Meditation and Youth

0:00 And for those bringing young kids to the Friday night meditation, thank you. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:09 Because the meditation, when kids learn it, has an enormous effect on their lives. I still remember one of the members of our Buddhist society many years ago. She was a schoolteacher of grade sixes. I don't mind saying where, at Rolling Stone Primary School. And every year, same year, she would teach always grade sixes. Report an error in the passage at 0:09 Highlight the passage at 0:09

0:47 But she started to introduce meditation into the grade six year, with the principal's approval. And the principal, or the whole area, was very heavily Christian. But nevertheless, She introduced it. She was really smart. She never called it meditation. She called it quiet time. Report an error in the passage at 0:47 Highlight the passage at 0:47

1:17 Exactly the same thing. When she called it quiet time, she'd start with five minutes at the beginning of term. And she'd do that every morning, just five minutes, put everything down, and sit down, close your eyes, and just be quiet. Report an error in the passage at 1:17 Highlight the passage at 1:17

1:38 And over the course of the year, she'd increase it over to 15 minutes. But the wonderful unexpected things was how much the children appreciated it. I think it was about 20 years ago, 30 years ago. And the children appreciated it so much that whenever there was like an argument, you know, amongst year sixes in the classroom, When anybody was just getting upset for any reason, then one of the other students would put their hand up and say to the teacher, can we have quiet time please? Report an error in the passage at 1:38 Highlight the passage at 1:38

2:21 And all the kids in the class knew the benefit of it. So they all stopped whatever they were doing. They sat comfortably at their desks, closed their eyes and relaxed for five or ten minutes. And that stopped. All of the emotional problems, even at grade six. How old were they? Eleven years of age. Some of them getting into puberty, some having problems with their parents, sometimes not doing well or whatever. And they said they had so much harmony with that one year in the classroom of year sixes. Report an error in the passage at 2:21 Highlight the passage at 2:21

3:05 And so much so that the principal, principle, I have not I was asked to visit him. And when I visited him, he told me, he said, at first a few of the parents realized, this is meditation. Report an error in the passage at 3:05 Highlight the passage at 3:05

3:24 Is it Buddhist meditation? What are we talking about Buddhist meditation, Hindu meditation, whatever religion meditation? Meditation is not sort of owned by any religion. But the results are just so clear to see. The children's academic performance went up, they remembered more, they enjoyed the lessons more, and they didn't have that upset. Report an error in the passage at 3:24 Highlight the passage at 3:24

3:54 The problems with young people being forced to learn, they enjoyed it. And I remember that's what the headmaster told me when I just saw him, is there any problems? He said, absolutely not. Report an error in the passage at 3:54 Highlight the passage at 3:54

4:12 And he'd seen many years, this one teacher had been teaching meditation in school, and he'd seen the improvement in his kids' academic performance, in their social performance, in their general happiness. He'd seen that so much, he said if any of the parents had any doubts, they'd come and see him and he would defend his practice to the max. Report an error in the passage at 4:12 Highlight the passage at 4:12

4:40 Because it worked. And it made even the teachers sort of respect it so much. I remember I was talking to that teacher, that principal, sorry, because I was also invited to their school. Actually, no, it wasn't their school. Yes, it was. Because he wanted me to come and teach a couple of young classes of children. Report an error in the passage at 4:40 Highlight the passage at 4:40

5:09 And I should always get more information. What do you mean by young children? What age? I never asked that question. I only found out afterwards. And they were the kindergarten class and the year ones or something, four or five year olds. Report an error in the passage at 5:09 Highlight the passage at 5:09

5:29 And honestly, I kind of prefer it when people don't tell me what to expect. So you have to make it up on the spot. And what I asked these kids, Report an error in the passage at 5:29 Highlight the passage at 5:29

5:43 I think year one is in kindergarten. I asked them, there was about 60 of them, and because they were so young and because it was a strong Christian school, they had most of their parents that came to make sure I wasn't converting them or doing anything which I shouldn't be doing. So I did a very simple example. I asked the kids, How many of you do not like rice pudding? A simple question. Report an error in the passage at 5:43 Highlight the passage at 5:43

6:22 Do you know what rice pudding is? But anyway, three or four kids put their hand up, they said they do not like rice pudding. Now if you know kids of that age, you see they all look around, you know, what does this monk want? So they looked around, saw three or four people who really didn't like rice pudding, put their hand up, and they put their hand up as well. And a few other kids followed. Report an error in the passage at 6:22 Highlight the passage at 6:22

6:54 And by the end of about two or three minutes pause, every one of those children had their arms up, they decided they did not like rice pudding. Report an error in the passage at 6:54 Highlight the passage at 6:54

7:07 Okay, put your hands down. They didn't know where I was going with this. Then I asked question number two, how many of you have ever eaten rice pudding? Report an error in the passage at 7:07 Highlight the passage at 7:07

7:24 And only about six people put their hand up. And everyone else, all the other kids laughed. They understood the meaning of that exercise. Report an error in the passage at 7:24 Highlight the passage at 7:24

7:36 Why is it we decide we don't like something when we haven't even tried it? Or when we just believe what other people say, it's not nice. eating it ourselves. So, and even the parents, they laughed when they realized, how come, you know, we say we don't like meditation. How many of you have actually done any? And this is actually where we broke new ground to get people with laughter. Report an error in the passage at 7:36 Highlight the passage at 7:36

8:09 Everyone likes to laugh. Why is it that sometimes we judge too quickly and we stop ourselves enjoying? Beautiful things. I grew up on rice pudding when I was young because it was cheap. You get some rice, put some milk, a lot of sugar in. It's not maybe good for my teeth, but I survived. But nevertheless, it was delightful to eat. But at least I tried it. Report an error in the passage at 8:09 Highlight the passage at 8:09

8:41 And that's one of the reasons why a lot of time we have arguments, differences of opinion, and we lose friends. Because we never even tried anything. So, being a monk, would you like to be a monk? Report an error in the passage at 8:41 Highlight the passage at 8:41

9:03 How many of you have been monks? Report an error in the passage at 9:03 Highlight the passage at 9:03

9:09 So a lot of times, you can see just how our judgment, our ideas of the world are sometimes skewed, they're not correct. And just other things which we do in our life, how many times before we even taste, Whatever we're doing, we believe, no, we don't like it. And thereby we miss so much. I was saying today to, are they still here, the three Malaysian girls? Report an error in the passage at 9:09 Highlight the passage at 9:09

9:45 Oh yeah, still there. I was just seeing them, one is 20, and I asked her if she had a boyfriend yet, and I gave her some advice. Report an error in the passage at 9:45 Highlight the passage at 9:45

9:59 What does a monk know? I've been a monk for 51 years. What does a monk know about finding a good girl? And I gave them some advice. I said, if you want to find a very good relationship with a guy, choose a very poor, ugly guy. Report an error in the passage at 9:59 Highlight the passage at 9:59

10:25 Now how do you feel about that, you ladies? And don't say, yeah, I found one, he's my husband. Otherwise you get into trouble. Report an error in the passage at 10:25 Highlight the passage at 10:25

10:37 Why do I say that? Because sometimes in a relationship we worry too much, we doubt our partner. If you as a girl marry a poor, ugly guy, you have no worries at all. Report an error in the passage at 10:37 Highlight the passage at 10:37

10:54 You can't afford another girl, so you don't have to worry about them being unfaithful to you. He's so lucky he's got you. He knows that. Report an error in the passage at 10:54 Highlight the passage at 10:54

11:11 And number two, if you're a guy, never marry a beautiful woman. If you do, the other people look at her, oh, she's nice, and that'll make you upset. Report an error in the passage at 11:11 Highlight the passage at 11:11

11:26 So, my advice, if you're going to be married and find a partner in life, as a girl, never marry a rich, beautiful guy. If you're a guy, never marry a beautiful girl. You'd always be worried, you know, what's she up to when she's late from work or something. Now, you don't have to worry about a thing. You're happy together forever. So that also means, if you really understand what I'm saying, tomorrow, Saturday, you can go to the hairdressers and say, can you please make it ugly? Report an error in the passage at 11:26 Highlight the passage at 11:26

12:07 Sometimes, I often say that also because my parents were very poor. So because they were poor, they couldn't afford very much. Because they couldn't afford very much, There's no way that my mum or dad could actually play around with anybody else. They could not afford it. So they were very happy together and in harmony all their life. Report an error in the passage at 12:07 Highlight the passage at 12:07

12:30 And when they actually eventually died, that's the other thing which today I was seeing one of our old members who was on his deathbed. And he hasn't died yet, but he can die any day now. And because of that, And sometimes, why is it that we have to die and take so many days? Why is it? Come on, can't we get on with it? When I say that, people say, Ajahn Brahm, you're really cold, you've got no feelings. Report an error in the passage at 12:30 Highlight the passage at 12:30

13:10 But that's not true. When my father died, I was only 16. My mother woke me up in the middle of the night. I can't wake your father up. Report an error in the passage at 13:10 Highlight the passage at 13:10

13:25 So I went into the room, shook him. There was no response. He died. I was only 16. And I never grieved at all. I was always a weird guy. It didn't mean I didn't have any feelings. Report an error in the passage at 13:25 Highlight the passage at 13:25

13:46 But I never felt sad. I knew he was going to go. But I loved what he'd done before he died. He was the one who gave me that amazing teaching, which I will never forget, which I've shared with you. He once told me, I was only about 14, if anything happens to me, please remember this. Report an error in the passage at 13:46 Highlight the passage at 13:46

14:11 However you turn out, son, however you turn out, if you're a criminal, if you're notorious, or if you've done bad things, even that, I want you to always remember the door of my house. will always be open for you. That's what he said. I think I mentioned that so many times to you, I don't mind saying it again. Report an error in the passage at 14:11 Highlight the passage at 14:11

14:38 At the time his house was a council flat, really small, always in debt. He was a poor man, not much to open the door to. And I often mention that sometimes we would say, no need to lock the door of the house. Report an error in the passage at 14:38 Highlight the passage at 14:38

15:00 Because if a burglar came in, more than likely he'd take pity on us and leave us something. Report an error in the passage at 15:00 Highlight the passage at 15:00

15:10 That's how poor we are. But nevertheless, we were poor in a sense of, you know, luxuries, but always had enough rice pudding to eat, and always had his love, and always that very fact, you're welcome in here, no matter who you are. That meant so much to me. It meant... The door of his heart was opened to me no matter whatever happened. And that meant everything. That changed the way I regarded even my own father. Report an error in the passage at 15:10 Highlight the passage at 15:10

15:52 And when I start talking about him to you, I still remember I used to love playing soccer as a kid in London. And I was quite good at it. I got into the school team. team. You know, when I was I was really young, younger than I should have been to play for the school team. And then I asked him, Daddy, I'm playing in the school soccer team on Saturday, can you come? Report an error in the passage at 15:52 Highlight the passage at 15:52

16:27 And he said, I'm sorry son, he was working on Saturday. Of course you don't show you're sad, but I was. It's a child, you love your father so much, you always want. You know, your father to see you play for the team. Then, when the game started, I was playing, and then after a while, I heard someone shout at me to encourage me. Report an error in the passage at 16:27 Highlight the passage at 16:27

17:02 And I couldn't help but look. It was my father. He was there, shouting for me. And I really enjoyed that. I admired it that he made the effort to come and see me play. Your son or daughter, if ever they do something exceptional for a school or for a community, committee, whatever, please you have to go to see them. Report an error in the passage at 17:02 Highlight the passage at 17:02

17:30 But I couldn't help asking my father afterwards. I thought you were working today, Dad. You know what he told me? He said, well, I'm kind of supposed to. But I told my boss. I have to have these series of injections every Saturday morning. Report an error in the passage at 17:30 Highlight the passage at 17:30

17:52 He was lying. And I'm a Buddhist monk, I'm not supposed to encourage people to lie. But nevertheless, I enjoyed that so much, I admired him for that, putting his job at risk so he could come and see his son play football. That really was important. And that's why those kind of things, that when he died, he passed away. Report an error in the passage at 17:52 Highlight the passage at 17:52

17:48 morning. Report an error in the passage at 17:48 Highlight the passage at 17:48

18:18 At home, that's why I never cried. Instead of crying, I don't know why, but I thought something much more beautiful. I thought, wonderful, I've had 16 years with a man like that. 16 whole years as my father. Report an error in the passage at 18:18 Highlight the passage at 18:18

18:41 And I actually kind of felt so fortunate, so lucky, what I had been taken away from me. and his death was never as important as what I had with him. Report an error in the passage at 18:41 Highlight the passage at 18:41

18:59 When he said the door of his house was open to me, of course I opened the door of my house to him, to my heart, no matter what he ever did, even if he died on me. Report an error in the passage at 18:59 Highlight the passage at 18:59

19:14 So the grief was just not there. I couldn't make it up when I was 16. I said, I loved you dad, so much. I can't cry because I've known you for 16 years. I feel so privileged. And it was a totally different way of looking at life and death. I don't know how many of you can think like that. Report an error in the passage at 19:14 Highlight the passage at 19:14

19:41 I must have been in previous lives. But nevertheless, I'd like to share that with you. And also, it wasn't just the bond between a son and his father. It was always a bond between others as well. For those of you who do have a partner in life, even if it's just a boyfriend, a girlfriend, someone you love hanging out with, I invite you, please go up to them one day and say, no matter who that girl or that boy is, the door of my heart will always be open to you, no matter how this relationship It turns out there's a great beauty in that. It's putting aside oneself for something much bigger. Report an error in the passage at 19:41 Highlight the passage at 19:41

20:40 That's why I always said, and I do have the good fortune to actually perform marriage blessings. I'm going to do another one soon and you'll hear this again. It doesn't matter how many times you hear it. It really has power. I look at, I usually look at the wife first of all, I look her in the eyes and say, now you are married, from today on, you must never think of yourself. Report an error in the passage at 20:40 Highlight the passage at 20:40

21:16 It's kind of obvious, isn't it? A marriage is, you know, is letting go of your sense of ego and self. And then I look at the guy, say the same. Now you're a married man, you must never think of yourself. Report an error in the passage at 21:16 Highlight the passage at 21:16

21:37 And I also say, now you're a married man, you must never think of your wife. And that's a nice one, the first time I said that. When you're married, you must not think of yourself, you must not think of your partner. All the people in the audience, a lot of them aren't Buddhists, they don't come here. Report an error in the passage at 21:37 Highlight the passage at 21:37

22:00 And so that's sometimes the first time they've heard this. Saying, is this guy crazy? He said, I mustn't think of my wife now I've married her. I mustn't think of my husband now I've married him. I said, no, you heard right. Report an error in the passage at 22:00 Highlight the passage at 22:00

22:19 Once you're married, you must only think of us. The third option. I kind of love that option. Because sometimes, if you think of your partner, just your partner, you get burnt out. Report an error in the passage at 22:19 Highlight the passage at 22:19

22:41 It's all about him, it's all about her. I'm not part of this marriage. It's always about us. And that's much more accurate, much more positive. You're in this together. So please make it work. Okay, I'm not married. I am heterosexual. I'm not gay. And if you want to find out the truth of that, you get one of my old university friends is coming to UWA. Report an error in the passage at 22:41 Highlight the passage at 22:41

23:16 We're having a talk. about big stuff, consciousness. If you want to hear the really deep stuff, go to UWA next Tuesday. But over here is the important stuff of your life. Report an error in the passage at 23:16 Highlight the passage at 23:16

23:30 So you know, I had girlfriends, but not two at the same time. Could never do that. Couldn't afford it. Report an error in the passage at 23:30 Highlight the passage at 23:30

23:42 I still remember this guy. He's a young man. He's not here tonight, just had a look. And he was a really good guy. His whole family comes here on the weekend usually. And for those of you who come on a Saturday or Sunday, you may know the girl I'm talking about, she always offers ice cream to the monks. Report an error in the passage at 23:42 Highlight the passage at 23:42

24:07 And no matter what the weather, I don't mind. But anyway, for him, he was a young guy, he was doing well in life, going back to high school. Report an error in the passage at 24:07 Highlight the passage at 24:07

24:22 You know, he's a good looking guy. And I asked him, have you got a girlfriend yet? He said, yes, I got my first girlfriend. And then he gave up on her after about six months. Why? You know, had all these savings before. Now all the savings are gone. Poor guy, he looks so sad. Report an error in the passage at 24:22 Highlight the passage at 24:22

24:49 So, you don't have to spend it on someone to impress her. Just whatever you can. And that's the nicest thing about relationships when money doesn't have any part of it. Enjoy the evenings together if you can. And that's one of the reasons why many people come to the BSWA in Nullamara on a Friday night and a Saturday. Report an error in the passage at 24:49 Highlight the passage at 24:49

25:13 Because it's all free. Report an error in the passage at 25:13 Highlight the passage at 25:13

25:18 So if you have a girlfriend or boyfriend, bring them here. Good value for money. Report an error in the passage at 25:18 Highlight the passage at 25:18

25:27 So anyway, I hope I get into all this stuff. But nevertheless... There's the normal things of life, the relationships, you want to make sure people know how to make those choices and make them wisely. Report an error in the passage at 25:27 Highlight the passage at 25:27

25:42 And I've known many men and women in my life and people that as a monk you can actually talk to them because they talk back to you respectfully but deeply. You can understand them. And sometimes so many people They're not doing what they want to do. They're doing what they think they should do. Peer pressure, pressure from parents, pressure from elders. Report an error in the passage at 25:42 Highlight the passage at 25:42

26:14 And if you come here, I will never ever give you any pressure. I want you and your children to be happy in the way they want to be happy. Report an error in the passage at 26:14 Highlight the passage at 26:14

26:29 If they're going to get themselves into trouble, I will support them. I still remember this case and I was so proud of this case, I must admit, but I'd like to share it with you. Because I've been a monk for such a long time and been staying here in Perth for over 40 years, 43 years now or something, I should find out one day. Report an error in the passage at 26:29 Highlight the passage at 26:29

26:57 And anyway, this young Sri Lankan girl at university came on a Saturday. And she said, can I talk to you afterwards? I said, of course. And so what she said to me, she said, I'm in big trouble, Ajahn Brahm. I need your help. That's part of my job. What's your problem? And she said, I'm at university, I'm 18, I'm pregnant. Report an error in the passage at 26:57 Highlight the passage at 26:57

27:34 Straight away, I asked her, have you told your mum and dad yet? She said, no. That's why I've come to see you. Can you tell them for me? She was scared. You know, she said her mum and dad would kill her. So they won't kill her, but that's how scared she felt, embarrassing her parents. Report an error in the passage at 27:34 Highlight the passage at 27:34

28:03 And you know, a lot of times, you know all the different cultures who come to the BSWA. And I know those parents. And I think, yeah, okay, I can understand. They're very formal parents. And so I said, okay, I will. Report an error in the passage at 28:03 Highlight the passage at 28:03

28:27 So I met the parents first and then told her, look, your daughter is pregnant. She made a mistake. She never expected to get pregnant. But, you know, that's what happens in life. So please, out of respect for me, place your... Kids need your help, not your criticism. And imagine what it's like. OK, it's hard for me to imagine this. Report an error in the passage at 28:27 Highlight the passage at 28:27

29:00 I've never been married. But imagine what it's like as a girl, you got pregnant with your boyfriend, you kind of like him but you don't love him. And now what do you do? What happens if you have a son who's got involved in drugs? Report an error in the passage at 29:00 Highlight the passage at 29:00

29:20 What do you do? Fortunately that never happened to me. But nevertheless you saw other kids who did. They're scared. That's the time they need their parents most of all. Report an error in the passage at 29:20 Highlight the passage at 29:20

29:37 When they're young people, experimenting, they're trying to find their way in the world, not really knowing as much as they think they know, and now you have to help them. And that is when Report an error in the passage at 29:37 Highlight the passage at 29:37

29:54 They need mum and dad most and they're afraid to even tell it to them. And I've seen so many examples of kids get into these difficult troubles and that's part of my job. It's wonderful to be able to help them and to help the parents and help as many people as you possibly can. Report an error in the passage at 29:54 Highlight the passage at 29:54

30:26 The door of my heart will always be open to you. Judging is not the right response. Helping is always the right response. What can we do to be of assistance? Report an error in the passage at 30:26 Highlight the passage at 30:26

30:42 That's Buddha's compassion, kindness. And as you become more and more senior in this world, that's where you get to know, I get to know more people. As I get to know more people, It's wonderful. I'm going to use that in my friendships all over the place. And I'm still not sure if she's... I don't think she's here today. I'm just looking to see if she is. That one time when this couple, Sri Lankan nurse, by nursing training at Curtin University, and her husband... Report an error in the passage at 30:42 Highlight the passage at 30:42

31:25 He was working two jobs to try and pay the bills. They had two kids. And because he was working two jobs, you know, he was coming back home from work really tired. He crashed the car and killed himself. And then I was told by the Sri Lankan community, this poor girl, you know, on like a scholarship paid for mostly by Sri Lankan government. Report an error in the passage at 31:25 Highlight the passage at 31:25

31:58 Not that much. But now she'd lost her husband. Had two small kids to look after. And I think the Sri Lankan community raised some money for her to pay off the immediate bills. But her prospects were just unsustainable. She didn't know what to do next. So that's how I heard about it. Report an error in the passage at 31:58 Highlight the passage at 31:58

32:26 It just so happened I knew the... Vice Chancellor of Curtin University. Because some years ago they gave me this John Curtin Medal. For three things they said at the award ceremony. The three things were community service, vision and leadership. And straight away I said, community service is not something they give you as a prize. Report an error in the passage at 32:26 Highlight the passage at 32:26

33:01 That's what they do instead of sending you to jail. And for vision, you know, you've seen me for many years. I have to wear glasses. Leadership, okay. But nevertheless, I received that award and, you know, told a few funny stories about it. But the vice chancellor had to be there to give me the award. And also, you got to know her. Report an error in the passage at 33:01 Highlight the passage at 33:01

33:34 And I gave a few talks over in Curtin University. You ought to know her very well. So usually you just can't, you know, give a call to the vice-chancellor, but I did. And I said, could you tell her it's Ajahn Brahm, one of your Curtin medalists, calling? And I got straight through, because she knew me and respected me. Report an error in the passage at 33:34 Highlight the passage at 33:34

34:03 And I said what had happened. I said, it's a true story. This poor girl had lost her husband just on the funeral. She's got no means of support. Can you help? Report an error in the passage at 34:03 Highlight the passage at 34:03

34:18 And I liked the response almost immediately. Of course we can. Leave it with me. We'll give her a scholarship. And they did. Paid for everything. She raised her kids. She completed her nursing degree. And she usually comes once a year to say thanks, always having gratitude to Buddhist monks who kind of help. Report an error in the passage at 34:18 Highlight the passage at 34:18

34:53 It's an easy thing for me to do, just give a call to the vice-chancellor, yeah, okay, we'll sort it out. And they trusted me, and that was most important. Report an error in the passage at 34:53 Highlight the passage at 34:53

35:05 So those are the sorts of things which you can save people's lives and make sure that I know when she did come and see me, she's like one of the top nurses. I forget exactly all the little levels, but she certainly paid back that investment. And she paid me back as well, for seeing that she's got her life back, and her kids have got their life back, when basically for most people that would not happen. Report an error in the passage at 35:05 Highlight the passage at 35:05

35:36 So all these little things which you can give or which you can do, that's really so important for me. Report an error in the passage at 35:36 Highlight the passage at 35:36

35:47 I said this before, but I've seen so many of you for years. You're like family to me. I'm like the grandfather. Okay, some of you are as old as I am, or even older, but nevertheless, that care is really important. You are my family. Report an error in the passage at 35:47 Highlight the passage at 35:47

36:10 And that's why, even when I go overseas, the last place I went to was Hong Kong. And honestly, I don't go there on holiday. I work my butt off. And when I'm over there, you're trying your very best to help and serve as much as you possibly can. Report an error in the passage at 36:10 Highlight the passage at 36:10

36:32 Look, even when I went to, before then, to Vietnam, and you might say, oh, Ajahn Brahm is off enjoying himself by some beach somewhere. No way. He's teaching a retreat for... Was it 1,300 people? And answering questions as well, serving. And that's really important as well, to create those connections and see whatever you can do to solve problems. Report an error in the passage at 36:32 Highlight the passage at 36:32

37:11 And even in Malaysia, to make sure you can teach whoever how to pass exams. And how to have a wonderful life together. Your mum is looking after you here. You will make mistakes. Report an error in the passage at 37:11 Highlight the passage at 37:11

37:32 If you make big mistakes while you're staying, say, over here in Australia, you know who to ask first. Come and ask me first. And I'll see if I can get you out of trouble. I don't think you will make mistakes. So these are little ways, whereas a monk, I enjoy seeing really powerful people and I do use them to create happiness in this world, to get past problems so that you don't have to face them anymore. Report an error in the passage at 37:32 Highlight the passage at 37:32

38:15 I was even telling someone today that the previous Queen Elizabeth of Australia, Report an error in the passage at 38:15 Highlight the passage at 38:15

38:31 She was Queen of Australia and also Queen of England. And they're two separate titles. So I was really surprised. Prince Philip was there. And when, I think, I forget who the Prime Minister was. Tony Abbott at that time. No, no, it's a long time. The Prime Minister of Australia. Yeah. And then, so he started. Report an error in the passage at 38:31 Highlight the passage at 38:31

39:04 The Australian national anthem, and then the Queen sort of received it, but Prince Philip was silent. He never sang it at all. When they sang the British national anthem, then he started singing. And he said afterwards, he's legally not allowed to sing the Australian national anthem, but he can sing the British national anthem, because he's British, not Australian, or something like that. Report an error in the passage at 39:04 Highlight the passage at 39:04

39:36 Some of this protocol is really weird. It's good fun. So I also remember just going to the reception afterwards and then everyone was lined up to see Queen Elizabeth. Report an error in the passage at 39:36 Highlight the passage at 39:36

39:52 And then other things which I noticed about her dress. Queen Elizabeth always wears gloves. She does those, does that, because she's got to shake the hands of so many people. She wouldn't know what she would catch, what disease. So she always wears gloves. Another thing I noticed, they had this Commonwealth Day service in the cathedral. Report an error in the passage at 39:52 Highlight the passage at 39:52

40:22 And because I was supposed to be giving a blessing, I was in the front, and she was just sitting just maybe a couple of meters away. Actually much closer than you, Nicholas. And so I was looking at her, and one thing I noticed, She always seems to wear these big hats at all these services. And I understood why. Because someone of that age, who travels extensively over many countries, of course she will have jet lag. Report an error in the passage at 40:22 Highlight the passage at 40:22

41:00 So wear those big hats. Because once her eyes start to close, because she's tired, her head goes down. And you can't see her eyes, even though I'm really close to her. So that's why these VIPs wear these big hats, so you can't see what their eyes are doing, taking a nap during the service from the Archbishop over in the Cathedral in Sydney. Report an error in the passage at 41:00 Highlight the passage at 41:00

41:32 That's my theory anyway. So anyway, thank you for listening, because enough people are leaving now. It's about time I finished my talk. And we open up for questions. So, thank you for listening. Report an error in the passage at 41:32 Highlight the passage at 41:32

41:52 So any questions? Good Report an error in the passage at 41:52 Highlight the passage at 41:52

41:59 talk tonight. Thank you, Eddie. You know that when I do go overseas, to Vietnam or Hong Kong or any other place I go, they always tell me, how's Eddie? Report an error in the passage at 41:59 Highlight the passage at 41:59

42:15 Because he talks at the end of every talk, your voice is recognizable as mine. Report an error in the passage at 42:15 Highlight the passage at 42:15

42:25 Ajahn Brahm, good talk tonight, you know. That's why I let him speak. Now that's enough now, so we can have this question. Carry on, Eddie. You mentioned about quiet times, you know, Ajahn Brahm. Oh, yeah. Meditation, okay. Don't you think, Ajahn Brahm, meditation is only one part of our Buddhist practice, you know. Report an error in the passage at 42:25 Highlight the passage at 42:25

42:48 If you look into the Buddhist saying, you know, do good, avoid evil. purify the mind, okay? Purify the mind, the mind is meditation. We have also to do good, isn't it? Like you said, when you went to, for example, you went to Hong Kong, you're not just enjoying, you sweat your guts out, I think you're doing good, you know? Report an error in the passage at 42:48 Highlight the passage at 42:48

43:10 It's a whole package to be peaceful, isn't it? What do you Yes, but I must admit the meditation is the best. I'm a meditation junkie, you know that. Including doing good too. Oh yeah. You know, like dana, all these things, you know. And do you believe, Ajahn Brahm, if you do have all this package, like, you know, the day we, last Wednesday we were at Liz and Anne's house, you know, with the dana. Report an error in the passage at 43:10 Highlight the passage at 43:10

43:34 And then you talk, there's a chanting on the word of, like, adversity, you know. Adversity, yes. Word of, you know, I think we have all this practice, you know, there's a lot of word of adversity. That's why they want to allow people to have faith as other beings in this room and people we see. I'm not talking about ghosts, I'm talking about heavenly beings. And some people have the ability to see that. And sometimes I make use of that. Report an error in the passage at 43:34 Highlight the passage at 43:34

44:11 All those times which you've known weird things happen. And many of you know some of those weird things. That time when we did the 30th anniversary celebrations of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia, we hired Supreme Court guns and it really rained. It was a, what do they call it, event, a severe weather event and many people didn't come because they thought it was not really worth coming. Report an error in the passage at 44:11 Highlight the passage at 44:11

44:50 And I remember that occasion three times. We'd invited the governor of Western Australia, not the governor, sorry, the premier, Jeff Gallop, three times. In the afternoon, his office gave a call, wanted to speak to me. So someone gave me the mobile phone and said, are you cancelling? I said, no. Three times they said, are you cancelling? No. There was a monk there. Report an error in the passage at 44:50 Highlight the passage at 44:50

45:20 And the monk took me by the shoulder, pulled me aside and said, Ajahn Brahm, you have to cancel. You're embarrassing us. Report an error in the passage at 45:20 Highlight the passage at 45:20

45:31 And I said, no. And then, you remember this Brian Creek? He was an ex, he's died now. He was an ex-naval man. And he said, look, this is my life being at sea. I have to make sure I know what the weather is going to be like. This is a severe weather event. You cannot do this. Please cancel. No. I don't know how many people asked me to cancel. Report an error in the passage at 45:31 Highlight the passage at 45:31

46:09 I totally refused. And I still remember you talking about that shush. It did, yeah. But before it came out, it was in the tent. And it was Cherry's mum and Shirley, her name was, Shirley Jackson. She came out into the tent I was in and she hardly spoke, but she was kind of shocked. And she did something a Burmese shouldn't do. She grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me outside. Honestly, I thought, what else can go wrong? Report an error in the passage at 46:09 Highlight the passage at 46:09

46:49 Has someone electrocuted themselves or broken a leg or something? And then the first thing I noticed, the rain had stopped. The second thing I noticed, she just pointed up at the sky. And the rain hadn't just stopped, the clouds had cleared. And the very circled full moon was up there in the sky. It was gorgeous. And one of the, afterwards, the Supreme Court gardens flooded that night. Report an error in the passage at 46:49 Highlight the passage at 46:49

47:26 Same as Riverside Drive and even the freeway flooded. It really was a severe weather event. But it did stop for our ceremony. Report an error in the passage at 47:26 Highlight the passage at 47:26

47:37 And afterwards, the hire company, which we paid a lot of money for to get the tents, the chairs and all the tables to set it up. It was a big event. And then the owner, you know, sent us the invoice. To be paid. But he also said, I've never heard of this Ajahn Brahm before, but can you please ask him who's going to win the horse racing today? Report an error in the passage at 47:37 Highlight the passage at 47:37

48:12 That was a nice compliment. Of course I never told him. Yeah, and that should not have happened. But it did. And I know that Ajahn Brahmali... He's also someone who says, oh, some of this stuff, people make it up. But he often says, no, that was real. That happened. There's many other places like that. There are other times I've done chanting. I can't not tell you this. That time when we were looking for land for the nuns' monastery. Report an error in the passage at 48:12 Highlight the passage at 48:12

48:59 That's important. You've got monks. What about nuns? Have equity for you girls as well. So we were looking, looking, looking, looking and then looking for a place up in Rhin Road and the people showed us this place which is so tiny and not really appropriate but on the way we saw this place an auction for what was it 600 acres or something of perfect solitude. Report an error in the passage at 48:59 Highlight the passage at 48:59

49:33 So let's have a look. That was Varun Bianca, for those who remember them. They said, no, we can't afford it, wasting time. I said, no. Went in there, had a look, and it was beautiful, excellent place. How much is it going to cost? And the agent said, well, the guy was already offered a million. Well, we don't know. Report an error in the passage at 49:33 Highlight the passage at 49:33

49:58 So we asked our treasurer, how much can we afford? And the maximum we could afford as a community, 600,000, that's borrowing from all over the place. That was our maximum, our limit. So, I went there with Ajahn Chetamalo, who just came visit recently. And my goodness, we chanted. We chanted and chanted and chanted an hour before the auction. And then the auction started. Is that cheating? Report an error in the passage at 49:58 Highlight the passage at 49:58

50:34 No. Report an error in the passage at 50:34 Highlight the passage at 50:34

50:38 So anyway, we really gave it all we could get. And when the auction started, it was Eddie Fernando, the other Eddie, he was doing the auctioning for us. And we got to the 600,000 figure. He put his hand up, 600,000. And it just shows you how stupid I was. I kind of used as much meditation as I could to clamp the mouths of everybody who was auctioning. Report an error in the passage at 50:38 Highlight the passage at 50:38

51:08 It didn't work. This guy put his hand up, 625. I felt so, so disappointed. We'd lost the perfect place. 650, said Eddie Fernando. Totally sort of undisciplined. Report an error in the passage at 51:08 Highlight the passage at 51:08

51:32 Totally what we'd never asked for. And it's Rodney George. He was the treasurer then. And he was going berserk. Tell him to stop. We can't afford this. I don't know how we can ever raise money like that. And anyway, no one else bid. Report an error in the passage at 51:32 Highlight the passage at 51:32

51:55 So the auctioneer said, gone to the Buddhist society. What are we going to do, said Rodney. We can't afford it. Look, such a beautiful property as anyone who's been there knows. We'll find it somehow. And one of those other days, We announced to everybody, we've got this piece of land, it's absolutely gorgeous, please help. I think it was about three months we had to pay off the loan. Report an error in the passage at 51:55 Highlight the passage at 51:55

52:26 We got it about two weeks before it was due. Someone sent the last bit of money in. It's like heavenly beings. Always make sure, if it's for a very beautiful cause, of course it will happen. That's why I do stupid things. things honestly. Honestly, Kusenia, you're the president. Please keep me out of any monetary things. I'll get you into trouble one of these days. Report an error in the passage at 52:26 Highlight the passage at 52:26

53:00 Well, I don't know. It was a beautiful thing to do. And I still remember coming to make the announcement here in this hall. I said, I just want to let you know we did bid on that property and we got it. Report an error in the passage at 53:00 Highlight the passage at 53:00

53:18 We had spontaneous clapping. That's how much people wanted it to happen. And of course it does. Report an error in the passage at 53:18 Highlight the passage at 53:18

53:30 Anyway, thank you for that. I know someone took the microphone and went somewhere. Oh yeah, okay. Yes, I have a question. Yeah. Yeah, good evening everybody here and Ajahn Brahm. Yes, I've been casting my mind back into my past history and many, well, 20 years ago I had a marriage that failed. Oh yeah. Report an error in the passage at 53:30 Highlight the passage at 53:30

54:01 When there were reasons why it failed, and partially some of it was my fault, but I had three children through that marriage, and since they lived in Perth and they've moved into State. Report an error in the passage at 54:01 Highlight the passage at 54:01

54:25 Yeah. Is Report an error in the passage at 54:25 Highlight the passage at 54:25

54:40 that better? Yeah, much better. Did you hear all that? Yes. Yeah, so through the separation, I feel like I was on a spiritual path. I have been for the last 22 years. But through the whole thing I tried to be non-judgmental, I tried to be kind and tried to do the best that I could with a difficult situation and deal with things with love. Report an error in the passage at 54:40 Highlight the passage at 54:40

55:08 So I was very supportive with finance and tried to be as supportive as I could. But my ex-partner, who was my wife, took the complete opposite stance and... Basically lied to the children and told them a lot of things that are untrue about me and I feel like she's poisoned their minds towards me. As I said, it's nearly 20 years and I've had very limited contact with them. So I just wondered whether, does this sort of fall into the area of karma? Report an error in the passage at 55:08 Highlight the passage at 55:08

55:48 Like I've tried to give out good karma. and but it hasn't been received back and um and you as you were talking earlier about love about you know you loved your father and and those sorts of things that um I'm just wondering whether I have any hope or whether I should you know just give up Now, because it's been so long. Report an error in the passage at 55:48 Highlight the passage at 55:48

56:13 Yes, of course there's always hope there and it's kind of strange that when you Don't want anything. That's mostly the most likely time it actually happens. The kids, your kids, they know the father. And if you can manage to get a decent reputation, even just joining our Buddhist society, being on a committee or something, and then people see just how good you have been. Report an error in the passage at 56:13 Highlight the passage at 56:13

56:53 Kind and how you can serve others. You know, the message gets to them. Australia is not a huge place. You know, people do actually see and hear about one another. And one of your kids, you know, will want to know what happened to dad. Report an error in the passage at 56:53 Highlight the passage at 56:53

57:15 You have to actually not want it to happen, but let it happen. You say, why does that happen? Why is life sometimes really unfair? And sometimes, you know, I can only put it down to like some karma from the past. Report an error in the passage at 57:15 Highlight the passage at 57:15

57:35 You know, maybe you were not such a nice person in your previous life and you have to sort of feel what it's like. But after a while, kids are great. You know, after a while, yeah, they've heard what their mum has said, but they also just want to find out for themselves. Report an error in the passage at 57:35 Highlight the passage at 57:35

57:58 And they come up and find you. And that's actually where there can be some forgiveness, which is a beautiful part of spirituality. It's like, you know, when you were married, a young man, 20 years ago, it's like you're a different person now. Report an error in the passage at 57:58 Highlight the passage at 57:58

58:20 You may look the same, other people may recognize you, but you're not the same as before. People do grow, but at the moment you don't want to harm your kids or even your ex. You want them to be happy. So please give. We do like this loving kindness chant and loving kindness meditation. Report an error in the passage at 58:20 Highlight the passage at 58:20

58:47 Please give that to your children and to your wife. But never expect anything back. Otherwise it's not giving, it's like buying, it's like a deal. So may you be happy wherever you are, kids. I don't know, maybe even grandkids by now. Report an error in the passage at 58:47 Highlight the passage at 58:47

59:08 And one of them will eventually find you. Report an error in the passage at 59:08 Highlight the passage at 59:08

59:14 Does that make sense? We never give up hope. Just make that hope happen. In loving kindness and forgiveness, even at a distance. Report an error in the passage at 59:14 Highlight the passage at 59:14

59:27 I still keep quoting that Chinese saying, to love the tiger at a distance. And then after a while when the tiger comes, you know, you've been loving at a distance for such a long time. You see them and that love is still there. And the tiger knows it. It will never harm you. Report an error in the passage at 59:27 Highlight the passage at 59:27

59:52 Does that make sense? Okay. Can I do the questions from the internet now? From Report an error in the passage at 59:52 Highlight the passage at 59:52

1:00:04 Germany, one from Kuala Lumpur, another one from Germany. Dear Ajahn Brahm, despite following and practicing your talks and meditations every week, I am your age and severely ill. I'm still scared of death. Why? Please advise me. If you've been following and practicing my talks, then... You should know you've been making heaps and heaps and heaps of wonderful karma. What happens to a person who makes lots and lots of good karma? They get reborn in the next life in a beautiful realm, even back on earth, but just without illness. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:04 Highlight the passage at 1:00:04

1:00:49 Still scared of death. As I've often said, dying is unpleasant, but death, when it happens, It's kind of beautiful sometimes. You've finished your job. The workday has ended. You may be tired, bruised, wounded, but death is now there. And that's gorgeous. And I say that, that's one of the effects of anybody gets into the deep meditations. Report an error in the passage at 1:00:49 Highlight the passage at 1:00:49

1:01:24 It takes away the fear of death. You get a taste of what it's like, a taste of freedom. Report an error in the passage at 1:01:24 Highlight the passage at 1:01:24

1:01:35 From KL, Are events that happen to someone, such as accident or suffering from illness, resulting from ripened bad karma, or could it be nature? How do we know, especially if the person is a good person? Some of it is nature, some of it is the ripening of bad karma. Though we don't know, if it's really weird and strange, then we can actually know it's some... Report an error in the passage at 1:01:35 Highlight the passage at 1:01:35

1:02:03 Bad karma has happened. So just how obvious is it? Sometimes I told that story of one of the head monks of Thailand some years ago. He was going to the airport in a police motorcade. That's how much these head monks are respected. And a car on the opposite side of the road lost control of the car. went over the medium strip and slammed into the car carrying the Supreme Patriarch, killed him. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:03 Highlight the passage at 1:02:03

1:02:46 No one else was injured. And that was so weird that people just realized that Supreme Patriarch had done some bad karma. And they proved it. Report an error in the passage at 1:02:46 Highlight the passage at 1:02:46

1:03:03 Anyway, another one from Germany. As you now mention it several weeks in a row, During the meditation practice, I'm curious, what is that story? You fell off a cliff. What happened? Okay, this is the last little story I'm going to tell here because it's getting a bit late. That was when I used to spend my vacations from university walking in Scotland. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:03 Highlight the passage at 1:03:03

1:03:35 It's a beautiful part of the world. And it was, again, very cheap. I had a tent. sleeping bag, and that's all I needed. I didn't spend very much because I couldn't afford very much. And it was lovely sleeping out, you know, by the locks or youth hostels. They're really cheap and lots of exercise. And then I'd lost my path. The path along the cliff sides was not properly maintained. Report an error in the passage at 1:03:35 Highlight the passage at 1:03:35

1:04:10 I had a very, the old days, those backpacks were very simple, not very well balanced and extremely heavy, especially when you're carrying a heavy tent as well. I see some of the equipment that campers have these days and it's so light. So anyway, I was walking, I must have been looking at the beautiful scenery and when I put my left foot down, there was nothing underneath. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:10 Highlight the passage at 1:04:10

1:04:42 It was just the grass had grown over the edge of the cliff and I couldn't sort of stop myself from falling and as I fall I twisted around and I was facing the cliff face and going down, down a vertical cliff face and then of course you were really scared and then when I could feel the ground under my feet I bent my legs to take the fall, rolled over. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:42 Highlight the passage at 1:04:42

1:05:13 I tore one toenail off. That hurt. But I checked everything else. Nothing else was broken. It's kind of unbelievable. Good luck. And then I looked up. When I was going past and past and past, it's obvious that cliff was maybe 20 meters or something. But when I looked at it, it was only two meters. And that really shocked me. It's where you actually learn. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:13 Highlight the passage at 1:05:13

1:05:44 What happens when you're really scared and you think you're going to be really badly injured? Even like time changes. I was only 18, 19, 19 I think, and then all those details of my life so far, in those couple of seconds, they did actually flash up in front of me. You know those stories which people tell when they're close to death? Report an error in the passage at 1:05:44 Highlight the passage at 1:05:44

1:06:14 Like in a car accident or falling over a cliff or something. That's exactly what I felt. It was only just, was it two meters cliff? Report an error in the passage at 1:06:14 Highlight the passage at 1:06:14

1:06:27 It was like forever. And that's, honestly, that's why. Falling off a cliff, but the only injury was a torn off toenail. I was really happy. He was also off the beaten track. So if I'd have been more injured than that and couldn't walk, I'd have died slowly. Because no one came along that path. No one would have known I was missing. So that really scared me too. But no injuries. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:27 Highlight the passage at 1:06:27

1:07:04 Weird. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:04 Highlight the passage at 1:07:04

1:07:08 And that's pretty accurate, as I remember it. Because when you are scared like that, not only does time change its idea of duration, but you can't get it out of your head. It's one of those traumatic experiences. You remember it, you remember it, you remember it. I didn't want to forget it because it taught me a good lesson. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:08 Highlight the passage at 1:07:08

1:07:34 Okay? So that's the falling off a cliff. Have you ever had any accidents like that? Sometimes afterwards you're amazed and nothing got broken or hurt. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:34 Highlight the passage at 1:07:34

1:07:51 Okay. Any other questions or should we call it a night? Oh, you've got one over there, yeah. Quick. What? Report an error in the passage at 1:07:51 Highlight the passage at 1:07:51

1:08:09 What perspective did this religion give you? Oh, it gives you that how much you create and how much, you know, that you have the choice. To what somebody said a couple of days to me, which I taught them years ago, how you can look at a piece of shit like really disgusting and damaging. You can look at it as fertilizer. You can pick up the mangoes which have fallen or the broken bottles which have fallen. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:09 Highlight the passage at 1:08:09

1:08:50 You have a choice there. What perspective you choose to develop. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:50 Highlight the passage at 1:08:50

1:09:02 You see a snake. When you see a snake, how do you feel? Have you got kindness towards it? Are you scared? It's one of the reasons I've seen many, many, many snakes over in Thailand. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:02 Highlight the passage at 1:09:02

1:09:20 Really dangerous ones. Seen a couple over here as well in Perth, but not as many. And I've always got kindness and sympathy for them. No one else likes them. Even once I remember just stepping on a snake. Just opening a hut in the north of Thailand, stepping in. I was looking beyond the snake and I put my foot down and I felt there was something cold and clammy under my foot. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:20 Highlight the passage at 1:09:20

1:09:54 And immediately I jumped up. And the snake also jumped. We jumped in opposite side of my little hut. And I said sorry to the snake. I didn't mean you any harm. And the snake, you know, it didn't want to harm me. I just made sure that you just go out that way. And the snake did. When you don't have ill will, then that perspective of whatever you're looking at does never harm you. Report an error in the passage at 1:09:54 Highlight the passage at 1:09:54

1:10:30 I told all those silly stories, but true stories. You know, that time when I was visiting my mother and walking through South Acton, down Acton Lane, and passing by this very bad housing estate where it was a no-go area for police, and these hoodlums were meeting that evening outside, and they saw me, and they started chanting. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:30 Highlight the passage at 1:10:30

1:10:59 Buddha, Buddha, Buddha, Buddha, Buddha, Buddha, Buddha, Buddha. As I got closer, I knew the area so well. I'd grown up in that area. And I decided not to turn around and walk away, not to cross to the other side of the road. I said, I'm going to walk right to them. And I walked right to them. And just about a couple of meters before them, I Report an error in the passage at 1:10:59 Highlight the passage at 1:10:59

1:11:32 put my hands up. In what I thought was a Kung Fu post. I'd only seen that by watching the Kung Fu TV series before I was a monk. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:32 Highlight the passage at 1:11:32

1:11:45 Absolutely mad doing something like that. There's about a dozen of those people. They were strong. But anyway, Buddha, Buddha, Buddha. And then they stopped chanting and they parted to let me walk right through them. That was weird. And afterwards I thought, that was lucky, was it? Report an error in the passage at 1:11:45 Highlight the passage at 1:11:45

1:12:09 Don't you try that. But it works. I love doing stuff like that, I must admit. Anyway, any other questions? Report an error in the passage at 1:12:09 Highlight the passage at 1:12:09

1:12:24 Okay, let's finish off for the night. Report an error in the passage at 1:12:24 Highlight the passage at 1:12:24