How to Make Meditation Attractive to Young People
Ajahn Brahm reflects on what drew him to Buddhism as a young man and discusses ways to inspire and engage younger generations today. Support us on https://ko-fi.com/thebuddhistsocietyofwa BSWA teachings are available: BSWA Teachings BSWA Podcast Channel BSWA DeeperDhamma Podbean Channel BSWA YouTube
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- 2:48
To join in this marvelous spirituality called Buddhism. It is inspiring. I became a Buddhist when I was about 16 or 17. And even when I was 18, I went to this university and straight away I saw there was a Buddhist club there. And honestly, that was really exciting. There is actually a Buddhist society in a university? Yes, and it was a great Buddhist society.
- 7:27
And that was really why I was at university. I didn't worry about getting certificates and just qualifications. I was just interested in this world. I wanted to find out why it worked, how it worked.
- 12:31
Just know how the meditation can give you so much joy and happiness. And just recently, just how it can cure really terrible diseases. I just was telling some of the monks and a few people that early this morning, oh no, late last night, I did a Zoom conference, or not conference, but it's a talk with a lady in New York. ...who was suffering from cancer. And she was so happy, you know, that what she'd learned from me was actually working.
- 32:34
When they remember it, they put it into practice and my goodness, it really, really, really works. And that gives me the beautiful inspiration that these teachings are real and they really help. So passing exams, I just would meditate half an hour, only 30 minutes, instead of having lunch. I wasn't a monk yet. I had a big dinner, a big breakfast, but nothing at lunchtime. The first thing I did was let go of the past, which to me was a morning exam.
- 48:31
I was just talking with Ajahn Chaitamala earlier and he was saying just when you have a good meditation before giving a dharma talk, your dharma talk is always much deeper, more powerful. You're accessing... You know, what happens when you contemplate the Dhamma, you can see it much more clearly. But to get that silence, that peace, first of all.
Transcript
0:00 So for today's talk, it was, we were just having discussions over in monastery last week about how we can make the meditation really more attractive to young people. How many people here today are under 25? Report an error in the passage at 0:00
0:31 Is one there? Oh yeah. Nice. I also love it that people have a sense of humor here. As for me, I always go when I have a birthday. The last birthday I had here, it was 1951 I was born and so my last birthday was in August, I was 888. Report an error in the passage at 0:31
1:06 And people look at me and say, Ajahn Brahm, you're a monk. You're supposed to be inspiring us and you're lying. I say, I'm not lying when I say I'm 888. Report an error in the passage at 1:06
1:20 That's true. I said that to a few people this week. That's why I remember it. 888 months. Report an error in the passage at 1:20
1:30 That's true. If you multiply 74, which is what most people say, by 12, it comes out 888. And my goodness. If you tell that to Singaporeans, they're eight, eight, eight. Wow, they think that's so auspicious. Report an error in the passage at 1:30
1:51 Next year, I want to go to Thailand and tell them my next birthday, 75 years, is 900 months. Anything with a nine in is really auspicious. After that, I'm stuffed. Report an error in the passage at 1:51
2:13 Anyhow, you know, it's nice when we're talking about why it is that so many people who come to our Buddhist society are all elderly, mostly. Report an error in the passage at 2:13
2:32 The vast majority are. So what is attractive, what can be attractive, what should monks really focus on, and nuns too, to encourage the younger generation? To join in this marvelous spirituality called Buddhism. It is inspiring. I became a Buddhist when I was about 16 or 17. And even when I was 18, I went to this university and straight away I saw there was a Buddhist club there. Report an error in the passage at 2:32
3:16 And honestly, that was really exciting. There is actually a Buddhist society in a university? Yes, and it was a great Buddhist society. And what I did straight away, I went up to the counter and said, I want to join. And the guy on the counter, he said, you don't have to. Just come and see. If you like it, you can join later. How many of you are real members of our Buddhist Society of WA? Report an error in the passage at 3:16
3:54 You don't have to be. That's our tradition. You don't have to pay money to be a Buddhist. Just, you know, whenever you want to. But we are so sort of otherworldly in that respect. So I said, no, I want to join. He said, no, you don't have to. Report an error in the passage at 3:54
4:14 And he was the first Buddhist I ever met. We met having an argument. Not very auspicious. But I won the argument. I saw that the annual fee was one pound, one British pound. And I didn't have much money, honestly. I was a poor student. I took out one pound, I slammed it on the table. Join me. And I loved that situation because he became a very, very He was a lifelong close friend. He was a treasurer of the Cambridge University Buddhist Society at that time. Report an error in the passage at 4:14
4:59 And I think many of you may have seen him because I've invited him here on many contexts to try and get him to come here. When we had our Buddhist conferences, he came here. When I had a Buddhist conference over in Singapore and he also presented. And we're trying to get him here I think next month, UWA are supposed to have it, they call it the Black Swan Club. And that guy is called Bernard Carr, C-A-R-R. Report an error in the passage at 4:59
5:30 And the reason he became a good friend, he was a Buddhist, but he was also into psychic research. Ghosts. Report an error in the passage at 5:30
5:44 I mean, but he was also a theoretical physicist. And I was kind of stunned, he never let on just how much of a theoretical physicist he was. I was a Buddhist who had an interest in theoretical physics. He was a theoretical physicist who had an interest in Buddhism. Because he worked in Cambridge with, I keep forgetting his name, Stephen Hawkins. Report an error in the passage at 5:44
6:12 And he was really a close associate with Stephen Hawkins. Apparently there was a film Made about Stephen Hawkins and he was included in that film, Bernard Carr. So much so he told me actually he had to go to Leicester Square in the middle of London for the premiere of that movie and had to walk on the red carpet. Report an error in the passage at 6:12
6:38 So he was a top associate of Professor Stephen Hawkins. I think you've all heard of his name. But he's also one of my best friends and the guy who refused my contribution to the Buddhist Society of Cambridge University. But that was when I was young and he was young. And I really, really, really wanted to join that club. Report an error in the passage at 6:38
7:05 Why? And that was really quite strange. The reason was it fitted all of the science which I'd understood so far. And it continued to fit that science. It was an investigation, finding out the answer to the question, why? Report an error in the passage at 7:05
7:27 And that was really why I was at university. I didn't worry about getting certificates and just qualifications. I was just interested in this world. I wanted to find out why it worked, how it worked. And how you can actually find proof of that. The theory was brilliant of Buddhism, but what I know that also some of the lecturers in Buddhism, these famous monks and nuns of all the traditions, they were so boring. Report an error in the passage at 7:27
8:12 Honestly, because this guy was a treasurer, of the Buddhist Society in Cambridge. Often, he was the guy who'd introduce the speaker that evening. Some great professor, author, done many books. And then, actually had some interesting people giving talks there. One of them giving the talks was a high court judge, you know, working in the Old Bailey. Report an error in the passage at 8:12
8:43 Now, and I couldn't, I always was surprised. When I got a little book about famous legal cases, this fellow, he was the district, the head prosecutor who managed to convince the judge of this young man, only 18. Report an error in the passage at 8:43
9:12 He never had a gun, but his best friend had the gun. And they were caught. On top of a building in London by a policeman. In those days, the police in London never carried guns. And this lawyer convinced the judge that when the older of these two boys, one was 18, the other one was 17, the 18-year-old told the 17-year-old, when the policeman said, hand over the gun, the Report an error in the passage at 9:12
9:46 older boy said, give it to him. And this whole case... Depended upon whether give it to him meant hand over the gun, the weapon, or give it to him meant shoot him. Report an error in the passage at 9:46
10:04 And the fellow who was a lawyer at the time, his name was Christmas Humphreys, and he convinced the judge that give it to him meant shoot him. Report an error in the passage at 10:04
10:20 So the 18-year-old had ordered the younger boy. to shoot the policeman. Because of that, the older boy was the last person hung, executed in UK. Report an error in the passage at 10:20
10:41 And there was this Buddhist, Christmas Humphreys. He was a Buddhist at the time. But because he was a Buddhist, eventually he became a high court judge. He did sort of make Buddhism Kind of believable to people in that country. But I remember going to many of his talks and many times I remember going fast asleep. Report an error in the passage at 10:41
11:13 They were kind of boring. Not kind of, very boring. When I discussed that with Bernard, who was the treasurer at that time of the Buddhist Society in London, in Cambridge, he said, Well, imagine how it felt for me. You were just in the audience. I was sitting next to him. I was the MC, and I started falling asleep. Report an error in the passage at 11:13
11:41 And it's because of experiences like that, I kind of realized, if ever, if ever I give a public talk on Buddhism, you have to make it interesting. Report an error in the passage at 11:41
11:54 You know, that's one of the reasons I keep looking at you when I'm giving a talk. You find any of you falling asleep, I will raise my voice, tell a joke, do something to kind of wake you up. But honestly, you prefer just relying on the content of the talk to inspire and lead. And that's where just so often I inspire myself with what I get up to, you know, in monastery and other places. Report an error in the passage at 11:54
12:29 It's fantastic. Just know how the meditation can give you so much joy and happiness. And just recently, just how it can cure really terrible diseases. Report an error in the passage at 12:29
12:42 I just was telling some of the monks and a few people that early this morning, oh no, late last night, I did a Zoom conference, or not conference, but it's a talk with a lady in New York. ...who was suffering from cancer. And she was so happy, you know, that what she'd learned from me was actually working. Report an error in the passage at 12:42
13:15 These are not small things. Now, if you know anybody who is suffering from that deadly disease and, you know, you can find another way to support, to help, even to make them better. Wow, that's big. Many Report an error in the passage at 13:15
13:39 years ago when I was in London and I was like the monk assisting Ajahn Sumedho when he went over to the north coast of Scotland in the town of Oban, beautiful little town, to teach a meditation retreat. Report an error in the passage at 13:39
14:06 And then one, this one day, I was just sitting there, you know, just listening, getting bored, and then this woman came in to the interview, and she said, I've come in here to thank you for saving my life. Report an error in the passage at 14:06
14:28 And when she said something like that, I kind of woke up. She was sincere, and she obviously meant what she said. And she told me her story. Her story was that when she was a university student herself many years earlier, she got a bit depressed. She went to see the university doctor and they just prescribed Valium and then she'd been taking Valium for years and years and years afterwards. Report an error in the passage at 14:28
15:08 It was just an easy diagnosis, give this drug and hopefully, you know, she'll get over it. But you know, when you go on meditation retreats, one of the things you are taught is you don't take alcohol or drugs. Report an error in the passage at 15:08
15:25 It wasn't explained to her that it just means, you know, not the medically approved drugs, it means, you know, like marijuana or... Cocaine or anything. If it's been approved by your doctor, carry on taking it. But she never realized that. So she thought, oh my goodness, I can't have any valium. Report an error in the passage at 15:25
15:53 So she did without for nine days. Just by mistake. But just nine days and just a beautiful, calm, peaceful retreat next to the ocean, nice weather. It was a beautiful location. So nine days she managed. And then when she was told it was a mistake, she could have had that medication anyway, she thought, nine days I've managed without it. Report an error in the passage at 15:53
16:28 Maybe I can manage a bit longer. So what she did, what she did was she said, okay, I'm not going to take any. And she said that was really tough. From the town of Oban to go back to England where she was living, she had to go on a bus to Glasgow and get a train at Glasgow railway station. Report an error in the passage at 16:28
17:01 Really, really, really busy. And she said she almost lost it there. Literally, almost was contemplating. Jumping onto the railway lines rather than, she couldn't handle it anymore, the stress of it without her valium. But she managed to get on to the train taking her to the station close to where she lived. Report an error in the passage at 17:01
17:29 She managed to get from that station to her home and she said she spent the next month sitting in a chair waiting to detox from that drug. Report an error in the passage at 17:29
17:43 She did it. And that's why she said, thank you for saving my life. She described what it was like. She said her mind was in a cloud for all that time. And now, now she was free of that drug. She was like alive. She could smell the flowers. She could see the views. She wasn't stressed out by people anymore. Report an error in the passage at 17:43
18:16 And that's why she said, thank you for saving my life. And that impressed me so much that I made a vow so many years ago. I still am a young monk, six or seven years as a monk. And then I made a vow to myself, you know what you do? You want to give meaning to your life. And my vow was, if, if just one person comes up to me and said, Ajahn Brahm, Thank you for saving my life. That's all the reward I want for the whole lifetime as a monk. Imagine what that must feel like when someone actually comes and says, and they're honest, they're not just trying to impress you, they really mean it. Report an error in the passage at 18:16
19:08 And you can tell whether they mean it or not, just look in their eyes, look at their bodily position. You can tell whether people are lying or whether they really mean it. Report an error in the passage at 19:08
19:22 I'm such a lucky person. Honestly, so many people have come up, men and women. Ajahn Brahm, thank you for saving my life. And they mean it. Report an error in the passage at 19:22
19:41 That's one of the reasons I have a smile on my face. I just want living a life, working a life which has meaning in it and actually works and helps. Report an error in the passage at 19:41
19:56 I love telling all those other stories about times, you know, when diseases... I love that because there's so many of these diseases, and mostly the cancers, they disappear. Report an error in the passage at 19:56
20:11 They're not supposed to, but they do. And the doctor... I love it. I keep telling these stories because I enjoy telling them. You go for a scan, and when you go for the scan, the... Doctor says, I'm sorry, but we have to do the scan again. Something wrong with the machine. Yes! There's nothing wrong with the machine. Report an error in the passage at 20:11
20:40 They give the scan a second time and they tell you, ma 'am, the cancer's vanished. What on earth have you been doing? People tell me that story and their usual answer is, they've been meditating. It's not supposed to happen. But it does, and it's done it so many times in my life. That's one of the reasons why you get inspired by how powerful this tool is. Report an error in the passage at 20:40
21:11 And as a young man, that is one of the reasons I wanted to become a monk, to find out and investigate, not just to believe, but to do the experiments. Do they work or not? Is this just some myth? And because I've seen it so many years, so many times, and that's one of the reasons why there's so many people come here on a Friday night. Report an error in the passage at 21:11
21:40 This is only a fraction of the people who listen to this talk, listen online. It's not just why there's so many monks and nuns in our Buddhist centers. Report an error in the passage at 21:40
21:55 Why? You know, because of you, our treasure over there. Why do we always manage to find the funds to do anything, to build anything? Why? This is a highly successful operation we do here. And so when I see this, and it's not just the sicknesses, one of the other things which I tell young people, and my goodness, I think you should do this more, if there was more university or high school students here. Report an error in the passage at 21:55
22:31 Please come and ask me, how do you pass exams? Report an error in the passage at 22:31
22:39 Of all places I went to, was it, I don't know how many years ago now, two or three, four, five years ago, was the Carmel School. It's a Jewish school in Dianella. What was I doing there? The reason I went there, because, you know, it's really important, I always think, to have interfaith groups. Report an error in the passage at 22:39
23:03 And so, look, how many times do you remember that this place here in Nalumala, where you're sitting, this used to be the car park of a church. The church was our community hall over there. Where you go to the reception area, that was the vicar's quarters, the priest. This was an Anglican church before. Report an error in the passage at 23:03
23:36 And because we'd always been friendly, we wanted to sort of look after everybody, we have these ideas in Buddhism, may all people be happy and well. And that all is really important for me. Don't care what religion you are, don't care what race you are, don't care what you've done in the past, even people who've been in jail before, you're welcome. Report an error in the passage at 23:36
24:04 And I say that with meaning. And so because of that, when we wanted to buy this place years and years and years ago, we were told that they have to, because it was an Anglican church before, they've got to have their committee, you know, in the whole of Western Australia, have to approve it. First of all, the Buddhists can move in. It wasn't much of a decision at all. They said, oh, it's you guys. Report an error in the passage at 24:04
24:38 Yeah, of course you can come in. Because we really made a point of being kind to everybody. So much so, I don't know how many of you remember this, that I was told this by the Dean of St. Report an error in the passage at 24:38
24:55 George's Cathedral. Is it St. George's? St. George's Terrace, you know the main Anglican Cathedral there? Sorry? Yeah, it's Dean Shepard was his name, but the cathedral's name. But anyway. Report an error in the passage at 24:55
25:12 He invited me to give a talk there. Not any old talk. It was a Sunday sermon. And he told me, and I can't doubt him, being honest with you, he said this is the first time in 2,000 years that anybody who's been non-Christian has given a Sunday sermon at a full Eucharist in any church or cathedral in the world. Report an error in the passage at 25:12
25:47 I'm proud of that. It wasn't taking over the cathedral, it was just showing your support, getting rid of all of this doubt and fear between our different religions. I prefer Buddhism because I can do stuff like that easily. And of course, you know what I said, all those stories about open the door of your heart to bad ricks, you know, normal stuff. Report an error in the passage at 25:47
26:13 But it meant a lot for everybody. And that inspired me. And because we do things like that, we create harmony. And because we create harmony, it's easy. They say, oh yeah, you, the Buddhist monks? Yeah, sure. And so they, no problem at all of getting permission to use this place, which used to be a Christian church before. Report an error in the passage at 26:13
26:41 And because of things like that, it's not just getting a nice center for us. It's being able to create those bonds of lack of fear, of peace and harmony will help out each other. That is the most important part. That is inspirational. There's so many things happen in this world which are negative, which divide people, which mean after a while people misunderstand and they have violence and that's one of the reasons why. Report an error in the passage at 26:41
27:18 That often I just can't go to some places and teach Muslim kids how to pass exams. I'd love to be able to do that. Why not? How many of you have ever done an exam at school or university and you really got so tense? You know, you know the stuff, you've done the work, but you fail. How many of you go to interviews and you tense up, you know the job, but you just, they don't employ you afterwards. How come? Report an error in the passage at 27:18
27:59 Or indigenous people, why do people just judge you straight away? Are you indigenous? And assume things which, you know, you can do that you can't do. But anyhow, these ways, especially in all the stuff which I've been taught, Report an error in the passage at 27:59
28:20 Experimented with and understanding Buddhism, of course you can do that and succeed. And that was, you know, many of you have heard me say this before, that was that, you know, tried it out myself when I was a student, final exams. Report an error in the passage at 28:20
28:40 I was told, and I believe others, you know, when they said, your final exams. The most important week in your whole life. You pass those exams and you'll be safe and happy and rich. Report an error in the passage at 28:40
29:00 People thought that was important, being rich. You fail those exams and you'll suffer for the rest of your life. In just one week. And that makes people, you've seen that probably in your children, it makes them very tense. They're so scared when they go to, you know, the exam room. I've told you many of the silly things which I've done in my life. Report an error in the passage at 29:00
29:28 One of them was when I was a math teacher at school in UK, I had to set an exam. And when I set the exam, with the headmaster's permission, I wrote a joke in the exam paper. Report an error in the passage at 29:28
29:47 I loved that experience because you put all the exam... She's on the desk upside down before the exam. I remember one of those jokes which I wrote. There was a triangle, ABD. Report an error in the passage at 29:47
30:23 And I said, there's no sea because the tide's gone out. Report an error in the passage at 30:23
30:30 It wasn't a dad joke. I was only about 21 at the time. Report an error in the passage at 30:30
30:37 It was a silly joke, not offensive. But then I saw these kids. So they read the paper and they were so nervous, so tense. And they saw a joke in the exam paper. They knew that I'd written it. If they forgot that before, once they saw the joke afterwards, they knew it was me, their teacher. And I remember just one of them looking up at me and I had a big smile on my face afterwards. Report an error in the passage at 30:37
31:08 And he smiled back at me. He relaxed. And he did much better than he expected because of relaxing. That was the whole point of telling that joke. That's why I tell you funny stories sometimes. Okay, I think they're funny. Report an error in the passage at 31:08
31:27 I hope you do too. The reason is it relaxes you, gets your attention, gets your happiness rising and you enjoy it more. So many other people like this lady who was really sick with cancer, I did a blessing and also some advice session on Again, that was yesterday evening. And I said, look, I'm taking the opportunity to apologize for all those bad jokes which I've told you in the past. Report an error in the passage at 31:27
32:06 She said, no, I loved all those bad jokes. As many of you do too. You know me. They're not evil. They're not sort of harming anybody. It's just like seeing the funny side of life. And it's also a great tool when you're giving a talk. You make it fun. And when you make it fun, people give you their attention and they also, most importantly, remember it. Report an error in the passage at 32:06
32:34 When they remember it, they put it into practice and my goodness, it really, really, really works. And that gives me the beautiful inspiration that these teachings are real and they really help. So passing exams, I just would meditate half an hour, only 30 minutes, instead of having lunch. I wasn't a monk yet. I had a big dinner, a big breakfast, but nothing at lunchtime. The first thing I did was let go of the past, which to me was a morning exam. Report an error in the passage at 32:34
33:13 Let go of the future, worry about the afternoon exam, which was only coming up in 10 or 20 minutes. I could let go of that. Doesn't it make sense? If you let go of the past and the future, all of that burden which really tires you disappears, which means you're actually here, more aware, more alert, more able to find the answers for the questions in that exam. Report an error in the passage at 33:13
33:44 You're here. The brain fog disappears. And the next thing, which I had to let go of, I kind of felt, you notice, in this present moment, my poor body. I never, ever, ever thought I was nervous. But I noticed my body shaking. That surprised me. You could not ignore it or deny it. It was wobbling. And if your body is that nervous, final exams, it's so easy. Report an error in the passage at 33:44
34:26 Once you're aware of it, to relax it. And once it did relax, only a couple of minutes, the next thing I noticed, my poor brain was so tired. Report an error in the passage at 34:26
34:43 It had been working so hard, not just in the exam, but beforehand, getting up early, maybe taking a look in some books, make sure I remembered everything. I was so nervous. My brain was exhausted and it's easy to fix. All you do is do nothing. That's why it's easy. Why can't people learn how to do nothing in life? Once you learn that trick, it should be one of the easiest things in the world, doing nothing. Report an error in the passage at 34:43
35:22 And then once you relax that deeply, all the energy came back in my brain. It was like, you know, almost pouring liquid caffeine into my brain. He woke up and he was alert. So he could go to the afternoon examination with full energy. It was magnificent. So I told that story and I taught those, say this, I was just talking about the students in the Jewish college, Carmel School, over in Dianella. Report an error in the passage at 35:22
35:57 I taught them how to do it. And that year, I forget which year it was, but the principal sent a lovely letter to me and said, thank you, thank you, thank you. That year, their school was the top school in Australia based on passing the year 12 exams. Report an error in the passage at 35:57
36:22 It really worked. And I thought, my goodness, why Jewish schools? Why not Buddhist schools? Why not every school, any old school? You know, make use of this. You found out these amazing tricks, you know, how your kids can have less stress in their life. I kind of loved that ability to really help people who are very, who are doing a lot of suffering. You know, how many, please excuse me, people talk about youth suicides or youth social problems, psychological problems. Report an error in the passage at 36:22
37:04 The solutions are easy, but no one actually bothers to learn them or share them or spread them. And so once you understand that, you think, wow, that's one of the reasons why I love being a Buddhist monk. You can serve so much. A good, okay, I promise myself, because one of the reasons why we decided that it's hard to teach these amazing teachings, To young people, it's because monks like me talk too much, too long. But the last little story, I can't resist. Report an error in the passage at 37:04
37:50 During one of my, one of the retreats we did, the rains retreats over in Bodhinyana, somebody gave a call and the call was, they'd woken up that morning and they found their son. He was on the end of the rope on the veranda, committed suicide. It's real. I mean that's really tough. Real things and you've heard these things happen. And so they came to monastery and the boy's brother was just not talking. Report an error in the passage at 37:50
38:37 He was so shocked. He was traumatized. Finding his brother. Just committed suicide. The parents were devastated with grief. You know, losing a son is tough enough. Losing him through suicide, that was really just, really hurting them big time. And of course, one of the things which they asked me, he said, some people have told them, some of their friends, I don't know why they choose these people as friends. Report an error in the passage at 38:37
39:16 Ajahn Brahm had said, if you're a Buddhist and you commit suicide, you go straight down to hell realms. Have you heard that before? If you had, that is gomayang. Gomayang is a Pāli word. It means bullshit, but I'm not allowed to say that. Oops, I did. Report an error in the passage at 39:16
39:45 Deliberately. But you can't just say that, even though people respect me. Nevertheless, I had to explain it. I said, what was your son going to do soon? He was 17. He was going to do the final exams for university in a couple of months' time. He was doing very well. They couldn't understand why he committed suicide. Report an error in the passage at 39:45
40:13 I said, let's not talk about the why. Let's talk about what's going to happen. I said, how many exams is he supposed to sit? I think it was about five subjects, maybe two exams in each subject, about ten papers. He had to sit down, this paper part one, then part two, then another subject. Ten papers. How many questions in each paper? Parents didn't know. They said, well, say eight in each paper. Report an error in the passage at 40:13
40:44 So that's 80 questions, you know, your son has to answer in all the exams put all together. You can tell I used to be a mathematics teacher before. I said, 80 questions. Now, suppose, on those 80 questions, that boy answered 79 of those questions perfectly. No error at all. But the very last question he answered, he made a big mess of. 79 out of 80. Report an error in the passage at 40:44
41:25 Would he go to university? You bet. He'd probably have his choice of what subject he wants to do. He said, why is it we look at two bad bricks and want to destroy the whole wall? Because of big mistake at the last thing he did in his life. That doesn't mean you have to go to a hell realm. And when they understood that, it was reasonable. Report an error in the passage at 41:25
41:56 It was logical. It was said by a monk they respected and so their younger son started talking again, smiling and laughing and the mum and dad were very happy. Obviously they missed their son, they had grief that he died. They never ever took it to the limit of just being traumatized to the max. Report an error in the passage at 41:56
42:25 When you teach a story like that and see how much it helps. Wow, you find the power of this spiritual path called Buddhism. And it's open for everyone here. And you don't need to... I keep saying this, our president is here. Not president, our president, yes, she's here, but also our treasurer. You don't need to worry about money. Even... I don't mind telling this story. I hope she's listening. Report an error in the passage at 42:25
43:01 This lady I talked to and counselled, please lady, you don't have to worry about your cancer. Don't worry at all. You probably just, from what I saw of you last night, you probably get really better and take it in your stride. But anyway, she said, look, I want to do this now. Please, please, can I give you a donation? 10,000 US. Report an error in the passage at 43:01
43:32 You sure you don't mean like... 10,000, what's the Indonesian currency? Report an error in the passage at 43:32
43:42 And that's not just what you ask for. It's just people have so much respect, so much gratitude. She has it, so she wants to contribute to this place. When those sorts of things happen, wow, it makes me feel so happy in my life. You don't worry about money. You're making a good cause happen in this world. Report an error in the passage at 43:42
44:12 Wow. Okay, I made this talk 10 minutes shorter than usual. I wanted to make it at least 20 minutes or half an hour shorter than usual because people say these days, people like these short, what do they call them, like blogs or whatever. Report an error in the passage at 44:12
44:31 Anyway, I tried my best. Thank you for listening. Report an error in the passage at 44:31
44:38 Okay, now we have the most important part, the interesting part, the questions. Report an error in the passage at 44:38
44:47 You've got a question back over there. Thank you very much, Ajahn Brahm. My question is about what the Buddha thinks about banter, and particularly how you use banter in your stories, just because when it comes to Buddhism, I think the Buddha can be quite funny sometimes. Sometimes. Okay. But specifically when it comes to right speech. Oh, yes. Report an error in the passage at 44:47
45:19 Sometimes around this like sometimes this feeling I get because I'm just taking a right speech of like not swearing and being very careful my language but when it comes to workplace and the workplace that I work at lots of people use swearing and language in a way that is quite fun you know it's not meant to be hurtful it's meant in quite fun and I Sometimes find quite difficulty thinking like I have to watch what I say but sometimes I'll let loose something that I shouldn't let loose and I was going to ask how you view right speech and using right speech and when to use it around like say swearing and what like that. Report an error in the passage at 45:19
46:11 With that right speech It's the intention, the purpose is the most important part of it. Why are you saying that story? What's it going to achieve? Report an error in the passage at 46:11
46:27 And for me, I said that word like the go my young, which you know what it means, the BS, because that family needed a very strong word to actually to shock them into putting aside That very, very, very hurtful idea the sun was going to go down to hell. They were actually believing that. You can imagine what that must feel like. And because of that I needed something more powerful to say that's wrong. Something which they could understand is the purpose of what you're doing and why you're doing it. Report an error in the passage at 46:27
47:10 That actually makes it good or bad. Do you understand? Yes, thank you very much. May I ask a second question? Absolutely. Actually, no. Okay. Thank you, boss. Because there's many more people who want to ask questions. And if they can ask a question, or if there's no more questions, then I can come back to you. Thank you very much. Is there another question anybody has? Report an error in the passage at 47:10
47:36 Okay. Report an error in the passage at 47:36
47:41 Hi, Ajahn Brahm. Thank you for the talk. I have a question on meditation. meditation. When Buddha talks about contemplation on the teachings, I have sometimes the inner chatter is going on. I don't know whether this contemplation and inner chatter, are they the same? Can you share more about, especially for beginners in meditation, on how how to to do do time? Report an error in the passage at 47:41
48:13 contemplation. Thank It's always better in meditation. To do the calming exercises first of all, because otherwise your contemplation is not powerful enough. I was just talking with Ajahn Chaitamala earlier and he was saying just when you have a good meditation before giving a dharma talk, your dharma talk is always much deeper, more powerful. Report an error in the passage at 48:13
48:48 You're accessing... You know, what happens when you contemplate the Dhamma, you can see it much more clearly. But to get that silence, that peace, first of all. If you want to see, you know, the countryside around you, it's much better to climb up the mountain first of all. And when you're high in the mountain, that's a symbol of Samatha, peace. When you're high up in the mountain, you can see much further. Report an error in the passage at 48:48
49:22 What you see is very clear. That's one of the reasons why. Yeah, you can contemplate things, but you find that once you get stillness in the mind, the mind has power. And that's exactly the kind of thing I was doing as a student. I was meditating before the test. And so the test was easy for me. I remember again, not exaggerating again, All the friends at that time, they told me I was the only student who went into the afternoon exam room. Report an error in the passage at 49:22
50:02 They come from Bodhinyana Monastery. The only student in the exam room who was smiling at the end when I went into the exam room. Everyone else was tense. I had a big smile on my face. They said actually they thought I was cheating. Report an error in the passage at 50:02
50:22 In the sense I was, I knew something they never knew about how to do exams. So the contemplation, see if you can get that stillness first of all and then get the really deep contemplations afterwards. They're the best. Okay, another question or the computer? Report an error in the passage at 50:22
50:53 Okay, okay. Report an error in the passage at 50:53
51:02 Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 51:02
51:05 As a parent of a child who's about to embark on very important exams, how do I best support her through that? Okay, she's doing a very important exam. How old is she please? She's turning 17 in a few days. Oh 17, okay great. Does she know anything about meditation? She's here with me this evening. Excellent. With her friend and also we used to come to this meditation a few years ago when she was much younger. Report an error in the passage at 51:05
51:44 Excellent. And it was her idea to come back here again this evening and I feel like we're here specifically to hear what you had to say tonight. Well look, number one, before you do an important examination ask your mum, To make you your favorite meal the day before the exam. So you're the mum, so please promise me you get her favorite meal. Report an error in the passage at 51:44
52:21 And the next day, have a good sleep in, relax to the max, and then don't look at any of the books that morning before the exam. Report an error in the passage at 52:21
52:35 Instead, if you really want to do well... Sit down quietly and do what I did. The first thing is to let go of the past. All of what you've done or not done in the past. Next, let go of the future. These thoughts will just come up. After an exam, this is crucial. It's not that crucial. Report an error in the passage at 52:35
52:59 Honestly, I say that because how many... Really famous rich people never passed exams. They left university. You know, was it Steve Jobs, Michael Dell? You know, the Dell Computing? There's so many. Who else? Heaps of them. I forgot most of them. But they didn't finish degrees. So relax. If you pass, great. If you don't, never mind. When I say that, your mum is looking at me. Report an error in the passage at 52:59
53:38 That really is important to relax. And once you do that relaxation, you usually do much better than you expect. And then once you've done that letting go of the past and the future, be in this moment. That's where you can do things, right now. And then just check your body. How does your body feel? Make sure there's no tension in there. Report an error in the passage at 53:38
54:00 I'd also invite you to do that other little trick which I did, was look in a mirror at yourself. Smile. Give yourself an act of love. Smile at yourself. Whatever happens to me, I'll always love me. Report an error in the passage at 54:00
54:21 And even if you really mess up and your mum and dad give you trouble, you bring them to me and I'll sort your mum and dad out there. Report an error in the passage at 54:21
54:33 And the last thing is, after you've done an exam, imagine just how much energy that's taken out of your brain. So between exams, just give it a big break. Report an error in the passage at 54:33
54:46 Relax to the max. And then I guarantee you'll do really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really well. You'll surprise your mum and dad. You'll also surprise yourself as well. And you'll learn an important lesson in life. It's in this moment you have power. Report an error in the passage at 54:46
55:07 When you worry, you lose that power. Report an error in the passage at 55:07
55:12 Okay, I mean that. Okay, let's look at some of the... Oh, they're already working up with the... Okay, come on. We'll go back to you afterwards. We'll do questions from here first of all. Because these are people who actually listen from way overseas. And from Georgia. That could be Georgia in the US. Report an error in the passage at 55:12
55:40 It could be Georgia in Russia. And they don't say where the other ones are. Anyway, the first question. My grandmother suffers from dementia. She recognizes us but is very hostile, hard to stay patient as she argues and shouts and can't be reasoned with. What can we do? Please don't use reasoning, use emotions. I think you all know that people who've lost memory, they can still sing their favorite songs, they will always remember. Report an error in the passage at 55:40
56:19 The emotional world disappears last of all. So smile, be kind, see if you can notice some of her favorite songs. And just, you go to her, let's sing this favorite song. And then afterwards, then, you know, it calms down her negativity and you can maybe sort of contact her. Report an error in the passage at 56:19
56:43 Oh, you know my grandmother. I will never forget this story. That my brother was always a very, very good man, would go and see her once a week, maybe two weeks at the most gap. And so I went to visit, going to UK after seven years in Thailand, went to go visit my grandma. And as soon as we walked into the locked ward at the old people's hospital where she was put to make sure she didn't wander off and get lost. Report an error in the passage at 56:43
57:21 She looked at me. My lane name was Peter. Oh, hello, Peter. Thank you for coming. And she looked at my brother who came every week. Who are you? I Report an error in the passage at 57:21
57:38 really upset my brother. You come once every seven years. She remembers you. She doesn't remember me. I sometimes wonder why that was. I don't think my brother gave her enough kindness in the moment. That's, I think, what my grandma was. Relating to the emotional memory. Anyway, if Buddhism is like putting in the effort to save yourself rather than relying on external factors, what if you're unable to put in the effort, unable to rely on yourself? Report an error in the passage at 57:38
58:18 It's not putting effort to save yourself. It's always to save us. Everybody's in it together. And if you don't understand that whatever you do, Helps others or hurts others. It makes it so obvious that you care for everybody. What was I doing going to a Christian church and giving a sermon? What was I doing going helping a Jewish school pass their exams? What was I doing helping other people rather than helping you guys? Report an error in the passage at 58:18
58:54 I'm a Buddhist. Shouldn't my first thing make sure that you're all okay? Maybe ask for permission, can I take a day off please and go and help the Christians? You never think like that. You know, if you can help someone, you just do it. It's always helping us. You don't put effort to help yourself. You put effort to help us. Next question, how do I start with Buddhism when there's no temple or anything in the neighborhood? Report an error in the passage at 58:54
59:24 Zoom. We give so many talks, you know, on social media. So Zoom is pretty good. Dear Ajahn Brahm, thank you for the wisdom, the kindness and a gentle reminder that sometimes the path is just laughing at your own mind. That's brilliant. Blessed to receive, deeply grateful and happily humbled. It's nice to be able to laugh at yourself. You always have that opportunity to have happiness. Report an error in the passage at 59:24
59:52 That's why I always say please have a mirror in your house and please use it not to actually to brush your teeth or anything. Look at yourself. Look at me, this old fat monk. Look at me. Report an error in the passage at 59:52
1:00:14 I do a stupid smile. I still do this, honestly. When I make a stupid smile at my face in the morning, I end up laughing. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:14
1:00:26 Imagine that, just laughing, every morning of your life. I don't always do that, I've got to be honest. I do it a lot. But that's a beautiful way of actually... giving yourself happiness. You deserve it, every one of you. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:26
1:00:48 Okay, I did promise, and I keep promises. Your question, just in front, yeah. Ajahn Brahm, I am a university student, so I have two big problems. I have overthinking and non-concentration. I have practiced so many times meditation, but it was It seems unsuccessful. So I would like to know what is the easiest way to avoid this overthinking and unconcentration. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:48
1:01:24 Easy. If I keep holding this glass of water, what happens? My arms get tired. And it gets so tired that I am in pain. And if I keep holding this for half an hour, you will have to call an ambulance and take me to hospital. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:24
1:01:48 So what do I need to do to solve this problem? I don't think. I don't try and work out. It's obvious. You put it down. Now it's not heavy. Stop trying to do things to solve the problem. Do nothing. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:48
1:02:10 Put down that microphone now. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:10
1:02:17 That was easy. So now put down your mind. So I'm going to have moments when I don't think. Learn how to do that. And when you learn how to not think, you see so much more. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:17
1:02:38 My first meditation retreat, I had one hour every morning for exercise. What I did was walk in the botanical gardens. I've been in there so many times, but this was the first time I saw them. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:38
1:02:59 And I actually never got past this clump of bamboo, the most beautiful clump of bamboo I'd ever seen in my life. And it didn't need to go any further. You just looked at that, your mind was so still and peaceful. I was on a retreat. It was gorgeous. And after the retreat had finished, I had a free afternoon, so I thought, I'm going to go and visit the most beautiful clump of bamboo in the world. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:59
1:03:27 When I went there, The clump of bamboo was ordinary. It had lost its beauty. I realized the beauty had not come from the clump of bamboo. It had come from my mindfulness. It was so strong. You could look at it and it was gorgeous. And if you want a university, I'm not quite sure what you're doing, but if you want to do really well and see things which other people can't see, be still. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:27
1:04:02 You want to learn how to be still. Come to this place, go to some of the retreats and start a university Buddhist society in UWA. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:02
1:04:16 It should be easy to get permission because the Vice Chancellor is a Buddhist in Bangladesh. So ask him, please can we have a Buddhist society? They should be able to allow that. And then get some good Buddhist meditation classes there. And then you'll also find That your grades at university will go up, up, up, up, up, up. It works. Okay? Report an error in the passage at 1:04:16
1:04:47 That's my challenge to you. Okay. I have to do a quick, quick question. The microphone's right next to you. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:47
1:04:59 Okay, time's up. Can I actually ask the question? Okay, try it. Okay. My question, more inspired by what you said, and also just because something that, I guess, I've been thinking about which is how Report an error in the passage at 1:04:59
1:05:21 to deal with meaninglessness in the sense that right so this is the question where one of my friends has just finished their degree at university and you know I was just having a conversation with them and it was around the idea of well I don't know what I want to do and I feel uncertain about the future and I don't have this path. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:21
1:05:46 And I thought about the Buddha who had everything in his life and every single satisfaction and then found that he also felt lost. And I was just thinking about Dharma and what to say and how you bring meaning to people and value to people and how to support other people when they feel meaningless and they don't have that value. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:46
1:06:14 you know Thank you for that question. I've always learned over so many years to find meaning in everything. What other people say is meaningless. You haven't opened your mind up enough to see the beauty in meaningless. I can see beauty even in a desiccated, you know, dry, old clump of bamboo. You know, the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:14
1:06:45 And you all know, I said it a couple of weeks ago, to find meaning and beauty, incredible beauty, in a piece of faeces which I just delivered into the toilet bowl. I don't know why I keep laughing at that, because it's gross, but it was true. Wow, wow, wow. And that happens when you learn how to meditate. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:45
1:07:09 You can see meaning in so many things, even when people are in jail. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:09
1:07:16 And I still remember the story of this monk who was put in jail because he was a senior monk, an excellent monk, very able. He's going to be the head monk in Thailand. But then another monk just was jealous and trumped up some charges, put in jail for two or three years. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:16
1:07:35 And this monk said, oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. I had three years of peace and quiet. I could catch up on my sleep, do more meditation, and I could read all these books, which I always wanted to read, but just didn't have time. And the food was not amazing, but enough to survive. And he said, it was like being on a meditation retreat for three years. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:35
1:08:02 That was Chaukun Tape Siddhimuni. And when I read his little story about his life in jail, what I was really inspired with was how he gave that meaning. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:02
1:08:16 He created meaning there. It's one of the most beautiful times of his life. Okay. Yes. So thank you. Thank you very much. I'm going to finish off now, otherwise you'll send me to jail, if I'm lucky enough. Excellent. Oh, of course, those of you who are still hungry for more Dhamma, 7 o 'clock tomorrow night, Ajahn Chathamala. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:16
1:08:43 See what he has to say. Okay. So you get extra this weekend. Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Wow! Okay, thank you. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:43
Related talks
Talk by Ajahn Brahm, recorded 21 January 2026. Original at Buddhist Society of Western Australia: https://podcast.bswa.org/e/how-to-make-meditation-attractive-to-young-people-ajahn-brahm-16-january-2026/. Licensed No license stated; shared with the archive's knowledge (courtesy note). Transcript generated automatically and may contain errors; the audio is the authoritative version.
Listen on Buddhist Society of Western Australia · No license stated; shared with the archive's knowledge (courtesy note)