'll be sitting up here for another half an hour probably. That's it. You can bow if you wish. I'm going to wait for you. You want me to bow as well? Report an error in the passage at 1:09:35 Highlight the passage at 1:09:35

1:09:56 Excellent. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:56 Highlight the passage at 1:09:56