Relax the Mind

0:00 Sometimes, if you want a chair, sometimes you have to come early to book a chair. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:10 That's what I was saying earlier. Years and years ago, this is when I was over in the reception area, I was giving some talks over in Medan, in Indonesia, and one year so many people came to my talk there, about three or four thousand. So it caused a traffic jam, honest, no exaggeration, and the police weren't happy. Report an error in the passage at 0:10 Highlight the passage at 0:10

0:42 So they decided they were going to sell little tickets. But you don't sell Buddhism. So I insisted, OK, I'll agree, but only if it's like 50 cents or 20 cents a person. But they just had to have a little ticket so they could... I don't know how many people were coming. And at that time, the tickets for my talk, they sold out very quickly, within about half an hour, about 3,000 tickets. Report an error in the passage at 0:42 Highlight the passage at 0:42

1:20 But at the same time, the same weekend I was giving my talk, this singer called Lady Gaga was selling tickets for a concert of hers over in Jakarta. Report an error in the passage at 1:20 Highlight the passage at 1:20

1:37 And her ticket sold out in 40 minutes, mine in 30 minutes. So that's when they said, Ajahn Brahm, you are more famous than Lady Gaga. Report an error in the passage at 1:37 Highlight the passage at 1:37

1:55 When I tell stories like that, you know, people sometimes ask me, Oh, Ajahn Brahm, you're more famous than Lady Gaga. Can you sing? Report an error in the passage at 1:55 Highlight the passage at 1:55

2:10 And I told him the story that once we were raising funds for something, for always good causes, I think it was for our nuns monastery. And anyway, during the fundraising, one of our sponsors, she got out a cheque. Remember those days you used to do cheques for $10,000? She said, this will be for your nuns monastery if you sing a song. Report an error in the passage at 2:10 Highlight the passage at 2:10

2:44 Now, we don't sing songs as monks, it's against our rules, but there's also a reason for that, because our singing is terrible. Report an error in the passage at 2:44 Highlight the passage at 2:44

2:54 But then I thought very quickly, and I said, OK, I will sing a song for you, if you let me choose a song, and I'll just sing it, just a cappella, just no band behind me. Report an error in the passage at 2:54 Highlight the passage at 2:54

3:13 And many of you, I think, know this song. You're my age, you're getting on a bit. And so I said, the song I'm going to sing is from this famous US group called the Beach Boys. Report an error in the passage at 3:13 Highlight the passage at 3:13

3:28 Was it Beach Boys? No, it wasn't Beach Boys, sorry. It was Simon and Garfunkel, The Sound of Silence. Report an error in the passage at 3:28 Highlight the passage at 3:28

3:41 He said, that's not a song. It is, it's called The Sound of Silence. And I just shut up and sat there. And eventually she gave in and gave the $10,000 to the nuns monastery. Report an error in the passage at 3:41 Highlight the passage at 3:41

3:56 That's the only ever song I've sung in public. But anyhow, you see, it's having a bit of fun. And that's one thing which is really important as a Buddhist monk. When I first became a monk, I chose the Thai tradition, interestingly, because the Thai monks who I'd seen, they smiled more and they had a sense of fun. Report an error in the passage at 3:56 Highlight the passage at 3:56

4:24 You're meditating. You're listening to this Dhamma, there should be like some sign it's working for people. You know in those, I'm not sure, I haven't watched the TV for a long time, those signs of, does the washing powder work? Do you still have silly advertisements like that? My member just, they say that this washing powder washes whiter than others. This toothpaste just... Report an error in the passage at 4:24 Highlight the passage at 4:24

4:53 Cleans better than other toothpastes or whatever it is. And I always wanted to know, if this meditation and Buddhism was really worth something, let's see the results. Report an error in the passage at 4:53 Highlight the passage at 4:53

5:07 So whenever I went to a temple, I hope you do the same. Have a look at the monks or the nuns who are teaching. Look at their smile and see if it's really worth it. Report an error in the passage at 5:07 Highlight the passage at 5:07

5:20 And if you find... The monk or the nun says, yes, Buddhism makes you happy. Come on, be happy. And you find everyone getting more and more miserable, more and more afraid. What type of Buddhism is that? I don't want to go places like that. You want to have some uplift, especially on a Friday evening. Many of you have been at work for the last five days. Report an error in the passage at 5:20 Highlight the passage at 5:20

5:48 And the last thing you want is to be told that you're doing it all wrong, or you should do it this way or do it that way. Instead of that, the job of meditation is uplifting you, making you feel more at ease and more relaxed. It's one of the reasons why that when I first learned meditation as a student, I was pleased. Report an error in the passage at 5:48 Highlight the passage at 5:48

6:19 Actually to see the first teacher who was a lay person give me this incredibly wise advice. For example, once when he saw me, he said, my lay name was Peter. He said, what are you doing in the morning when you first wake up? I go to toilet. Good, he said. Is that what you do when you first get up in the morning? Report an error in the passage at 6:19 Highlight the passage at 6:19

6:50 You go to the toilet. Is there a bathroom next to your toilet? Yeah, of course. Is there a mirror in the bathroom? Yeah. And he said, I want you to look at yourself when you first get up in the morning. Look at your face in the mirror. And I said, look. And I stay up late at night. I was a student. I wouldn't dare to look at my face in the mirror knowing what I'd done the night before. He said, no, look at your face in the mirror and smile at yourself. Report an error in the passage at 6:50 Highlight the passage at 6:50

7:32 I said, I won't be able to. He said, it doesn't matter. Look at your face in the mirror and use your two fingers on each side and push. Report an error in the passage at 7:32 Highlight the passage at 7:32

7:47 It worked for you. When you make a silly face, don't you laugh and find it funny? I'm sure your silly faces are even more ridiculous than mine. So next time you go into your bathroom, especially if you're having a hard day, fingers push up and then you laugh at yourself every morning. Report an error in the passage at 7:47 Highlight the passage at 7:47

8:12 And that was actually a powerful teaching for me. Simple, not philosophical, actually it was deeply philosophical when you analyzed it, but meaningful and effective. Report an error in the passage at 8:12 Highlight the passage at 8:12

8:26 What it did, a simple technique that anybody should be able to understand, to get you happy with the first thing you do when you get up in the morning. Report an error in the passage at 8:26 Highlight the passage at 8:26

8:35 And even, I don't know why I was talking about, oh that's right, because I was asking one of our people who come so often here, I said, now what do you like at school? And they said, they like playing sport, playing tennis. I said, great. And they said, how do you play tennis? Report an error in the passage at 8:35 Highlight the passage at 8:35

8:57 Don't you do training, first of all? If you do training, then why don't you train in front of a mirror? Report an error in the passage at 8:57 Highlight the passage at 8:57

9:08 Honestly, whatever you do when you're smiling, it's always easier to do. One of the times I learned that, honestly, that when I was a student, okay, I wasn't always a monk, and they had these little Ways of getting people to join their clubs or societies. Now we can't do that here in our Buddhist society, I'm afraid. But nevertheless, at the university they had all these clubs and they were offering free sherry. Report an error in the passage at 9:08 Highlight the passage at 9:08

9:46 So come and have a look. This was the boat club in Cambridge. You know those big boats which they race against Oxford? But I never got to that level. But nevertheless, I thought, oh, free sherry, why not? And then, I don't know why I signed up. I think I know why I signed up. I didn't know what I was doing. Report an error in the passage at 9:46 Highlight the passage at 9:46

10:10 I was a silly young man when I was young. But nevertheless, you realize that kind of made you attracted to even joining this little boat club and so much other stuff. Why do you start things? Report an error in the passage at 10:10 Highlight the passage at 10:10

10:30 Why is it I got drawn into meditating? Because the first monks which I saw who meditated, they really sort of were impressive. That kind of drew me in. It wasn't they were just speaking as doctors or intellectuals. It's just you could feel that there was something about them they'd been practicing for years which actually worked. Report an error in the passage at 10:30 Highlight the passage at 10:30

11:02 They were happier, more peaceful, more healthy individuals. And that's something which I always wanted to prove for myself. That through this meditation, which is just like harnessing the power of the mind, how it can help whatever you want to do in this world. And I love examples like that. I already mentioned Novak Djokovic. Report an error in the passage at 11:02 Highlight the passage at 11:02

11:30 And I also mentioned to someone earlier today, a couple of years ago, this lady, I've never seen her before, turned up for a Friday night talk, and she announced herself, she was the head coach of the Colombian International Women's Soccer Team. They're playing the Women's World Cup in Australia. And one of those teams from Colombia They were playing here in Perth the following night on a Saturday evening. And she said she'd listened to my talks on YouTube and she brought her team along to be able to get a boost of energy. Report an error in the passage at 11:30 Highlight the passage at 11:30

12:18 You know, even like meditation can help. You know, honestly, I'm not exaggerating. You can check it out if you wish. That evening, or next evening, sorry, Saturday. That Colombia, they beat some other team or something in the Women's World Cup. The only team they ever beat. Report an error in the passage at 12:18 Highlight the passage at 12:18

12:42 But at least it was because of my chanting. I love stories like that. It's fun, but it shows it works. Even, okay, I'm telling this story now. All the Sri Lankan people know this story. I was in 19, what was it, 98 or something? 98 or something, yeah. I think, well you can correct me in a moment. That was when the Sri Lankan cricket team came to Perth and they were playing the Australian cricket team. Report an error in the passage at 12:42 Highlight the passage at 12:42

13:14 How many of you here know cricket? Only one, my goodness. Report an error in the passage at 13:14 Highlight the passage at 13:14

13:23 Where are all the Sri Lankans? You know I once gave a talk in Adelaide at the Buddhist temple there. Hardly anyone came up, came. Because the same night there was an international cricket match between Australia and Sri Lanka. And people said, we should have checked first of all, because no one came to my talk, they were just watching the cricket. Report an error in the passage at 13:23 Highlight the passage at 13:23

13:48 But anyway, this particular occasion, it was half time on a Saturday, not half time, the lunch break. That's when the Sri Lankan team were doing really terribly against Australia. Report an error in the passage at 13:48 Highlight the passage at 13:48

14:02 And so, They sent some of the Sri Lankan boys who were just helping out to find some place here, a Buddhist temple where they got a holy monk who can give them some what's called a holy string. They called it Pirate Thread. You know what I mean, Pirate Thread? You heard of that before? Any Sri Lankans here? Report an error in the passage at 14:02 Highlight the passage at 14:02

14:26 You know what Pirate Thread is. Little string you tie around your wrist and it gives you like protections. From getting stumped or getting caught. And so I just made 12 pieces of this holy thread for the Sri Lankan cricket team. They just asked for it. I never really thought what I was doing. Of course I should have, because I got into big trouble. Because that evening, that Sri Lankan team, they lost. Report an error in the passage at 14:26 Highlight the passage at 14:26

15:02 But that was only the warm-up match. And then later on, in Sri Lanka, What happened next? The Sri Lankan cricket team in the final of the World Cup beat Australia. And they won their World Cup. The first time in Sri Lanka they'd ever won a major tournament. And they went so happy, so crazy. They'd actually won something. And I remember I saw in a newspaper, The front cover of the newspaper, the Australian cricket captain was holding up the World Cup with my string around his wrist. Report an error in the passage at 15:02 Highlight the passage at 15:02

15:57 And as soon as I saw that, I thought, oh my goodness, I'm in trouble now, really big trouble. They'd won the World Cup cricket contest because of an Australian monk's holy string. Report an error in the passage at 15:57 Highlight the passage at 15:57

16:14 I'm not exaggerating either, they did. And some years later I was also told that Your star batsman in that final, Sanat Jayasuriya, he came to see me. It was another World Cup. He offered some more string, but this time I didn't really charge it up very much. I'd gone into trouble once, I'm not going to do that again. But nevertheless, telling little stories like that, just to know how this really helps. Report an error in the passage at 16:14 Highlight the passage at 16:14

16:47 Would you like, how many people follow football? The World Cup, not the World Cup, not the World Cup, sorry, I mean the West Coast Eagles. Do you follow football? Report an error in the passage at 16:47 Highlight the passage at 16:47

17:03 You don't? Oh, goodness. Okay, you do, great. Apparently, they're doing terribly. So, please come up and tell them afterwards. I'll give them some string. Let's see if that helps. But it actually does help. Why? There's nothing sort of like spiritual in there. It's giving confidence. Confidence is one of those parts of the mind which makes you stronger, which makes you easier to see deeper into things, to actually achieve more, to actually see more, and to have that energy of your mind. Report an error in the passage at 17:03 Highlight the passage at 17:03

17:50 You can do things. It's just this confidence which people have. And I've tried some of the results of that confidence for so many years. And, you know, giving talks. And one of the most scary things I ever did was actually giving talks on TV, live TV. Report an error in the passage at 17:50 Highlight the passage at 17:50

18:16 Just one mistake, if I scratch my nose, then that gets replayed. What do they call it? Big bloopers or something. Report an error in the passage at 18:16 Highlight the passage at 18:16

18:28 But I just do it anyway. I don't mind. But sometimes, like for example, I remembered in the hot weather here in Perth, I was giving a talk about meditation on camera here in the main hall. And many of the talks which I uploaded on YouTube just get loaded and they go around the world. And this time I was teaching people about what to do if you're meditating and a fly It comes and lands on you. You know the blowflies we have in the summertime? I don't know why it is, but they always land just under your nose. Report an error in the passage at 18:28 Highlight the passage at 18:28

19:15 And a lot of times they go exploring. Report an error in the passage at 19:15 Highlight the passage at 19:15

19:21 But this particular fly, well actually I taught people beforehand, look it's only a fly, it's not dangerous. So if they land on you, just leave them alone. I just said that. So when one actually landed on me, I thought, oh my goodness, I'm in trouble now. Someone will watch me, the camera's watching me anyway. Because what I usually do, go and blow it off. Report an error in the passage at 19:21 Highlight the passage at 19:21

19:49 But I couldn't do that now. So I got some insight. This fly landed on my nose. It didn't go up my nose, it went around. Report an error in the passage at 19:49 Highlight the passage at 19:49

20:02 And I got the understanding that this part of your mouth, on the edges, It's much more sensitive than underneath or on top. So once it got past this part, I was okay. But then it started to approach the corner again, oh my goodness, am I going to make this? And it went around. So I was very mindful of it because I couldn't ignore it. And then it went around again. Report an error in the passage at 20:02 Highlight the passage at 20:02

20:33 I wondered what it was up to. And why did it want to go around twice? It's already experienced that, explored that. Report an error in the passage at 20:33 Highlight the passage at 20:33

20:42 And then it went around a third time. And that's when I understood, that was a Buddhist fly. It was in a Buddhist center, of course it was a Buddhist fly. And if ever you come to any of our ceremonies, we always do what we call a circumambulation. If we have a Bodhi tree out there, on Wayside we went around three times. Report an error in the passage at 20:42 Highlight the passage at 20:42

21:06 You see that often, a stupa, a Bodhi tree, or anything, you always walk around three times. Even once I remember when Ajahn Chah was alive, even I saw, I think they must have got into trouble with this, one of the helicopters from the army base close by. They came over the temple, they went round once, round twice, round three times before flying off. That's how you pay respect and waste a lot of fuel. Report an error in the passage at 21:06 Highlight the passage at 21:06

21:38 So I'm glad the aircraft don't do that. I think that's why sometimes aircraft crash. Maybe they're doing circumambulations. I don't know, but I don't want to try it. I say that because I'm flying out tomorrow morning. Please, no circumambulations as you fly over Thailand or whatever. Otherwise, I'm dead. But anyway, that's how the fly would circumambulate around my mouth. And it's the same as the other things which you learn. Report an error in the passage at 21:38 Highlight the passage at 21:38

22:11 You know that one of the worst problems over in Thailand was the mosquitoes. And I'll tell you why they were a really big problem. They not only had malaria fever, these days it's more dangerous than dengue fever. But those days, you see the way we're dressed. I've got this jacket on because it's the cold weather. But when I go over to Southeast Asia, you just have bare shoulders and bare head, no hair. Report an error in the passage at 22:11 Highlight the passage at 22:11

22:45 And so straight away you worked out as a monk in Thailand, you got more seats at the dinner table for mosquitoes. And number two, you're a white monk. In many places in Thailand, they never had European food before. Report an error in the passage at 22:45 Highlight the passage at 22:45

23:10 And three, the mosquitoes, they knew, they saw your brown robes, and they knew. Because of what's been learnt over many generations of mosquitoes, they see a brown robe, it's a safe dinner. Report an error in the passage at 23:10 Highlight the passage at 23:10

23:31 Imagine what it must be like for you. Just imagine that if you went into like Pizza Hut or you went into some McDonald's or somewhere and you saw many of your friends sitting on another table get swatted. Report an error in the passage at 23:31 Highlight the passage at 23:31

23:48 Would you like to go eating in places like that? Imagine what it must be like being a mosquito. They're taking a chance with their life and some of their friends went for lunch or dinner and then, ouch, that hurt, and they never come back again. Report an error in the passage at 23:48 Highlight the passage at 23:48

24:09 Many of those mosquitoes must have really bad indigestion because of fear. Have you ever been trying to eat when you're really terrified, you can't relax and enjoy your meal? That's what it must be like for many mosquitoes. Report an error in the passage at 24:09 Highlight the passage at 24:09

24:25 But all that said aside, honestly now, when I used to be in Thailand, meditating in the forest, in the jungles, I was meditating with a friend. He's an American monk. We used to count how many mosquitoes we could count on our arm. And this is not exaggerating. Report an error in the passage at 24:25 Highlight the passage at 24:25

24:53 60 or 70 at a time. Report an error in the passage at 24:53 Highlight the passage at 24:53

24:59 That was really sort of irritating. And I always thought, this can't be right. I was supposed to be Buddhist just to be endurance athletes. There must be something wrong here. And it was. I asked Ajahn Chah, the teacher at the time, can we please get some mosquito repellent or meditate inside or meditate another time of the day? Report an error in the passage at 24:59 Highlight the passage at 24:59

25:30 And what he said, No! You have to learn from those mosquitoes. That's why he called them Ajahn Mosquito. They were the real teachers. And he was correct. You know what I learnt? Very often when you had so many mosquitoes biting you at once, you'd look at some of the Thai monks. Report an error in the passage at 25:30 Highlight the passage at 25:30

26:00 No mosquitoes were biting them. That's why so many came on me. Report an error in the passage at 26:00 Highlight the passage at 26:00

26:08 What was I doing wrong? And I realized that I was getting worried. I was getting anxious. Many years later, I read a scientific article. When you worry, get anxious, and not still, your metabolism rises. And as your metabolism rises, there's more carbon dioxide It comes out of the pores of your skin. And that's what attracts the mosquitoes. So what I did, first of all, I didn't really know why I was doing this, just experimenting. Report an error in the passage at 26:08 Highlight the passage at 26:08

26:57 They were starting to bite me, then I relaxed. I relaxed and was so peaceful. Then I found out the mosquitoes weren't biting me. Report an error in the passage at 26:57 Highlight the passage at 26:57

27:12 There's as many mosquitoes around as usual. But I had relaxed. I wasn't breathing so much. Everything was slowing down. I wasn't even moving so much. My metabolism reduced enormously. That's what happens when you meditate. And when your metabolism reduces, you become more still, more calm. Then you become invisible to the mosquitoes. Literally. They can't find you. Report an error in the passage at 27:12 Highlight the passage at 27:12

27:47 So I remember just after trying this and finding how it worked, it was the mosquitoes who taught me not to mess around when I was meditating. I had about five or ten minutes to get still. And if I got still, I could meditate very peacefully and happily and no mosquitoes would land on me. I'd look at my skin afterwards and there's no little bumps or mosquito bites. And I didn't feel guilty. Report an error in the passage at 27:47 Highlight the passage at 27:47

28:18 Because all the other monks got many more bites. It was just understanding how they were helping me relax and be peaceful. Report an error in the passage at 28:18 Highlight the passage at 28:18

28:29 So often we worry and that causes us difficulties. Just like a few people have asked me to do chanting for them for exams. Report an error in the passage at 28:29 Highlight the passage at 28:29

28:44 Do you like exams? Why not? To me, doing an exam is just like going and having a game of soccer or a game of tennis or someone with a friend of yours. It's just a little competition. Don't take it too seriously. It was other people made me feel that I should pass exams. I know I get into a lot of trouble with your little kids' parents. I say it's just an exam. It's not important. Report an error in the passage at 28:44 Highlight the passage at 28:44

29:19 If you fail the exam, You can still become a monk or a nun. Report an error in the passage at 29:19 Highlight the passage at 29:19

29:27 Okay, this is another story which comes up. I love this story. Again, this was in Thailand. There was this young kid, and when he went to school, just the primary school, everyone had to do four years of schooling in Thailand. So this little kid went to the school the first year, and the first year, he... Report an error in the passage at 29:27 Highlight the passage at 29:27

29:53 It was hopeless. And the teacher, all the other kids in the same class, the pastor went to grade two, and he was kept in grade one for a second year. I don't know if grade one has changed since I went to grade one. When I was grade one, you did little stick objects and you painted with crayons or whatever. Report an error in the passage at 29:53 Highlight the passage at 29:53

30:18 How can you fail that? But this kid did. So he had to repeat grade one, the second year. And after two years in grade one, the teacher failed him again. Even after two years, he was hopeless. You think grade 12 is hard? He couldn't even get to grade two. And so, two years he failed. They tried their very best, but after three years at school, they had to fail him again. Report an error in the passage at 30:18 Highlight the passage at 30:18

30:55 Three years he hadn't passed anything. So what happened in Thailand when somebody was so intellectually challenged they can't even pass grade one? You know where they go? Monastery. They went to the city monastery. And so the teacher there tried to teach the kid how to do some chanting, like namo tassa bhagavato. Report an error in the passage at 30:55 Highlight the passage at 30:55

31:28 Do you know that one? You've heard that? Arahang Sama Sambuddho, we chant that at the end of the talk. This kid couldn't even do that. Arahang, that took him about a week to learn that. Arahang Sama, what was that first word again? Report an error in the passage at 31:28 Highlight the passage at 31:28

31:51 Yeah, but he couldn't even learn that. So after a while, even at the city temple, they couldn't sort of know what to do with him. So you know where they go, Where they can't pass a grade at school, and they cannot survive at a city temple, where do they send them? Report an error in the passage at 31:51 Highlight the passage at 31:51

32:14 Forest monasteries. That's where I live. That's where you live as well. Is that how you came to Bodhinyana Monastery? Report an error in the passage at 32:14 Highlight the passage at 32:14

32:30 But imagine, this young man went to this monastery, so simple, so kind, And instructions of meditation were so easy for him. Just sit down, watch your breath go in and go out. He didn't have all this wandering thoughts. He didn't have all of this worry about the past or the future. He was so simple. He got into deep meditation straight away. Report an error in the passage at 32:30 Highlight the passage at 32:30

33:07 And he became this great teacher. And I remember him saying, I can't remember his name. But I remember him saying that when he had to do chanting, you know all the monks have to do chanting somewhere, somehow. Nuns too. What did he do? He got such beautiful meditation. This is what he said. He said he remembered his past lives when he could do meditation. Report an error in the passage at 33:07 Highlight the passage at 33:07

33:36 He could do some chanting. And he brought those memories back into this life. And that's how he could do all the chants with no problem whatsoever. Report an error in the passage at 33:36 Highlight the passage at 33:36

33:46 What I'm saying there is sometimes we think that we're not good at some things. We just need to find what our mind is most suited for. And what his mind was most suited for was being able to meditate, to be so still and peaceful. So if there's any of your children who do very badly at grade one, Now you know where to send them. To the nuns monastery. Report an error in the passage at 33:46 Highlight the passage at 33:46

34:25 We've got too many. But anyhow, that's why I never feel that anyone should be rejected. You've all got your talents and he found his talent being so clear and simple that he could get into some incredible meditations. Report an error in the passage at 34:25 Highlight the passage at 34:25

34:48 And it's not just learning how to meditate. I still remember this one There was another Sri Lankan lady over in Melbourne years ago and what she said was a little bit sort of hard to believe but I checked her out and it was true. When she was finished school she went to university to do a medical degree and she never went to any tutorials. Report an error in the passage at 34:48 Highlight the passage at 34:48

35:21 She never went to any lectures. She read the books. And she could read them so well that she had so much free time. She never went to university lectures or tutorials, supervisions. And she always got almost perfect scores in every exam. She had a great ability to be able to read something and remember it perfectly. Report an error in the passage at 35:21 Highlight the passage at 35:21

35:56 All of you kids who have to go to school, And you have to have all this homework. You have to read this and read that to remember so much. Isn't that a bit of a pain? Report an error in the passage at 35:56 Highlight the passage at 35:56

36:10 Do you enjoy doing that, studying and homework? How many kids here enjoy doing homework? Report an error in the passage at 36:10 Highlight the passage at 36:10

36:22 There's a few kids here. But this lady, she would just read with a quiet mind. She was a great meditator. Because she read, With a quiet, great mindfulness, great peace. Whatever she read, it went straight in. She didn't try to remember it. It was recorded. It's just like people who have memories of traumas in life. Report an error in the passage at 36:22 Highlight the passage at 36:22

36:58 When you remember the things which you can't forget, why is it that they are almost indelibly ingrained into your mind? The reason is because at that time, often it's because of danger or fear, but other times it's other things which are happening. You're perfectly still. There's no static coming in. There's no noise. And you can remember so easily. Report an error in the passage at 36:58 Highlight the passage at 36:58

37:31 And there's a few times in my life you can remember so easily what was said, when it was said, how it was said. And I remember just how you could use experiences like that to do well at school without any effort. You didn't have to try to remember things. You just sat, read, you could remember the whole lot easily. Report an error in the passage at 37:31 Highlight the passage at 37:31

38:01 So that's actually one of the things which I like teaching people when they're doing like year 12 exams, how easy it is to pass exams. With no effort. And even at one time, and I do all sorts of interesting things in my life as a monk. One of those things which I do, I love doing like interfaith work. You know, trying to get those bridges between different understandings of spirituality, peace, kindness, love. Report an error in the passage at 38:01 Highlight the passage at 38:01

38:35 And one of those times I remember just talking with this I met him over in the cancer support group over in Cottesloe. He was working there and he was impressed with what I was doing. And so he asked me to go to his school. In his school he was a Jewish minister, a rabbi, Rabbi Bernstein. I still remember him, Moshe Bernstein. And one of the reasons I always remember him was because he was a rebel. Report an error in the passage at 38:35 Highlight the passage at 38:35

39:12 You know, he told me when we were just discussing things, he said, no, I believe in rebirth too. I thought, but you're a rabbi, a Jewish person. You're not supposed to believe in rebirth. He said, but I do. And then I checked him up with one of the head rabbis in Perth. He said, no, Jewish people don't believe in rebirth. But Rabbi Bernstein does. Oh yeah, him. He was a rebel. Report an error in the passage at 39:12 Highlight the passage at 39:12

39:42 Thought for himself. I kind of like people like that, rebellious. They're not just following what other people do. They look for themselves and see deeper. They don't follow the norm. They see much more deeper than that. I remember that when I was telling the story earlier about this fellow, that I'll come back to the Jewish school in a few moments, that when I was... Report an error in the passage at 39:42 Highlight the passage at 39:42

40:11 Telling the story that one of the places which I visited many years ago was over in Canada. And I love Canada. It's just such a, please excuse me, like a non-American state. It feels so much welcoming there, I must admit. And when I went there, it was in Dalhousie University in Halifax. There was a Sri Lankan lady there who was doing amazing work on just, you know, Actually, how plants die, what actually is it which terminates the life of a plant? And anyway, her vice-chancellor there, he was a physicist, so they invited me to just have a little chat. Report an error in the passage at 40:11 Highlight the passage at 40:11

40:58 And then I just noticed, I think the slogan, the name of their university had some sort of Latin name or something. And I said, that's not a really inspiring name. Why don't we change the name? To the old slogan, where everybody thinks the same, where everybody thinks the same, no one thinks at all. Report an error in the passage at 40:58 Highlight the passage at 40:58

41:22 And I kind of like that, rebelliousness of that. When all people think exactly the same, we're not taking the truth, our understanding of the world and nature any deeper. And that's why a lot of times in the Buddhist practice, especially meditation, We see things we never expected to see. It's not thinking the same as others. It's seeing far more deeper. And that's where this even Jewish guy, Rabbi Bernstein, he was just not thinking outside the box. Report an error in the passage at 41:22 Highlight the passage at 41:22

42:04 He was innovative. And he said, no, this is how I understand things. Rebirth is. And he was very clear on that. But anyway, when I went to that Jewish school to help him out because their school was doing terribly in the exams in year 12s, they were expected to do really, really, really badly. So they wanted the Buddhist monks to come and help. You know I come and help everybody, wherever I can. Report an error in the passage at 42:04 Highlight the passage at 42:04

42:35 Sometimes that's why I get exhausted. I'm surprised I'm still alive, all the work I've done. That's why when people ask me, so how are you, Ajahn Brahm? You know my usual saying? Overworked and underpaid. Is that true, Ops Manager? Report an error in the passage at 42:35 Highlight the passage at 42:35

42:59 She's laughing. Well, that's how I like it. But anyway, when I went over there, I taught them how meditation can help you easily pass exams. Report an error in the passage at 42:59 Highlight the passage at 42:59

43:12 And this is the story which I told, because it was personal. This is how I passed exams. The final exams at Cambridge University in Natural Sciences. Three hour exam in the morning. Three hours. Hour for lunch. Another three hours in the afternoon. Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. Friday. Even Saturday as well. Six days in a row. Report an error in the passage at 43:12 Highlight the passage at 43:12

43:48 One after the other. That was really unfair. But I knew how to pass exams. What I did, after the first exam on something simple like astrophysics of the galaxy, that was one of the subjects, honestly. Report an error in the passage at 43:48 Highlight the passage at 43:48

44:09 After three hours, just like maths, just like sums, that's what it was. After three hours of that, then I went back to my, I didn't have any lunch. I was a student at the time. Actually very different than you see today. I was really thin. And I had lots and lots and lots and lots of hair. My hairstyle at that time was what we used to call the doughnut look. Report an error in the passage at 44:09 Highlight the passage at 44:09

44:36 It was really bushy hair all over the top and where the hair stopped, that's where the beard began. And so I remember my grandmother used to say, we can hardly see you, is that you in there? Report an error in the passage at 44:36 Highlight the passage at 44:36

44:50 But it certainly kept my head warm without needing any beanie or something. So anyway, so... I went back to my room after Astrophysics of the Galaxy and I never had any lunch. Eight in the morning and evening. Instead of having lunch, I decided to meditate. Report an error in the passage at 44:50 Highlight the passage at 44:50

45:13 It surprised me how well it works. You sit down, close your eyes, you've just done an exam which is supposed to define your life. You pass and then you sort of, you know, you get a degree, you don't pass and then you're stupid. Report an error in the passage at 45:13 Highlight the passage at 45:13

45:30 I wish I'd have known I was going to become a monk. Honestly, I wouldn't have even tried. But I never knew that at the time. So anyway, so I tried my best. But what I did was after sitting down, closing my eyes, the first thing I thought about was the past. How did I do? Did I answer the questions correctly? You do an exam. Report an error in the passage at 45:30 Highlight the passage at 45:30

45:59 You're worried about, you know, it's important for you. So you worry about, was that the right answer? Did I do it correctly? But by that time I knew I couldn't change anything now. The exam papers were in, finished. So I, because I'd been a meditator, you could let go of the past. It gave you no assistance to actually worry about the past, where you came from, what had happened. And the next thing, When I let that go, the next thing which came out, afternoon exam. Oh my goodness, should I do some more revision? Report an error in the passage at 45:59 Highlight the passage at 45:59

46:41 Should I look at the books again? And I said, no. Because this is just from experience, even at that age. The more you worry about the future and try and predict it, Whatever you look at never ever comes up in the paper, never, not once. And I realize the best way of preparing for the future is not studying, but relaxing. Report an error in the passage at 46:41 Highlight the passage at 46:41

47:12 That's why any of you ever do important exams, please relax before those exams. Relax to the max. Your brain needs to rest, so it re-energizes. So it can actually see those answers. So that's what I did. Let go of the future. As I say here every week when I'm here, the future is made right now. Report an error in the passage at 47:12 Highlight the passage at 47:12

47:42 Not by worrying about the future. If you can relax into this moment, you'll find you can do so well in the future. And that's actually what happens to me. Even when I was in Sri Lanka, I was supposed to go to some place. He never told me it was a live TV broadcast, you know, on national TV. I never knew. Report an error in the passage at 47:42 Highlight the passage at 47:42

48:06 The first thing I was worried about when they said that, do I need to go to make-up? You know, once I did that, just around the corner here, Channel 7 or something, I was supposed to be a live interview about... I don't know if you remember that event when I gave the Sunday sermon at St. George's Cathedral as a Buddhist monk. Do you remember that? Report an error in the passage at 48:06 Highlight the passage at 48:06

48:29 That was really good fun. But anyway, they wanted to do a TV sort of news bulletin about a Buddhist monk teaching in a Catholic church. No, not Catholic, Anglican church. And they said, no, you have to have makeup. I said, who else hasn't had makeup? The only one who didn't have makeup was Liam Gallagher of a rock band or something. You know who that, who was that? Report an error in the passage at 48:29 Highlight the passage at 48:29

49:01 Anyway, some famous rebellious rock star. So I didn't join those ranks. They put make-up on me. And Ajahn Brahmali was watching. Report an error in the passage at 49:01 Highlight the passage at 49:01

49:18 That was very embarrassing. I'm a mug, and it's also I'm a bad. They put make-up on me, oh crikey, don't want to do that again. But the worst thing is when you're in this room and there's a big TV camera on you. And you realize anything you do wrong, that will get recorded. So you have to be very careful. Report an error in the passage at 49:18 Highlight the passage at 49:18

49:43 But I always remember all those times, how can you actually perform? It's just learning how to relax and enjoy yourself. Report an error in the passage at 49:43 Highlight the passage at 49:43

49:54 And I've enjoyed myself, so it came across reasonably well. I still remember another interview which I did in Canada years ago. And it was... at one of these temples in Toronto. And afterwards, our president at that time, that was Dennis, he's not here tonight, Dennis Sheppard, you know Dennis, Noel. And he was on holiday over in Vancouver. He just arrived in Vancouver and he turned on the TV and who did he see on the TV? Report an error in the passage at 49:54 Highlight the passage at 49:54

50:31 Ajahn Brahm! Oh crikey, I can't get away from this monk. They come on the other side of the world. But nevertheless, it's how you can perform well. It's just learning how to relax and enjoy the moment. Report an error in the passage at 50:31 Highlight the passage at 50:31

50:48 And this is actually how you pass exams. Enjoy. Why not? Easy. So when I did this, that I went, after just letting go of the past and the future, it's amazing what meditation can show you. I was nervous. I never thought I was nervous, because I was too worried about past and future, I was actually shaking. And once I could see that, it's easy to relax and stop shaking. Report an error in the passage at 50:48 Highlight the passage at 50:48

51:19 It's not going to help you, it's not a positive thing when you are just about to do an exam. And the last thing I noticed, the most important part, how tired we all are. Report an error in the passage at 51:19 Highlight the passage at 51:19

51:35 That's kind of shocking. That's one of the reasons often When we have retreat centers, I tell people, you know, a lot of times, someone, if they want to make a lot of money, buy it like a place like Serpentine Retreat Center, you know, Ajahn Agro, but don't teach meditation. Just have really comfortable beds and call it a sleep retreat. We can go there and sleep at any time of the day or night, get breakfast, lunch, dinner. Report an error in the passage at 51:35 Highlight the passage at 51:35

52:16 Whenever you want, and just have nothing to do, but just to relax and recover. Because a lot of us got so much stress, so much is asked of us, we have to perform and we're just so tired. Report an error in the passage at 52:16 Highlight the passage at 52:16

52:35 Do you understand what I'm talking about? And if there was like a sleep retreat, not a meditation retreat, not a Buddhist retreat, but a sleep retreat, Would you go? Report an error in the passage at 52:35 Highlight the passage at 52:35

52:56 And I often, that's the sort of things which you learn when you learn how to pass exams. So many kids are just so tired that when actually they go to the exam room, they're already exhausted. Of course they're not going to do well. But when you kind of relax, your energies come back, your mind becomes bright. Report an error in the passage at 52:56 Highlight the passage at 52:56

53:20 You can start to see answers to questions easily. And that's what that Sri Lankan girl in Melbourne did. So she just didn't know why. I think even the university tested her out. How can you do all these perfect scores when you don't seem to do any work? Are you cheating? I know my friends at Cambridge thought I was cheating. They told me after the final exams. Report an error in the passage at 53:20 Highlight the passage at 53:20

53:48 He said, you were the only student who came into the room with this big smile on your face before the exams. You must be cheating. Report an error in the passage at 53:48 Highlight the passage at 53:48

53:59 I wasn't cheating. I just knew that when you raise your energies in your mind, you can always do so much better. So when you can be happier, whatever job you do in your life, if you smile more, whatever meditation you do, whatever... Procedures done on you in a hospital, if you're sick, whatever happens, you always do so much better. Report an error in the passage at 53:59 Highlight the passage at 53:59

54:29 Even the weird things which I get up to, and sometimes even when people ask you, because I'm going to the Perth airport tomorrow morning, the first flight, I'm going over to UK to help teach at the nuns monastery over there. And it's a long flight, but I know. There's so many times you go through the customs and they ask you all these interesting questions. And one of those times, when you're going through the, you know Perth Airport, you know you go through the, where you put your bags, through the x-ray machines. Report an error in the passage at 54:29 Highlight the passage at 54:29

55:09 And they ask me, this guy asked me just the usual questions. Sir, have you got, this is, this is my baggage. They say, have you got any sharp objects in your baggage? No. Have you got any liquids in your baggage? No. I mean, he was saying about any hair gel? Report an error in the passage at 55:09 Highlight the passage at 55:09

55:37 You got it. I couldn't resist that. I said, come on. It just became like a habit. I saw the passengers the same thing when I pointed my head. Do I have hair gel? Come on. Report an error in the passage at 55:37 Highlight the passage at 55:37

55:50 And he laughed, and all the passengers behind me, they also laughed. It's wonderful to create some humor, some happiness in some of the most unlikely places, like in an aircraft, not an aircraft, an airport lounge of people lining up to go through the x-ray machine. Report an error in the passage at 55:50 Highlight the passage at 55:50

56:11 You know what happens when you make those people laugh? Just get through, get out of here. I kind of love doing things like that. Report an error in the passage at 56:11 Highlight the passage at 56:11

56:22 And so quite a few times that, or that customs officer over in the United States, in the time of Homeland Security, he looked at me and said, you're in a robe, sir. Yes. He said, what have you got underneath that robe? Because apparently I do look a bit more gravitas than many other monks. Report an error in the passage at 56:22 Highlight the passage at 56:22

56:52 You know, there's a beautiful word in Thai. For like when a monk puts on weight, this word is sombun, sombun. Ajahn Brahm, you're very sombun. And that word means like it's appropriate to your meritorious accumulation. Report an error in the passage at 56:52 Highlight the passage at 56:52

57:15 So never call me fat, call me a monk with much merit. But anyway, this guy said to me, What have you got underneath your robe? Is that a suicide belt, he said. I reported, this is what he said, a suicide belt. And I said, no, no, no, it's not a suicide belt, it's only fat. And he said, same thing. Report an error in the passage at 57:15 Highlight the passage at 57:15

57:50 He cracked the joke, well done. Report an error in the passage at 57:50 Highlight the passage at 57:50

57:56 It's nice when you can have fun with all these people who just, they have to do a job and it's nice when they do a job, they can just have a bit of fun too. It must be very boring always being nasty to people. When someone cracks a joke back, it's a very beautiful experience. So this is actually one of the things with spirituality, when it comes into the world, it makes life much more fun, much more enjoyable. Report an error in the passage at 57:56 Highlight the passage at 57:56

58:20 Oh my goodness, I've already gone nine o 'clock. Can I go overtime? Okay, I apologize. That one time when I wanted to get a Commonwealth health care card. Report an error in the passage at 58:20 Highlight the passage at 58:20

58:38 I got to about 65, almost 75 next year. Actually not 75, this year I'm going to be 74. 74 is a very boring number. So I decided to actually, you've heard me say this before, instead of, why do we count things in years? When everybody thinks the same, nobody thinks at all. So I like to innovate. So instead, I count my age in months. It's much more impressive. And if you quickly work it out, what is 74 years in months? Report an error in the passage at 58:38 Highlight the passage at 58:38

59:22 It's 888. Oh yeah. In a place like Singapore. 888, wow, that's really auspicious. It's the most auspicious number. If anybody can get a car with the number plate 888, it costs a fortune. Is that true, Eddie? Yes, I'm 888 in a couple of months' time. So anyway, I was old enough to get one of these healthcare cards. Report an error in the passage at 59:22 Highlight the passage at 59:22

59:55 So I just, online, it's simple. Just, you know, put in your details and they said no. You need to come in to the center care office, as they called it at the time, because we're afraid of identity fraud. I said, I'm not afraid of identity fraud. Anyone who wants to be Ajahn Brahm, you can come next week, because I'll be in the UK, and you can sit here and give a talk. Report an error in the passage at 59:55 Highlight the passage at 59:55

1:00:22 They said, no, no, no, this is serious. You have to come in. So I came in, and they said, bring as much ID as you possibly can. And so I came in, and then this lady, Sat in front of me, senior social work officer, and said, can you prove who you are? And I told her, I've been a monk at that time about 45 years. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:22 Highlight the passage at 1:00:22

1:00:49 Said, for 45 years I've been trying to find out who I am. She Report an error in the passage at 1:00:49 Highlight the passage at 1:00:49

1:01:00 never laughed. This is serious. We've got to prove about not subject to identity fraud. So please, let us see your credit card. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:00 Highlight the passage at 1:01:00

1:01:14 Don't have one. Let us see your bank account details. Don't have a bank account. Let us see your house certificate or rental agreement. I live in a cave. I don't rent it. I built that monastery. Let's see your ownership certificate. I don't own it. You know, when I die, it'll be for somebody else. So let's look at your... What else do you have? Sorry? Report an error in the passage at 1:01:14 Highlight the passage at 1:01:14

1:01:46 Driver's license, yeah. I don't even have that. I don't have a driver's license. And do you have a marriage certificate? I'm a monk, I'm not married. And all the things which define you in our governments today, I don't have. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:46 Highlight the passage at 1:01:46

1:02:09 And I said, Ajahn Brahm, she looked at me seriously, said, you don't exist. And I couldn't help but put my hand up and say, Sadhu, Sadhu, Sadhu, the Buddha was right. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:09 Highlight the passage at 1:02:09

1:02:28 What job do you do? I just sit here and just have a chat with you. Have you got any qualifications for that? No? You know, there's many places you can see in Perth, places like Headspace, I've seen that organization. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:28 Highlight the passage at 1:02:28

1:02:45 I would not be able to get a job there. I'm not qualified. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:45 Highlight the passage at 1:02:45

1:02:52 You're going to go for this course and that course. Is that true? Would I be qualified to actually teach any of those meditation mindfulness groups? No, no, hopeless. I'm not qualified. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:52 Highlight the passage at 1:02:52

1:03:08 It's actually understanding what qualifications are in a totally different way. And I kind of love that experience. Fortunately, fortunately, I do have two passports. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:08 Highlight the passage at 1:03:08

1:03:23 My new one and an old one. No, I have a British passport as well as an Aussie passport. So that's why tomorrow just leave on an Aussie passport and arrive in London on a British passport. So don't need any visas. Yay! It'd be great to have other passports too. If I have too many passports, they'll think I'm a spy. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:23 Highlight the passage at 1:03:23

1:03:55 Anyway, as I said, only one more story and I've already gone over. So that's enough stories for now. So anyone got any questions? Report an error in the passage at 1:03:55 Highlight the passage at 1:03:55

1:04:08 Yeah, okay. Oh, yeah, great. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:08 Highlight the passage at 1:04:08

1:04:16 Oh, you like math? Okay. Okay, now do you know, I have to give you a test to find out if you really do know math. I think you may have heard this before, but anyway, give it a try. 26 sheep in a field. 10 die. How many survive? No, you're no good at math. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:16 Highlight the passage at 1:04:16

1:04:45 So sorry. Everybody fails this one. Twenty-six sheep in the field. Ten die. How many survive? I'll say it again. Listen carefully. That's an important part of meditation. You've got to be really mindful. Twenty-six sheep. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:45 Highlight the passage at 1:04:45

1:05:07 It's my fault. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:07 Highlight the passage at 1:05:07

1:05:11 So you can tell that to your math teacher when you go to school. Yeah, that's what I said. That's why they die. They were sick. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:11 Highlight the passage at 1:05:11

1:05:21 Okay, I'll try one more for you. Okay? How many seconds are there in a minute? This is not a trick, yeah. How many seconds in a minute? How many minutes in an hour? Report an error in the passage at 1:05:21 Highlight the passage at 1:05:21

1:05:37 Minutes in an hour. Yeah? 60. How many hours in a day? How many days in a year? Not a leap year, an ordinary year. Correct? So if there is 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year, how many seconds are there in one year? Oh, come on. It's easy. You know the answer, Bill? No. The answer is 12. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:37 Highlight the passage at 1:05:37

1:06:21 January the 2nd, February the 2nd, March the 2nd. Sorry? Oh, yeah. Okay. I kind of like riddles. And that is typical of... Traditional Buddhist to do riddles, because that's when the first monk who went to Sri Lanka, he met the king of Sri Lanka then, and he said, I'm not sure whether I should stay here. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:21 Highlight the passage at 1:06:21

1:06:50 I'm going to give you a riddle, and if you get the right answer, then I'll stay. And that was actually how Buddhism started in Sri Lanka. The riddle was, he said, what's this tree called? It was like a mango tree. Are there any other mango trees in Sri Lanka? Yes, said the king. Are there any trees other than those mangoes and the other trees? Yes, sir. The tree in front of me. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:50 Highlight the passage at 1:06:50

1:07:19 Ah, smart person. Correct. So that's why Buddhism started in Sri Lanka, because of riddles. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:19 Highlight the passage at 1:07:19

1:07:32 But I've already started in Australia now, so I'm not going anywhere else. Because you did get the riddle right, I'm still going to stay here. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:32 Highlight the passage at 1:07:32

1:07:43 Is that okay? You've got a riddle for me? Okay. Okay. What starts with E, ends with E, and has only got one letter in it? Report an error in the passage at 1:07:43 Highlight the passage at 1:07:43

1:07:58 Starts with E, ends with E, has only got one letter in it. Envelope. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:58 Highlight the passage at 1:07:58

1:08:12 Okay. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:12 Highlight the passage at 1:08:12

1:08:18 What word starts with a T, ends with T, and has only got T in it? That's an easy one, come on. Teapot. Teapot. Okay, I'm going to stop it now. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:18 Highlight the passage at 1:08:18

1:08:33 We're supposed to be talking about Buddhism. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:33 Highlight the passage at 1:08:33

1:08:39 Is there any other question? Okay, Eddie. Ajahn Brahm, in your talk tonight, you mentioned many times about chanting. Don't you think, Ajahn Brahm, there's a lot of power in chanting? As you mentioned about chanting, I was just thinking, I read in the scriptures, during the Buddha's time, he did chanting too. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:39 Highlight the passage at 1:08:39

1:09:04 When he went to the different places to give the sermon. like places where there are like a famine, you know. So he chanted this thing and then the rain fall and all these things. You know. So the Buddha did chanting too. It's not in the words, it's in the people who do the chant and the energy which they put into those chants. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:04 Highlight the passage at 1:09:04

1:09:30 And I'd say this because once when I was like I was tired, I was doing some chanting for somebody's marriage. Because I was tired, I did the wrong chants, I did the funeral chant. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:30 Highlight the passage at 1:09:30

1:09:48 And someone was getting married. I never told them. So how does it work? Report an error in the passage at 1:09:48 Highlight the passage at 1:09:48

1:10:00 And they're still happily married. I think what was happening was just, The energy which I was giving with those words, that was actually what works. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:00 Highlight the passage at 1:10:00

1:10:13 Also just quickly, as a lay person, we can also chant it for ourselves. Can I share, I just said something this thing, I chant just the basic thing, Report an error in the passage at 1:10:13 Highlight the passage at 1:10:13

1:10:27 [chanting]

1:10:30 three times. Then Buddham, Sranam, Kachami, Dhammam, you know the three. So when I chant this, then I say may may the the power power of... of the Buddha, Dhamma, Saṅgha and the truth I know that the monks especially are really good. They're getting rid of spirits and ghosts. Their chanting is really excellent for that. And I figured out why. It's because our chanting is so bad. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:30 Highlight the passage at 1:10:30

1:11:12 No self-respecting ghost could stand it. They run away as soon as they can. And also chanting is healing too, heals. Oh yeah. Like the Bojangas, you know, when Buddha was sick, they had Cunda, you know, chanted this thing and he became well and, you know, when... when the monks chanted, when did they get well You got to admit that sometimes, I was making a few jokes there, but sometimes some of the chants are miraculous. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:12 Highlight the passage at 1:11:12

1:11:45 Sometimes people heal. OK, got some questions on the internet. May all the questions on the internet disappear. My Report an error in the passage at 1:11:45 Highlight the passage at 1:11:45

1:12:01 chanting is not that good. Okay. From New South Wales. My dear friend is very near death. We both have utter faith in the Buddha but little knowledge of the Dharma. Beyond being present and reminding him with his own kindness, how best can I help? Sometimes even being present puts an emotional baggage on the friend. That's why many times you find that your friend or loved one dies when you just go out of the room to go to the toilet or just get something to eat. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:01 Highlight the passage at 1:12:01

1:12:31 That happens so often. So one of the things, beautiful thing you can do is if that's your friend, please tell them we give you permission to die. We're not trying to keep alive because of the emotional pressure you put on them. It's unconsciously, but we do that. And one of the ladies used to come here every Friday night, I haven't seen her for a while, and she was, her husband, a young guy, and he was a... Report an error in the passage at 1:12:31 Highlight the passage at 1:12:31

1:13:02 A white water laughter. She was a nurse. Had a wonderful relationship. He got cancer. I don't know how I managed this. I managed to go and visit them so often. And he was supposed to die any day. And about a week went past and he hadn't passed away at all. But he was just so sick and he looked terrible. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:02 Highlight the passage at 1:13:02

1:13:23 And then just one day I just understood what was going on and I went to visit and I said, Have you given your husband permission to die? And then she understood straight away. She jumped up on the bed and held him very gently because, you know, it's all bones and skin. Even though he used to be so fit and healthy, it's a white water after. And said, it's okay to die. Don't keep trying to live for me. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:23 Highlight the passage at 1:13:23

1:13:54 And they both wept. And then that night he died. A lot of times we need those permissions from people we love. The worst thing we ever want to do is actually die and hurt someone we love so much. So even the person who is close to death will keep alive and just extending their torture, their pain when it's not necessary. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:54 Highlight the passage at 1:13:54

1:14:22 Please give them permission to go. It's a beautiful thing to do. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:22 Highlight the passage at 1:14:22

1:14:29 Hello Ajahn, please help me understand the term being mindful and how it helps the meditation or day-to-day activity. Being mindful is like letting go of the past, letting go of the future and stop trying to describe everything. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:29 Highlight the passage at 1:14:29

1:14:44 That's how we become mindful, in brief. To me mindfulness is about being aware. How can we be aware of what's happening? We're trying to think of what happened in the past and who did what to who and why this happened and we're thinking what's this going to mean for us tomorrow morning. You're not really here. Like even tomorrow, people say, no, when does your flight leave? I don't know. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:44 Highlight the passage at 1:14:44

1:15:11 I'm not going anywhere tomorrow. I just sit on the aircraft. The aircraft does the flying, does the moving. I just do the sitting. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:11 Highlight the passage at 1:15:11

1:15:23 This means you don't worry, you can relax to the max. If I do the flying too, you know I'm doing the flying when I ask the flight attendant, are we there yet? How many more minutes to go? What time is the lunch? What time is this? Then actually you are doing something. You are not enjoying the flight. So this is where you learn how to be mindful, to be here when it happens and enjoy, learn. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:23 Highlight the passage at 1:15:23

1:15:54 I am a doctor from Sri Lanka. During a school suicide prevention program I was triggered by a past trauma biology teacher who unfairly punished me. For small things like checking my watch. How can I overcome it? Checking your watch? Sometimes white people punish people who don't like it. That was a long time ago. You said you were a doctor in a school suicide prevention program triggered by past trauma and a biology teacher, or my biology teacher. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:54 Highlight the passage at 1:15:54

1:16:37 That was unfairly punished. How many of you have been unfairly punished? How many people have unfairly punished others? Do you think of that? You've been unfairly punished, you've unfairly punished others. That's why I learned this from one of the prisoners in jail. One of the prisoners in jail said, Ajahn Brahm, honest, I did not do that robbery for which I was convicted and sent to jail. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:37 Highlight the passage at 1:16:37

1:17:06 I'm innocent. I didn't do it. I know everybody else would say that, but this is true. I never did it. And then, you know, he was honest. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:06 Highlight the passage at 1:17:06

1:17:18 So I thought, you know, you can't really help if you're in jail. You don't have access to money or anything. So I started thinking, what lawyers do I know? How can I help this guy? And when I was thinking, that's when he interrupted me. with this really cheeky smile. He said, but Ajahn Brahm, I didn't do that robbery, honest. There's so many other robberies I did where I wasn't caught. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:18 Highlight the passage at 1:17:18

1:17:46 I guess this is fair. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:46 Highlight the passage at 1:17:46

1:17:51 That's why you think I've been unfairly punished doing a suicide prevention program by a teacher. How many times have you unfairly punished somebody? Report an error in the passage at 1:17:51 Highlight the passage at 1:17:51

1:18:04 Sometimes we always worry about when it happens to us. But when we learn what it feels like to be punished, what it feels like to be misunderstood, what it feels like to be hungry. Honestly, have you ever really been hungry, like starving? If you have, you can never walk past anybody who's starving. You know really how it feels. You can imagine how it feels, but to know how it feels is a different thing. That's one of the reasons why the doctor from Sri Lanka You were triggered. You were unfairly punished. Make use of that. Learn from it. So you'll never do the same to anybody else ever again. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:04 Highlight the passage at 1:18:04

1:18:53 That person who unfairly treated you becomes your teacher. Report an error in the passage at 1:18:53 Highlight the passage at 1:18:53

1:19:00 A nice one from Bolivia. How to overcome ill will towards meditation during meditation session? For example, when ill will manifests like a repeated impulse to measure how much time is left. Oh, I remember that one. You know, sometimes I was sure that the clock had run out of power in the battery. I kept on looking at it. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:00 Highlight the passage at 1:19:00

1:19:26 9.22. It can't be 9.22. It must be at least 9.30 by now. Imagine if that really did happen. There's no more power in the clocks. And I kept on thinking, I better keep going, I better keep going. How many other times? This is what Ajahn Chah, when he had the bell, And I look at the time and say, it can't be all that time. And how could I ring that bell at a distance? And I remembered as a school kid, used to have a pea shooter. Report an error in the passage at 1:19:26 Highlight the passage at 1:19:26

1:19:59 Little chew, you put a little pea in there. And I practiced my aim. And I thought, what I'll do, if Ajahn Chah doesn't ring that bell early, I'll ring it. He won't see me. I'll get away with it. I thought about that. But I knew he'd catch me and I'd get in big trouble. But why is it we always think that we have ill will towards these things? Report an error in the passage at 1:19:59 Highlight the passage at 1:19:59

1:20:31 No one does this on purpose. For some people, really, at the end of the meditation, maybe we should have a vote, like a democracy. When should we ring the bell? Report an error in the passage at 1:20:31 Highlight the passage at 1:20:31

1:20:44 Any suggestions? Just taking the vote and messing around like that takes more time. So sometimes we just... If you need, you're really hurting, you need to get up, just get up. Don't have ill will. Ill will is when we idea of losing control. Report an error in the passage at 1:20:44 Highlight the passage at 1:20:44

1:21:05 So let the control go. Just get up. If you need to, get out. We don't lock the doors and bar them with bolts. We don't have guards sitting outside. There's a few people outside. Are they the guards making sure that no one can get out? If you need to get out, just get out. No trouble at all. Anyway, that's repeated impulse to measure how much time is left. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:05 Highlight the passage at 1:21:05

1:21:37 Have you ever been in those deep meditations where if you do hear the gong, say, it can't be the end of the meditation now. Oh please. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:37 Highlight the passage at 1:21:37

1:21:48 If that's the case, just carry on sitting. We do lock the doors, but we'll open in the morning. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:48 Highlight the passage at 1:21:48

1:21:57 Okay, anyway, I'm talking too much as usual. So thanks everybody. And I wish you a happy night. We're just going to bow three times to the Buddha, Dhamma and Saṅgha, and then we can all go. Report an error in the passage at 1:21:57 Highlight the passage at 1:21:57