Turning Suffering into Wisdom

0:00 So those of you who want to come in, please come in. Those of you who want to go to the toilet first, it's a great time to go to the toilet right after the meditation, because the toilet cubicles will be free. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:19 I know what it feels like to not be able to go to the toilet after this morning's escapade. Report an error in the passage at 0:19 Highlight the passage at 0:19

0:31 So, for the talk this evening, again, I kind of really enjoy seeing so many of you come here on a Friday evening and because there's so many who come here, oh crikey, as soon as I say that people decide to leave. Did I say that? I don't mind. This is all recorded and it's live streamed and the whole job of me is just to be able to be generous to you. Report an error in the passage at 0:31 Highlight the passage at 0:31

1:03 I was telling somebody recently today I remember getting all these phone calls. One of those phone calls, which I got some time ago, was this an American lady who said, do you teach meditation? I said, yes. Are you any good? And I think, fair enough. Many people come and listen to my meditation classes and say, yeah, not bad. Report an error in the passage at 1:03 Highlight the passage at 1:03

1:34 And then they ask me, how much do I charge? And that was the first time. Then, because they asked me how much I charged, I said, nothing. It's for free. And she said, well, you can't be any good then. Report an error in the passage at 1:34 Highlight the passage at 1:34

1:54 And that kind of made me feel sad. Why is it that these days, to be good, you have to be expensive? And I tried that once, not charging anything. But then one day, I was invited to go to I gave a speech at a human resources conference over in UK, in Docklands. Report an error in the passage at 1:54 Highlight the passage at 1:54

2:25 They saw me give a talk on that subject over in Singapore and whoever saw me really liked it. So they invited me to go all the way to UK to give a talk on human resources. Over in a nice way, looking after people, caring for people over in UK. And they paid me a business class ticket and put me up in a hotel for a couple of days over in Docklands. Report an error in the passage at 2:25 Highlight the passage at 2:25

3:03 They obviously valued me. That's the only thing which I got from it was just, you know, the nice tickets and an aircraft and a couple of days in a hotel. But during the talk, the organizers said, excuse me, but there's somebody at the gate trying to get in for free. Report an error in the passage at 3:03 Highlight the passage at 3:03

3:28 And they say they know you. What's his name? Or what's their name? There's two of them. So one of them is called Tony Betts. Report an error in the passage at 3:28 Highlight the passage at 3:28

3:39 That's my brother. Who's the other one? The other one was Caroline Betts. She was my niece. And I sort of went to see them to check it was real. And I scolded them. I said, look, you're my brother, you know, you're my niece, but nevertheless, you both got good jobs. My brother was a banker. And I said, you can afford it. And then they said, do you know how much they're charging just to listen to you? Report an error in the passage at 3:39 Highlight the passage at 3:39

4:12 And that's got me interested. They were charging 90 pounds per person for about an hour's talk. So, Mrs. President of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia, for this talk this evening, how many people here? Times 90 pounds. I could be multi-millionaire by now. But of course, I just thanked him for letting me know my market rate. Report an error in the passage at 4:12 Highlight the passage at 4:12

4:51 There's no way in the world I'd ever charge that. Because it doesn't seem right to me. You know, you charge people for things. The whole idea of that makes no sense. Maybe I've been a monk for way too long. Everything I've ever learned, I get for free. Even my food, I get for free. My accommodation, yeah, I build it. Report an error in the passage at 4:51 Highlight the passage at 4:51

5:18 And sometimes the door handles are not really the best, but it's all for free. Report an error in the passage at 5:18 Highlight the passage at 5:18

5:28 And there's something beautiful about that. Beautiful that you know you don't have to have any funds to come into this place. Report an error in the passage at 5:28 Highlight the passage at 5:28

5:38 And it's also we don't check that you're a Buddhist. We don't give you five precepts before you can come and listen to a talk. There's something wonderful about that. We often say, may all beings be happy and well. I've often taught you, About a simple thing my father said to me, the door of my heart is open to you, no matter who you are, no matter what you do. Report an error in the passage at 5:38 Highlight the passage at 5:38

6:07 And that's kind of beautiful when you have that degree of openness. You know once there was, many years ago now, somebody came to the meditation after the Friday night talk, and at the 7.30, They just laid down over there somewhere. I still remember where they were. They laid down and they fell asleep. That's kind of no problem. Report an error in the passage at 6:07 Highlight the passage at 6:07

6:38 But she snored really loudly. And then the other people around her tried to, first of all, just nudge her. Wake up, you're making a noise. And then they did actually wake her up. And that was my talk that evening. I scolded everybody in a nice way. I said, that lady, you don't know why she's here. Report an error in the passage at 6:38 Highlight the passage at 6:38

7:10 She's a victim of domestic violence and she's felt so tired, exhausted. It's the first time in weeks she's come to a place and felt safe. Because she felt safe, she laid down. I want you to go to sleep. Automatically. And I say, please, next time, if anybody does that, you don't know what the cause is, why they want to go to sleep. Report an error in the passage at 7:10 Highlight the passage at 7:10

7:46 Next time, see if you can get one of the caretakers to go to the monk's quarters, get a pillow and a blanket and make them comfortable. Report an error in the passage at 7:46 Highlight the passage at 7:46

7:57 See the beauty in that. Why is it that we tell people, no, you shouldn't do that, no, you shouldn't do this. That's not really nice. Instead, we're accepting and open so that whatever happens to anybody, they never feel rejected. Report an error in the passage at 7:57 Highlight the passage at 7:57

8:17 And I remember that's one of my favorite stories from the time of the Buddha. There was a woman in the time of the Buddha. She fell in love with a poor, much poorer person. And her family never gave her permission to get married. So she ran off with him. When she ran off with him, Soon had her first child. Report an error in the passage at 8:17 Highlight the passage at 8:17

8:44 Once she had her first child, she thought, now my parents, this is a serious relationship and maybe having a grandchild, that was going to melt the hearts of my parents. So she decided to go and visit her parents. But then, thought maybe not yet, she got pregnant again and had a second child. And when the second child was about to be born, they thought, now is the time to reconcile with my parents. Report an error in the passage at 8:44 Highlight the passage at 8:44

9:22 So together with her husband and her one child and a fat belly as well, they went to visit their mum and dad. And on the journey, That's where she gave birth to the second child. And her husband went to get some firewood to actually to keep his wife warm. Report an error in the passage at 9:22 Highlight the passage at 9:22

9:48 And when he collected some firewood, he didn't notice one of those sticks was not a stick of wood. It was a snake. And the snake bit her husband and killed him. In no way she could help him. Report an error in the passage at 9:48 Highlight the passage at 9:48

10:06 having the husband, had the two children one was just born, other one was a couple of years old. they came to a stream which they had to cross and it was flooded. Report an error in the passage at 10:06 Highlight the passage at 10:06

10:25 So the wife said to the elder kid, wait here I call. Report an error in the passage at 10:25 Highlight the passage at 10:25

10:38 A young baby, which she did, and then she managed to get to the other side of the river. She put the baby down on the ground and then waited back to see her elder child. And then she noticed a noise. A young baby's kind of defenseless and a big bird, an eagle, saw the young baby swoop down. Report an error in the passage at 10:38 Highlight the passage at 10:38

11:09 And all that the waving of her arms and the shouting did, it didn't scare off the eagle. The eagle took her baby, took it away. And as she was waving, the elder kid thought, oh my mother is now calling me to cross the river. So the elder kid waded into the river, could not withstand the power of the current. Report an error in the passage at 11:09 Highlight the passage at 11:09

11:39 and got swept away. that mother saw her two children that afternoon, she could not save them. Report an error in the passage at 11:39 Highlight the passage at 11:39

12:09 That because of a big rainstorm, which is why the river was flooded, that her parents' house had been crushed by a fallen tree. And she lost her two children at the same time. Sorry, her two parents at the same time. On the very same day, she lost her parents, her two children, and her husband. Report an error in the passage at 12:09 Highlight the passage at 12:09

12:36 Have you ever experienced a death in your family? How hard is that? When five people died the same day, she lost her mind. She went crazy. Report an error in the passage at 12:36 Highlight the passage at 12:36

12:55 What happened next was a wonderful part of this story. If you haven't heard this before, I'm sorry, but you should have many times because it really inspires me. She wandered in around the area where her father's village was. into this monastery where there was a monk giving a talk. The monk's name was the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 12:55 Highlight the passage at 12:55

13:28 When she went in there, she was so crazy. She had no clothes on. And she was a young woman, totally naked. What would you do if a beautiful young woman came into this hall right now? Would you say, Get out of here! We've got good monks in here. We don't want people like you in here. Would you have done that? Report an error in the passage at 13:28 Highlight the passage at 13:28

14:00 A couple of people tried. When the Buddha saw this girl come in, he said, No, let her come in. You're opening the door of your heart. No matter what you are like, no matter what you're doing. Even though she was so improperly dressed, Report an error in the passage at 14:00 Highlight the passage at 14:00

14:24 One of the other monks who were there was kind enough to give her his robe. He used to put it around her shoulders. And the Buddha let her in. And everybody allowed her to come in. And as a result of that, she soon became a Buddhist nun. The reason I like this story, not just any Buddhist nun, she became known as Patacara. Report an error in the passage at 14:24 Highlight the passage at 14:24

14:59 She became the most inspiring meditation teacher. So much so that you know Ayaseri, her hermitage where she lives, you know what she calls it, Patacara Hermitage, after her, many hundreds of years later. Report an error in the passage at 14:59 Highlight the passage at 14:59

15:22 And I was very impressed with that nun, Patacara. What happens? When you've had such a huge amount of suffering, you've lost all of your family the same day. What happened to her after she was given full ordination as a bhikkhuni? Report an error in the passage at 15:22 Highlight the passage at 15:22

15:48 Apparently, according to her story, she was watching a candle flame. And as the wind blew that candle flame, the flame went out. And for her, That's all she needed to become fully enlightened. But not just an ordinary fully enlightened nun. This particular one. I kept on reading many, many times that in what's called the Terigata, this is the verses of the enlightened bhikkhunis in those times of the Buddha. Report an error in the passage at 15:48 Highlight the passage at 15:48

16:32 Please, this is not just a misogynist path. Doesn't matter who you are, everyone is welcome. The door of our heart is open to everybody, no matter who you are. We have to mean that to say it. So, Bhattacharya became one of my favorite bhikkhunis, my favorite teachers, when I was a very, very young monk. Report an error in the passage at 16:32 Highlight the passage at 16:32

17:01 Because I started reading about all the stories of these nuns. And they said that there were Meditating and trying their best, but they were getting nowhere. Have you ever had that feeling in your life? You're practicing meditation, but it's not working for you. You're trying to understand the Dhamma, but it's not just really powering you. And of course that was happening to many bhikkhunis a long time ago. Report an error in the passage at 17:01 Highlight the passage at 17:01

17:36 And then they kept on saying. In the verses of enlightenment, yeah, I was practicing, practicing, practicing, but nothing was working. And then this nun came along, taught me, and in a week or two, I was fully enlightened. Report an error in the passage at 17:36 Highlight the passage at 17:36

17:55 When I heard that the first time, then the second time, another bhikkhu, and he had the same experience, then another, and another. Who the heck is this teacher? Report an error in the passage at 17:55 Highlight the passage at 17:55

18:05 And actually then when you saw, that was Patacara. She was absolutely brilliant. That's one of the reasons why, you know, I say all these stories, when you have any suffering in your life, I mean really big suffering, it's amazing how that can be so amazing and useful for you. Report an error in the passage at 18:05 Highlight the passage at 18:05

18:30 It's hard for me to say this because it would mean that we should all just, you know, have these terrible experiences. You don't have to wish for it, it happens in life. If it does happen, I tried to make it so you can understand what's happening. It's like treading in the dog shit. How many times have you done that in your life? Report an error in the passage at 18:30 Highlight the passage at 18:30

18:53 When you do, do you complain? Please don't complain. Instead, take it back home, dig it under the mango tree, and then your mangoes will be more delicious than ever before. That's one of the reasons why. The way we judge and name things, we don't see their value. I've said that so many times before. What would happen if people valued some of the great fertilizers of life? Report an error in the passage at 18:53 Highlight the passage at 18:53

19:32 And this is what the fertilizers are. Each one of you, every one of you, without needing to read your minds, how much pain and suffering have you had? Report an error in the passage at 19:32 Highlight the passage at 19:32

19:45 How many difficulties? And often the time is we say, why? Why me? Why it keeps on happening? Instead of ever saying why, say, what am I going to do with it? Report an error in the passage at 19:45 Highlight the passage at 19:45

20:02 Please dig it in. And when you dig it in, it's a hard teaching to tell you. But my goodness, it works. Report an error in the passage at 20:02 Highlight the passage at 20:02

20:13 Somehow in my life, I must have had a lot of dog shit. Because many people come and listen to these weird stories I keep telling. Report an error in the passage at 20:13 Highlight the passage at 20:13

20:24 And I get inspired by them. And you can fill halls. Why? Where did your wisdom come from? And I can tell you, it doesn't come from studying at university. Yeah, I did go to university. But I was studying math and theoretical physics. Not Buddhism. Totally different sort of realm of existence. But all the Buddhism which I learnt, Report an error in the passage at 20:24 Highlight the passage at 20:24

20:58 That was from life. And that was from people like, great teachers like Ajahn Chah telling me, look, you don't learn from thinking, you learn from feeling. Report an error in the passage at 20:58 Highlight the passage at 20:58

21:13 How does it feel when you're really sick? It always happens at the wrong time. Even like this morning, a small thing, but it was fascinating for me. How does it feel? You know, to be locked in a place you never thought you'd be locked in, in my cave. Because the handle of the door wouldn't work and there's no way to get out. It kind of felt fascinating, not suffering. Report an error in the passage at 21:13 Highlight the passage at 21:13

21:43 I was actually quite happy in the cave but not being able to go to the toilet. That wasn't very pleasant, I must admit. But you can bear with it. And somebody came to help. How does it feel to actually to fall over and break a leg? How does it feel even to get bitten by a snake? How many of you have ever been bitten by a snake? Report an error in the passage at 21:43 Highlight the passage at 21:43

22:18 When I was staying in Thailand, no one in our monastery ever got bitten by a snake while I was there. But I think the year after I left and came here to Australia, there was a Singaporean monk who came to stay in northeast Thailand. Report an error in the passage at 22:18 Highlight the passage at 22:18

22:40 And one day, Apparently, he came into a library in Wat Bananachat and just said, can I please have a look at the snake book? He has all the different species of snake in that part of Thailand and also describes how venomous they are. And as he was given a snake book, the librarian was just not really paying too much attention. And a Singaporean monk He was looking through the books and then, oh my goodness, that's the one which just bit me. That's why the Singaporean was looking at the book of snakes to try and identify the one which had just bitten him to see whether it was dangerous or not. Report an error in the passage at 22:40 Highlight the passage at 22:40

23:32 It was really dangerous. So the other monk looked at the poor Singaporean monk's leg. He saw the bite marks, the two fang marks, and saw it already starting to swell. And that's one time, if you're a monk, you're allowed to run. Report an error in the passage at 23:32 Highlight the passage at 23:32

23:57 You're supposed to run. If any one of you got bitten by a snake, and that was me, I would have to run. Even though that might kill me. Nevertheless, just to save another person's life, that's so important. So this monk, Just ran into the village to get a doctor. The snakes exist in Thailand. So you have to keep some antivenom. Report an error in the passage at 23:57 Highlight the passage at 23:57

24:26 But this village had no antivenom. They'd thrown it away years ago. Because when this monk came back with one of the villagers on a little motorbike, he didn't come back with a doctor. Well, he was a kind of a doctor. What you usually call like... A witch doctor, a poor villager who didn't have any injections. He had a special medicine, a herbal medicine, which was supposed to be really, really powerful. Report an error in the passage at 24:26 Highlight the passage at 24:26

25:08 And the herbal medicine man started doing some chanting. And he put this medicine in his mouth, started chewing it, mixing it with saliva. And then spitting it on this poor Singaporean man's wound, which was getting really big by now. Report an error in the passage at 25:08 Highlight the passage at 25:08

25:32 And this Singaporean, imagine that was you, how would you feel? This Singaporean, who was highly educated, looked at the other monks and said, can I please have a proper doctor? Report an error in the passage at 25:32 Highlight the passage at 25:32

25:50 But then looking at this Singaporean, And this witch doctor doing chanting and spitting over the wound. You could see apparently what the other monks told me. The two fang marks started to get smaller and smaller and smaller. And the inflammation got less and less and less. Until the inflammation totally vanished. Report an error in the passage at 25:50 Highlight the passage at 25:50

26:17 The two fang marks disappeared. And that Singaporean monk was totally healed. Report an error in the passage at 26:17 Highlight the passage at 26:17

26:29 I didn't see that myself, but I know the villagers over there. And those villagers, they once told me, we've given up our antivenom because this medicine man is much more powerful and there's no sort of bad side effects afterwards. Report an error in the passage at 26:29 Highlight the passage at 26:29

26:50 These are really weird things which sometimes you've seen yourself. So because you've seen them, It's some of the belief systems which we have. It's not that we just have to be really just believing in anything. When you see it, and it happens, it kind of makes this life much more wonderful, full of wonder, things you never expect actually happen. Report an error in the passage at 26:50 Highlight the passage at 26:50

27:21 And there's too many of those things I've seen for myself in my life, and I love it when those things happen. Just in my last week I was talking about the relics because I did go to the relic exhibition and it was highly successful and mostly very nice to see the Bhutanese community come out and just so many of them. Report an error in the passage at 27:21 Highlight the passage at 27:21

27:45 I only was there for the first morning but afterwards apparently there were the same crowds every day for two days. Report an error in the passage at 27:45 Highlight the passage at 27:45

27:58 15,000. They take the day off. And the weather was really hot. So I was really quite surprised. But when that kind of thing happens, sometimes you ask why. Report an error in the passage at 27:58 Highlight the passage at 27:58

28:13 And sometimes you ask why. It's just, I love it when it's the unexpected happens. And it makes this world a much more beautiful place. All the unexpected things which you've enjoyed in your life. Things which shouldn't have happened, but they did. Those are the sorts of things which I really enjoy in life. Seeing people recover from diseases they're not supposed to recover from. Report an error in the passage at 28:13 Highlight the passage at 28:13

28:43 People do well in exams which they're not supposed to do well in. So many times I've done chanting. Is chanting good? You know once there was a Malaysian girl. They asked for some chanting before the end of the year exams. Report an error in the passage at 28:43 Highlight the passage at 28:43

29:06 And if you ask, I would always give. You give to me. I can't not say no. So I did her some chanting. Then afterwards, I never saw her again. But I saw some of her friends. Report an error in the passage at 29:06 Highlight the passage at 29:06

29:23 Some of her friends came to see me. They said, I just thought we'd let you know that girl you chanted on is going around telling everybody you're a bad monk. Friends. Report an error in the passage at 29:23 Highlight the passage at 29:23

29:36 You don't know you're chanting. And of course you know why. Because she failed. But they told me it would have been a miracle if she'd have actually passed, simply because, you know, she'd done no work all year. First time away from home, when she comes to Perth, she's a party girl. And they've not done any work at all. Report an error in the passage at 29:36 Highlight the passage at 29:36

30:03 And she said it was your fault. Okay, she understood that. When she comes overseas, she'll enjoy her life and let the monk look after the other side of life, like exams. But nevertheless, it's wonderful to be able to help in whichever way you possibly can. She learnt her lesson, but it was not the end of the world for her. So it's beautiful when we can see how to deal with the difficulties which we have in life. Report an error in the passage at 30:03 Highlight the passage at 30:03

30:37 We can never expect. Life to be perfect. We can expect life to be how we learn. And after a while, you find how to have happiness no matter where you are, no matter what happens to you. That's the thing which I kind of love to try and make happen. Even today, went to Adana this morning, and the kids were making such a loud noise. Report an error in the passage at 30:37 Highlight the passage at 30:37

31:09 They were playing together. And I told one of the parents, you know, told the kids, be quiet, be quiet, there are monks here. You know what I said? No, make more noise, please. The kids were enjoying themselves. And seeing the happiness which they were practicing, it actually made me very happy. Would you rather see kids just sitting down, afraid? Report an error in the passage at 31:09 Highlight the passage at 31:09

31:41 afraid, quiet? would you rather see kids, 10, 11, 12 years of age, around, enjoying themselves? would you prefer? is actually how you understand people learn. Report an error in the passage at 31:41 Highlight the passage at 31:41

32:02 people of the age of people here, know, you understand things. Through thinking, through logic. Report an error in the passage at 32:02 Highlight the passage at 32:02

32:15 And sometimes we believe in that too much, the weird stuff of life. We don't investigate enough the things which shouldn't happen but which do happen. What is really important in your life? When you say like love and kindness, what moves you more than anything else? Report an error in the passage at 32:15 Highlight the passage at 32:15

32:40 What has the power in this life to heal, to help, unite people? That's not just logic. Sometimes I don't have the brain to be able to explain how this body works. But sometimes you know how it works. You feel it. You understand it. What was that? Because as I look at you, I remember one of the things which I taught you some years ago. Report an error in the passage at 32:40 Highlight the passage at 32:40

33:08 But it came from when there was a disciple over in Adelaide University who had anxiety disorder. So strong anxiety disorder, she could not get out of bed. Every time she felt like she was strong enough, got out of bed and just cracked up. Report an error in the passage at 33:08 Highlight the passage at 33:08

33:34 You know, had a big anxiety attack. So she decided to try and get the doctors and psychologists and psychiatrists. Nothing worked. And that's when, because her... Report an error in the passage at 33:34 Highlight the passage at 33:34

33:52 Her father was a key member of our Buddhist society in Western Australia here. He said, go and give Ajahn Brahm a call. One of the nice things, I shouldn't say this, but I've already started. One of the nice things about giving Ajahn Brahm a call is I'm cheap. Report an error in the passage at 33:52 Highlight the passage at 33:52

34:14 It don't cost anything if you can get through. So anyway, she called. And I didn't have much time, but she was really smart. She was studying dentistry. Over in Adelaide University. So I asked her, when you have an anxiety attack, how does it feel? Report an error in the passage at 34:14 Highlight the passage at 34:14

34:36 It kind of hurts. That's not what I said. How does it feel? I want a real explanation. Please give me a call back in three days when you can describe exactly how it feels. Report an error in the passage at 34:36 Highlight the passage at 34:36

34:52 It gave her something to do. It gave her control. of her anxiety attacks. In three days time, she called me and gave an amazing description, when you have an anxiety attack, what those feelings actually feel like. Report an error in the passage at 34:52 Highlight the passage at 34:52

35:14 And then I asked her a second question, when you have that anxiety attack, where do you feel it? And she said, in my chest. Not good enough. I want exact. You're a science student, dentistry, I suppose. But from your belly button, I want millimeters up. How far does it extend? And to the left, to the right? Is it like a circle or a triangle? Report an error in the passage at 35:14 Highlight the passage at 35:14

35:48 What exactly when you feel it? Where do you feel it on your body? Describe it to me. Give me a call back in three days. That's what she did. After six days, she gave me this incredible description of what it's like to have an anxiety attack and how it grows and moves during that attack. That's what we call mindfulness. And then more than that, I said, next, I want you. Report an error in the passage at 35:48 Highlight the passage at 35:48

36:19 She had this living boyfriend, Lloyd his name was. I hope they're listening to this, because they've now come to live in Perth. Lloyd, and her boyfriend was looking after her, cooking for her, cleaning for her, because she couldn't do anything herself for this period, and said, once you feel that anxiety attack, get your hand, put it on your chest, and massage your chest with love. Report an error in the passage at 36:19 Highlight the passage at 36:19

36:53 With kindness, as much kindness as you can possibly generate. And, if you can't do it, ask your boyfriend, Lloyd, to do it for you. Yeah, I don't think he would object. Don't rub his girlfriend's tummy. But with kindness, he really cared for her. And then give me a call in three days' time and see what happened. And that's what they did. Three days' time, she called back again and said, what happened? Report an error in the passage at 36:53 Highlight the passage at 36:53

37:25 I said, it really helped. Because once I had that feeling in my tummy of the anxiety disorder, what I call the physical manifestations of the mental problem, the feelings in the tummy disappeared. Report an error in the passage at 37:25 Highlight the passage at 37:25

37:41 And then I couldn't resist asking her, what happened when the physical manifestation of anxiety disappeared? What happened to the anxiety? And that's when we had the Einstein or the Eureka movement. Report an error in the passage at 37:41 Highlight the passage at 37:41

38:01 You know what the re-commandment is? You ask the correct question and someone gets it. She pauses. She said, it vanished. Even the anxiety vanished. She said, great. Now you know what to do. Nine days of teaching. Report an error in the passage at 38:01 Highlight the passage at 38:01

38:23 That's all. Just maybe half an hour every three days. And then she was soon out of the bed. And I don't mind saying this. It never worked, but she did nominate me for Australian of the Year. There's other people who do more work than I do. But nevertheless, she didn't get the Australian of the Year nomination through, but she insisted about a year later. Report an error in the passage at 38:23 Highlight the passage at 38:23

38:59 She said, I've totally recovered now, no more anxiety. She passed her degrees at university. And she said that, can you please make a, I want to make a reservation for this day. I insist, please. Can you please officiate for our marriage with Lloyd? The UWA Sunken Gardens. Report an error in the passage at 38:59 Highlight the passage at 38:59

39:27 So that's where I married them. Lloyd and Chippy. And now they've got a dentistry down in Florida somewhere. Which is very nice. It worked. It's not supposed to work. But it did. I remember, I know another doctor who did the same thing. I remember you telling me this. It's okay if I say this? Report an error in the passage at 39:27 Highlight the passage at 39:27

40:01 She said she had some patients over in one of the big hospitals here. One of these old people that had such bad anxiety. They had to have oxygen all the time. Report an error in the passage at 40:01 Highlight the passage at 40:01

40:14 And so, as a doctor, you give one medication after another. You got to the last medication, nothing was working. And that's when, you know, very busy, had to go off back home. And then you taught her Ajahn Brahm's medications. Feel the anxiety, how it manifests on your body. Report an error in the passage at 40:14 Highlight the passage at 40:14

40:41 Massage it with kindness. See what happens. Because she didn't live there in the hospital, when she went back the next day, that patient had the oxygen feed off. She said, oh, thank you very much, it worked, I'm going home now. Was that pretty accurate? Yeah, okay, she said, yeah, good. So this is amazing. Report an error in the passage at 40:41 Highlight the passage at 40:41

41:07 These are sometimes what you learn as a Buddhist monk, and how powerful it can be. So for each one of you, if you have anxiety disorder, please know how to deal with it. It will manifest somewhere on your body. Take your hand and massage it. If you can't do it, get your partner to massage it. Report an error in the passage at 41:07 Highlight the passage at 41:07

41:30 And see it all disappear. Even do that before you go to an exam. If you're a young person, you're going to do some exams at university. Do you feel tense before you go in? Do you feel tense before you go into that exam? See how many people you see there. Going into that exam, rubbing their tummies. If you see that, you know who taught them that. I confess. Report an error in the passage at 41:30 Highlight the passage at 41:30

42:05 It works. Which means you can pass exams and don't get nervous. And you can have much more fun in life. Why not? So anyway, that's my little talk for you today. I should have been really nervous today. I had a really bad sore throat. Report an error in the passage at 42:05 Highlight the passage at 42:05

42:29 Where did that go? I haven't got a clue. Maybe I've been rubbing it too much. Report an error in the passage at 42:29 Highlight the passage at 42:29

42:38 In the monks' quarters, did you hear me coughing? Report an error in the passage at 42:38 Highlight the passage at 42:38

42:46 Okay, yeah. Anyway, it's amazing. So anyway, thank you all for listening. Report an error in the passage at 42:46 Highlight the passage at 42:46

42:57 Now, questions. Yeah. Please excuse me. I'm doing this on purpose to try and to lessen the length of the talks. I'm sorry I'm not training you in how to hold your bladder. Report an error in the passage at 42:57 Highlight the passage at 42:57

43:13 But I don't think that's a nice thing to have to train people doing. But I do notice that apparently people like the shorter talks more. So I'm trying my best. If you'd like longer talks, let me know. But anyway, your question. We've got a microphone. Question over here. Over here? Yep. Report an error in the passage at 43:13 Highlight the passage at 43:13

43:43 Okay. Report an error in the passage at 43:43 Highlight the passage at 43:43

43:58 While we're waiting, we do need very good volunteers who are very fast. and very fit to be able to take the phones. First, thank you so much Ajahn for your kindness. My question is back to your story of bhikkhunis. So while I have read the book I heard that when venables become an enlightenment they can see in the past life. Report an error in the passage at 43:58 Highlight the passage at 43:58

44:31 So continue this story. She had lost her family of five people. So after she had alignment, did she see in her past what consequences, what karma had made her to that story and then how she had so much suffering in her life and losing five people? Thank you, Ajahn. OK. I don't know if she... I never read the story that deeply. Report an error in the passage at 44:31 Highlight the passage at 44:31

45:00 To see what karma she had in her past life. But she would never look at it as being negative anymore. Simply because that allowed her to see so deeply into the nature of life. She was now fully enlightened. What did give her this authenticity? When a person becomes wise, they don't make things up. Report an error in the passage at 45:00 Highlight the passage at 45:00

45:27 Sometimes people had a huge amount of suffering and difficulties in their life. But they get through that and it makes their life so much more powerful to be able to teach others. That's what I say when you get lots and lots of fertilizer. Report an error in the passage at 45:27 Highlight the passage at 45:27

45:46 Your tree is so powerful. You can teach so deeply. It makes sense because you've been there and felt the pain of life. And so other people, as I mentioned, each one of you, I'm sure you've had had great disappointments and difficulties in life. you find there's a way through that? Report an error in the passage at 45:46 Highlight the passage at 45:46

46:11 not just a way through it. get a more delicious mango from your tree than anybody else. kind of is weird. people I've known who've been the wisest had the most suffering. Report an error in the passage at 46:11 Highlight the passage at 46:11

46:32 that make any sense? Okay, thank you. Report an error in the passage at 46:32 Highlight the passage at 46:32

46:37 Ajahn, can you tell us the story of this beautiful What is that? I feel like I'm looking at Patacara, an emanation of Patacara. It's so feminine. Yeah. So what's the story with that? The story of that is that one of the supporters had in her house and they wanted to give it to the BSWA. And it's just wondering where to give it. So first of all, it came last week. Report an error in the passage at 46:37 Highlight the passage at 46:37

47:12 And we put it in the corner over here so people could see. A really good Buddha statue is not masculine nor feminine. It's in between. It's not identifying with any gender but just that kindness which unites people. That one is a Burmese Buddha statue and they have their Buddha statues in that way. And sometimes you manage to get a really beautiful one. And I think I've mentioned to all of you here before that there's one Buddha statue which I always was inspired by, which was in the... Report an error in the passage at 47:12 Highlight the passage at 47:12

47:58 It's kind of like it's in a museum. It's run by the Indian Archaeological Survey. And that's outside of Benares. In a museum next to Sarnath. When I first saw that, I burst out crying. Sometimes people say, oh you're a monk, you're not supposed to cry. No, that's tears of joy. So many times, tears of inspiration and joy, we're supposed to do. Report an error in the passage at 47:58 Highlight the passage at 47:58

48:34 I was embarrassed at first because I didn't understand that so much. If it's tears of joy, please go for it. So that first time I saw that Buddha statue in Sarnath, it's called the Dhammacakkha Buddha statue. It's got the big wheel behind it. And I don't know why it's the most beautiful one I've ever seen. And so once I saw it once, the next time I took people on a pilgrimage to India, this time I came prepared. Report an error in the passage at 48:34 Highlight the passage at 48:34

49:10 I had a big pack of tissue paper. And I told people, this is why I've got the tissue paper. Just around the corner you're going to see this Dhammacakkha Buddha statue. Every time it brings me to tears. Just this artistic beauty as well as what it means. So when I turned around, I started to cry. This time I was not embarrassed about crying. It was a wonderful feeling. And the third time when I went to that museum, I had even more tissues in my pocket. I was looking forward to having a good weep at something really beautiful, which does literally bring tears to your eyes. Report an error in the passage at 49:10 Highlight the passage at 49:10

50:01 And when I went around the corner, they were doing renovations. Had a big tarpaulin of the most beautiful Buddha statue in the world. And straight away, I could not see my Buddha statue. Then the workers there, I don't, I can't speak Hindi. And they don't understand English. I never said a word anyway. But I saw the guy in charge looking at me. Report an error in the passage at 50:01 Highlight the passage at 50:01

50:34 And then straight away, he took the tarpaulin off. So I could see the Buddha statue again. So I wept again. These were tears of joy. Have you ever experienced that? Something very, very beautiful. Something which inspires you. Something which looks absolutely amazing. Some of the generosity, the kindness of human beings. Report an error in the passage at 50:34 Highlight the passage at 50:34

51:10 What was it that one of the monks over in Sri Lanka, he was a blood donor. So he got a call from the blood clinic and they said, I know you're a blood donor but also you've... Volunteer to any of your organs which are needed to help a person survive any cancers or anything. You're very happy to help them. Report an error in the passage at 51:10 Highlight the passage at 51:10

51:38 You've found a candidate. It's a perfect match for you. They will need your, I don't know, kidney or liver or something. But the problem is, said the blood clinic, said the person who needs your organ is a fundamentalist Christian who goes around Sri Lanka. Converting Buddhists to being Christians. Any problem? Report an error in the passage at 51:38 Highlight the passage at 51:38

52:05 What should a Buddhist monk say? He said, no problem at all. I'll be in when you want me. So he donated his, I think, was it a kidney or was it a liver? Report an error in the passage at 52:05 Highlight the passage at 52:05

52:21 You know that one? Anyway, he donated it without any question. And straight afterwards, they thought, that's kind of something which religions should do. It doesn't matter sort of what faith you are, what you're doing, if you need something and you're willing to give it, you give it. The door of your heart is open to everybody. Report an error in the passage at 52:21 Highlight the passage at 52:21

52:45 And so then he went, as soon as he recovered from the surgery, he went off into the forest for a while because the newspapers were all after him. They were inspired. That's one thing which made a lot of sense that people go way beyond religions. Report an error in the passage at 52:45 Highlight the passage at 52:45

53:05 If somebody needs it for health, I don't care who you are, you can have my kidney. So those are kind of the stories which I'm inspired by in life. Not just my mob, anybody who needs it, very happy to help. Does that make sense? Report an error in the passage at 53:05 Highlight the passage at 53:05

53:29 Anyway, I was really inspired by that monk. Report an error in the passage at 53:29 Highlight the passage at 53:29

53:37 Okay, next question. Report an error in the passage at 53:37 Highlight the passage at 53:37

53:45 You know that sometimes people think that Buddhists are not fit. I mentioned this fellow today, one of the most famous Buddhists. I don't know if he calls himself a Buddhist, but he's certainly a meditator. Report an error in the passage at 53:45 Highlight the passage at 53:45

54:01 He was in the news recently. Report an error in the passage at 54:01 Highlight the passage at 54:01

54:08 He plays at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic. You know I know this. He's a Wimbledon champion. How many times? Many times. But apparently, When they have the competition at Wimbledon, he's a well-known visitor to the Thai temple in Wimbledon. Report an error in the passage at 54:08 Highlight the passage at 54:08

54:40 He doesn't create any disturbance for the monks. Another thing the monks actually do there, they've got a big property there, so they open up their car park, which is really close by to the Wimbledon Tennis Club. It's so hard for visitors. To get places to park their cars. So that's where the Time Monastery makes a bit of cash to pay off their bills. Report an error in the passage at 54:40 Highlight the passage at 54:40

55:12 To open it up during the Melbourne Tennis, no the Wimbledon Tennis Championship. But also one of the visitors there goes round the back, is Novak. Report an error in the passage at 55:12 Highlight the passage at 55:12

55:24 If you're going to be competing at such a deep level, of course you want to have to... Be able to relax. So he goes around the back of the Vimabhadana temple to meditate. I think that's one of the reasons why he does so well. Report an error in the passage at 55:24 Highlight the passage at 55:24

55:45 So, if any of you want to do well at tennis. Report an error in the passage at 55:45 Highlight the passage at 55:45

55:53 Okay, next question. Yes, thank you, Ajahn Brahm. Many years ago, you taught something about pain, dealing with pain. And that was very helpful. when I cut my eye and I no Thank you for that. My question is to do with cognitive dissonance and at the risk of getting trolled again online from asking a previous question a few years ago when some people were quite nasty. Report an error in the passage at 55:53 Highlight the passage at 55:53

56:26 The Buddhist precepts essentially tell us to be compassionate to all beings and yet in our conservative Report an error in the passage at 56:26 Highlight the passage at 56:26

56:40 treatment of beings on this planet. We torture and kill a lot of them unnecessarily. And how do you think is the best way for us to cognitively get past that so that we can actually stop funding the torture and killing of other beings on this planet so that we can actually live truly Buddhist and compassionate? Report an error in the passage at 56:40 Highlight the passage at 56:40

57:04 It's that way to do the very best you can personally. One of the reasons why this happens, I think it's because of the commercialism of everything. That's one of the reasons why here we refuse to have an entry fee, refuse to charge for things. Report an error in the passage at 57:04 Highlight the passage at 57:04

57:27 That's why over in our Jhāna Grove Retreat Center, for a long time now, people just wanted to charge for things. It costs a lot of money to maintain Jhāna Grove. We keep on refusing. If you want to go on a retreat at Jhāna Grove, you just put your name down. We do do what we call a booking bond. This is not just lying words. I forget how much it is now. If it's like $100 or something for a nine-day retreat, and then that is given back to you. Report an error in the passage at 57:27 Highlight the passage at 57:27

58:12 After the retreat. The only reason we do that, because otherwise when it was for free, so many people put their names down and never turn up. So they'd have to turn up, but if they needed it back, straight away. Give them back. To try and take the money away from things, that causes most of the difficulties. Report an error in the passage at 58:12 Highlight the passage at 58:12

58:32 And that's the same way with other things in this life. Many years ago, somebody... They were over in Thailand, they were Westerner, and they said, look, I've got a bit of extra money, can I make a donation? And I think it was, I went to the Buddhist Society, I forget exactly what it was for, about $5,000. Report an error in the passage at 58:32 Highlight the passage at 58:32

58:57 And then they wrote again and said, look, you know, I've come into some financial problems, can I have the $5,000 back? Report an error in the passage at 58:57 Highlight the passage at 58:57

59:11 And I remember at the time, That I wanted to check the people on my committee, you know, the presidents and the treasurers. I wanted to check them out how much Buddhism had they really understood. So I asked them, can we please, please, please give it back? And then the conversation at the committee, before your time, the conversation at the committee was, I think that might be illegal. Report an error in the passage at 59:11 Highlight the passage at 59:11

59:42 That's wrong. They've given the money. So you can't give it back again. And then blah, blah, blah. And then on the end, well, yeah, I know, but, you know, we're the Buddhist society. If we can't be compassionate, who can? So it's given back. Sadhu, sadhu, sadhu. It's important. People count more than money, animals too, all beings. I think one of the biggest problems is Again, funds and trying to do the right thing so we won't be sued. Report an error in the passage at 59:42 Highlight the passage at 59:42

1:00:31 That makes sense. I was going to say the only other things is lawyers. Sometimes we've got treasurers. They're doing their very best. We just want to make sure that everything is done properly. But properly means being kind. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:31 Highlight the passage at 1:00:31

1:00:55 We take away the money thing. It changes the whole. Way of working. Was I clear enough about that? Report an error in the passage at 1:00:55 Highlight the passage at 1:00:55

1:01:08 Okay. Anyway, May, as long as I'm alive, you never have to pay a cent to come in here. Or even go to Jhāna Grove. You may ask to put in a, what's it called, a booking donation, but it's yours to get back afterwards. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:08 Highlight the passage at 1:01:08

1:01:37 Make sense? Excellent, okay. Okay, do you want me? The question's online. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:37 Highlight the passage at 1:01:37

1:01:50 Imagine you're Novak Djokovic. Excellent. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:50 Highlight the passage at 1:01:50

1:02:00 From Germany, what is the difference between nature and the mind? How do they relate to each other? Nature part of the mind or vice versa? Both can influence each other, can they? I think, to me, the mind is the biggest thing. I mean, what is nature anyway? Nature is like a cause and effect which doesn't just affect beings or plants or anything else which is what we call life. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:00 Highlight the passage at 1:02:00

1:02:37 It's what's around life, what's inside of life. So the mind is more powerful than anything. That's why I know so many examples where we might learn nature but then do we really understand it? Report an error in the passage at 1:02:37 Highlight the passage at 1:02:37

1:02:56 The mind is much more powerful than anything else. That can be a whole talk on that. From Bangkok, when I meditate I feel bored. Should I keep on meditation or should I stop? Report an error in the passage at 1:02:56 Highlight the passage at 1:02:56

1:03:16 Please keep on meditating. Then check your posture. Have a smile on your face. If it's real meditation, you never feel bored. I never feel bored. I've learnt over so many years of meditating. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:16 Highlight the passage at 1:03:16

1:03:38 To see the joy and the happiness in it, which is immense. Where do you get your joy and happiness from? I got mine mostly, you know, from the meditation. Nothing like it. Which has a positive effect on the health and everything else. Lastly from Indonesia. Dear Ajahn Donut. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:38 Highlight the passage at 1:03:38

1:04:07 That's my nickname in Indonesia. Why do they call me Ajahn Donut in Indonesia? Report an error in the passage at 1:04:07 Highlight the passage at 1:04:07

1:04:17 Sweet, that's first. Round and holy. And Report an error in the passage at 1:04:17 Highlight the passage at 1:04:17

1:04:27 I'm really happy that I've got a nickname like that. Because number one, it takes away the arrogance of religious leaders. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:27 Highlight the passage at 1:04:27

1:04:39 How many other religious leaders can you call doughnut? It's Report an error in the passage at 1:04:39 Highlight the passage at 1:04:39

1:04:47 kind of, you know, it means I'm part of you, not sort of senior to you or more than you. It's like a family term. You're like a doughnut. I love those little nicknames. The other things which they give me, the nickname they give me over in Indonesia is Guru Chaching. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:47 Highlight the passage at 1:04:47

1:05:15 You know the word guru, that's like teacher. What's the word chaching mean in Indonesian, in Bahasa? It's worm. The teacher of the worms. And they're all my worms. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:15 Highlight the passage at 1:05:15

1:05:37 Because that was the story. Sorry, I shouldn't tell so many stories late at night, but nevertheless, the story of the worm in the pile of dung. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:37 Highlight the passage at 1:05:37

1:05:48 The story goes, if you haven't heard it for a while, there were two monks, the best of friends, and when they died, one went to beautiful heaven realm. He was a good monk. The other one was not such a good monk. So he got reborn as a worm in a pile of cow poo. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:48 Highlight the passage at 1:05:48

1:06:09 Is that a good rebirth? There's a worm in a pile of cow shit. So the worm, the monk who got reborn in the heaven realm, after enjoying heaven for a while, he decided, where's my best friend gone? We were monks together before. He's not in heaven. He searched all the heavens, couldn't find him. So then started, oh, the human realm. The human realm's a good realm. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:09 Highlight the passage at 1:06:09

1:06:35 So he looked all through the human realm, couldn't find his friend there either. Oh my goodness, he hasn't been reborn as an animal, has he? And they looked all the animal realms, couldn't find him there either. Where's my friend gone? And after a lot of searching, he found his best friend. They've been mates together for such a long time, have been reborn as a worm in a pod of cow poo. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:35 Highlight the passage at 1:06:35

1:07:03 That's not a good rebirth. So the heavenly being decided to help his friend. Wouldn't you do the same if that was, you know, one of your friends? And you go and help her or him, whoever it is. So anyway, went to the, found the pile of cow poo and then stood outside and said, hey, worm, worm, worm. And called the worm and the worm poked its head out of the pile of cow poo and said, we were friends together in our previous existence. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:03 Highlight the passage at 1:07:03

1:07:33 Now for some reason you've been reborn as, Dirty part of cow poo, I'd be reborn in the heaven realm. I can come and take you with me to rescue you from this part of cow poo. Do you want to come? And that's when the worm said, look, first of all, is there any cow poo up in this heaven place which you say, of course not. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:33 Highlight the passage at 1:07:33

1:07:58 Well, if there's no cow poo up there, I'm not going. I like my cow poo. It's my food. And it's my home. It's warm and fragrant. That's what a worm feels. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:58 Highlight the passage at 1:07:58

1:08:18 So now I'm not going. And so he refused the offer. And then the heavenly being thought, look, this little worm has never seen heaven before. All it knows is cow poo. If I could... Take it up to heaven just for a visit so you can see. You will soon know the heaven realm is much superior than a pile of cow poo. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:18 Highlight the passage at 1:08:18

1:08:44 He said, look, let me take you just for a visit. And the worm said, no. So the heavenly being tried to grab the worm and take it up by force. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:44 Highlight the passage at 1:08:44

1:08:58 And the worm didn't want to go. So what did the worm do? It writhed and squirmed. And because it was all covered with slippery cow poo, the worm soon escaped. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:58 Highlight the passage at 1:08:58

1:09:16 But friends don't give up on each other that easily. So the worm, he's from a heaven realm. Sometimes I try and describe it. Imagine it's like some heaven, no, not heavenly being. So it's one of the, like Queen Elizabeth putting her hands in a part of cow poo. Would she do that? Of course she would if it was for a friend. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:16 Highlight the passage at 1:09:16

1:09:41 So this heavenly being put his hand in the cow poo to try and pull the worm out. And the worm, each time he realized what was happening, started to scream out, leave me alone, leave me alone, I don't want to go, help, I'm being worm-napped. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:41 Highlight the passage at 1:09:41

1:10:02 And because the worm never wanted to go and always was wriggling, was very slimy, he escaped every time. And in the end, out of 108 times, We're trying to escape. The heavenly being had to give up. The heavenly being went up to heaven and left the worm to the cow poo. And that was the last story of the 108 stories which I told in Opening the Door of Your Heart. And it proved that they read every story. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:02 Highlight the passage at 1:10:02

1:10:39 The disciples in Indonesia gave me the unforgettable nickname. The Guru Chaching, the teacher of the words. That's what I'm known as over there. I like nicknames. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:39 Highlight the passage at 1:10:39

1:10:59 So anyway, oh, and there's four questions. Okay. Oh, this is interesting. A question from Bolivia. I'd like to call the precepts training rules, because thus it's easier to forgive me if I break them. Great. What is the actual training? To be perfect in virtue, always forgive mistakes. Always forgive mistakes. And then the virtue becomes perfect by itself. The training is what you do, is to forgive. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:59 Highlight the passage at 1:10:59

1:11:33 Can you do that to your partner? Report an error in the passage at 1:11:33 Highlight the passage at 1:11:33

1:11:39 Forgive them, but be careful, because sometimes people have a partner who's very dangerous. So I always say, forgive with, like one person did, they gave their partner parole. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:39 Highlight the passage at 1:11:39

1:11:59 I will forgive you as long as if after a year you actually change your behavior. But the forgiveness, sometimes it always has to be there eventually. The other person has to earn that forgiveness. So I always call that giving them parole. Okay, can we finish now? Report an error in the passage at 1:11:59 Highlight the passage at 1:11:59

1:12:25 Excellent. Okay, sadhu, sadhu, sadhu. I've got to go and take a rest. So I go back to my part of... Report an error in the passage at 1:12:25 Highlight the passage at 1:12:25

1:12:39 No, I don't. Okay, it's about three times, and anyone wants to ask a question, please come up. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:39 Highlight the passage at 1:12:39