Compassionately Mindful - Dhamma Talk & Guided Meditation 2/2

· · · silence, 3 minutes

3:02 Like, for example, I'm going to get on to the talk in a moment. Report an error in the passage at 3:02 Highlight the passage at 3:02

3:08 It was one year, I've been always very healthy as a monk, but nevertheless, one year I had a very, very low energy, and I didn't know why. And one of my supporters was a doctor, so he said, look, can I get you into my hospital, where he was a consultant, just to give you some tests. And so he... I made an admission for me at this hospital, an ordinary hospital, and then when I checked in there, the first thing they asked me in the hospital, have you got your pyjamas? Report an error in the passage at 3:08 Highlight the passage at 3:08

3:48 And honestly, I'm a monk, I don't have pyjamas. And so I said, I don't have any, but you have to have pyjamas. Well, I said, look, it's these robes or naked, which would you prefer? Report an error in the passage at 3:48 Highlight the passage at 3:48

4:03 I actually said that. And that's when the fun started, because they put me in a ward. But the doctor, he was a Sri Lankan man, a very lovely man, Dr. Mendes his name was, and he was a gynecologist. Report an error in the passage at 4:03 Highlight the passage at 4:03

4:26 You've got it. So when the nurses came round, you know, to do their checks every now and again, they looked at this guy with a bald head and no pyjamas, just robes, under a gynecologist. Report an error in the passage at 4:26 Highlight the passage at 4:26

4:46 They had a lot of fun. And I think that's what hospitals should be like, if at all possible, to have some fun there, some joy. And I had only six days there and I felt much better afterwards. They didn't give me anything, just tested this and tested that and tested something else. I don't know, guys are a bit crazy sometimes. Actually, some of you will think I'm being very generous with guys, but there's three other men and myself sitting in this hospital ward. Report an error in the passage at 4:46 Highlight the passage at 4:46

5:15 Just what do you do during the day? You have stupid conversations. And one of the conversations was, you know, what's the worst procedure you've ever endured in a hospital? And they were all these worst procedures and tests. And one of the guys said, oh, I had this one. It was really terrible, really painful. Report an error in the passage at 5:15 Highlight the passage at 5:15

5:34 They said it was going to hurt, but it really did. And then one of the other guys went white. And he put his hand up and said, I'm having that this afternoon. Report an error in the passage at 5:34 Highlight the passage at 5:34

5:47 I don't know why people do this. But anyway, I have a lot of fun. Uh-oh. That's okay. I'm okay. So anyway, the talk. This is supposed to be about meditation, but I do tell funny stories as well, and the true stories and jokes and stuff, because they really help. Report an error in the passage at 5:47 Highlight the passage at 5:47

6:07 But I'm going to be serious. If you haven't heard this story before, it's worth hearing. Once you realize that meditation, samādhi, is about stillness, Not concentration, but stillness. It changes the way you meditate as well. In the old story, how do I keep this water still? Report an error in the passage at 6:07 Highlight the passage at 6:07

6:30 I'm sure you've seen this before or heard it before, but I keep on repeating it because it is really a powerful simile. How do you keep it still? You put it down. You let it go. You detach. You're kind to it. You allow it to be. You don't control it. Leave it alone. Stop grasping. And then that water becomes perfectly still. And I can maintain that stillness for long periods of time because it's effortless. Report an error in the passage at 6:30 Highlight the passage at 6:30

7:07 If you try and hold it still, you'll be trying for years. And you'll never get the amount of stillness when you just put it down. And number two, you get so tired. I don't know how many people, when they meditate, they find it's... tiring. What are you talking about? Report an error in the passage at 7:07 Highlight the passage at 7:07

7:28 Meditation, relax to the max. That's one of the reasons I tell that story, relax to the max. Because it does give me relaxation when I meditate. I don't need to go off on a holiday to recuperate after a meditation retreat. It is the holiday, the meditation retreat. What do we call this place? Club Med. Club Med Ifri or Club Med Oxford, whatever you wish. Report an error in the passage at 7:28 Highlight the passage at 7:28

7:54 But what that means, it gives you the idea that this is what the meditation is. It relaxes, it makes things peaceful. And it gives you so many wonderful insights. First of all, sometimes, why is it when you let things go, that it still is not working? This is what many people do when they start meditating in this fashion. Report an error in the passage at 7:54 Highlight the passage at 7:54

8:18 They just let things go. So is it still yet? Oh no. Come on. I haven't gone all day. I'm a busy monk. Report an error in the passage at 8:18 Highlight the passage at 8:18

8:30 So you obviously have to have some patience. And if you have patience and you just observe with kindness to yourself and kindness to the water, then in no long time, the water becomes so still. Report an error in the passage at 8:30 Highlight the passage at 8:30

8:44 And when it becomes still, it becomes kind of really interesting, fascinating. Recently, actually recently, quite a few years ago now, but... When I gave the keynote address, the keynote address of international conferences, that's usually kind of prestigious, but the conference I was giving this keynote address to was in South Korea, and it was the, was it 2019 International World Computer Conference? Report an error in the passage at 8:44 Highlight the passage at 8:44

9:23 The World Computer Conference in South Korea. And had all these big IT experts from all over the world. And then I was supposed to be given the keynote address. And as soon as you had the meetings with everybody to begin with, of course they saw me and said, who are you? And I said, what are you doing here? Report an error in the passage at 9:23 Highlight the passage at 9:23

9:52 That's a tough question. My computer skills are not that great. Report an error in the passage at 9:52 Highlight the passage at 9:52

9:59 I'm an old monk. And so all these big shots. And one of the things which I told them, what I'm going to tell you is about insights into innovation and productivity. Report an error in the passage at 9:59 Highlight the passage at 9:59

10:17 First of all, innovation. One of the first stories I told them was that, what was it in the 2000s, no, 1916, I think, the World Exposition in St. Louis in US. That's over 100 years ago. And you know when you have these big conventions or exhibitions, people always need food. And at this convention they had little stalls selling different types of food for everybody. And it was just a coincidence that the stall selling ice cream was next to the stall which sold American waffles. Report an error in the passage at 10:17 Highlight the passage at 10:17

11:08 Now that's important. Waffles and ice cream. What do they have to do with one another? People always talk to one another. They form friendships. And the owner of the stall selling waffles was very friendly, talking to the guy who was selling ice cream. And they decided to innovate. They decided to combine waffle and ice cream. Report an error in the passage at 11:08 Highlight the passage at 11:08

11:36 And that's where... The ice cream cone first arose. Do you like ice cream cones? That's where it came from. Just an unfortunate occurrence of two different types of food being together and they combined. Report an error in the passage at 11:36 Highlight the passage at 11:36

11:58 So, what does meditation and computer science have in common? Do you know? I haven't found out yet. Not much. Need a lot of kindness, yes. A little tolerance, patience. And when things go wrong, they're meant to go wrong. When things go wrong, I always find when things go wrong, that's where you have a lot of interesting things happen. A lot of times, people become like monks or nuns. Report an error in the passage at 11:58 Highlight the passage at 11:58

12:43 Or you meet people you never expected to meet before. You get new ideas, new ways of looking at things. That's why, to me, when things go wrong, they don't go wrong. Report an error in the passage at 12:43 Highlight the passage at 12:43

12:55 They just go to the unexpected. And I'm just working on one of the things we were talking about in the car coming here this morning. We're talking about rebirth or reincarnation. And just... One of the people I really admired, you know, who basically lost his job because of this event. He was, at my age, he was an entertainer. I keep forgetting his name. Report an error in the passage at 12:55 Highlight the passage at 12:55

13:33 He was from north of England, a comedian. He was on the BBC, no, the ITV. Do you remember those days when you'd have just two channels on the TV? And I remember my brother and I used to argue to death about which channel we were on. And it was only two of us and only two channels. Nevertheless. But anyway, this fellow, he was doing a gig somewhere in London. Report an error in the passage at 13:33 Highlight the passage at 13:33

14:03 He was an entertainer. And that evening, I think it was Margaret Thatcher's time, she did a new one-way system through London. And on his way back from the theatre to home, he got lost. Something went wrong with his idea of directions. He got totally lost. And he was driving in London, places he'd never been to before, so he thought. And he turned one corner, and when he turned the corner, he recognised the street. Report an error in the passage at 14:03 Highlight the passage at 14:03

14:38 He'd never been down there in this life. He was getting all this spontaneous recall of his previous life. And he went to the house where he lived before. And I don't know if you've seen in London little blue signs that mean some famous person lived there before. And his former name was on that house. He knocked on the door because even in this life he was a TV personality. They let him in. Report an error in the passage at 14:38 Highlight the passage at 14:38

14:46 our previous life. Report an error in the passage at 14:46 Highlight the passage at 14:46

15:14 And he said, what are you doing here? Said the owners of the house. I used to live here. No, you didn't. We've lived in this house since the Second World War. What do you mean you lived here before? He said, in my previous life. And because he was well known, and because he could actually recall all of the renovations and things which had been done in that house, they accepted that as actually true. Report an error in the passage at 15:14 Highlight the passage at 15:14

15:43 And interestingly, in his previous life, He was one of the most famous music hall entertainers. That's about 1913, 14, 15, around about... No, before that, no. It was after that time, music hall. But anyway, he was one of the top music hall entertainers. And in this life, he was quite a well-known comedian. Report an error in the passage at 15:43 Highlight the passage at 15:43

16:06 So when things go wrong, if that thing hadn't gone wrong, if he hadn't lost his way in the one-way traffic, he would have never had that spontaneous recall. of his previous life and I thought that was kind of fascinating because I mentioned that was the ITV was his employer the head of the ITV at that time was a very devout Catholic so when this gentleman wrote that article and published the article about his spontaneous memories of past life that they sacked him which was actually kind of disgusting but Nevertheless, he made lots and lots of money afterwards, being the expert on the life of this famous entertainer in London over 50, 60, 70 years ago. Report an error in the passage at 16:06 Highlight the passage at 16:06

17:01 So he still managed to keep a good livelihood. Anyway, I don't know why I started talking about that. Innovation, yes. Innovation. So when you get lost, you know what you're going to find just on that street where you go to. You know, who you were before. But anyway, let's get back to what I'm supposed to be talking about. Okay. Computer confidence, innovation, and just how about stillness. Report an error in the passage at 17:01 Highlight the passage at 17:01

17:29 It's amazing just how stillness, how you can, how it's so easy to be still. And once you are still, the Buddha simile was when he called it the best way. This has actually come into Chinese Buddhism. When they say the best way to see the full moon at night is actually as a reflection in a still forest pool or up in the mountains. Report an error in the passage at 17:29 Highlight the passage at 17:29

18:03 Because there, if the pool is perfectly still, that's where you see an accurate image of the moon and the stars in the heavens above. Report an error in the passage at 18:03 Highlight the passage at 18:03

18:15 And I like that simile because that's where you see insights. They're not distorted because the mind is still. Not what you want to see, but just what's there. Report an error in the passage at 18:15 Highlight the passage at 18:15

18:27 And if anybody wants to check this out, that the person, the only Welshman who's got a Nobel Prize in physics from understanding quantum tunneling, which made some type of supercomputers possible, he got his insights into quantum tunneling. Report an error in the passage at 18:27 Highlight the passage at 18:27

19:01 He got a Nobel Prize for that. So it's not just what you're focusing on in dharma. It's actually just because that was his work, his passion, what he was doing at university. Of course, I mean, that was at Cambridge, not at Oxford. Report an error in the passage at 19:01 Highlight the passage at 19:01

19:31 We got weirdos over there. Now the best university is the university where you are, wherever that happens to be. But the important part was he got that deepest insight even just when he was, after he was meditating. He was thinking about it, that was his work. And after going on a retreat, those ideas were still jangling around his brain. Report an error in the passage at 19:31 Highlight the passage at 19:31

20:02 But after a deep meditation you could see it clearly. And he managed to penetrate that truth and become a famous theoretical physicist, quantum physicist. He did a lot of good for the world. So anyhow, this is what happens. There was also another more personal story, not so personal. On one of the retreats which I was teaching over in Perth many years ago, there's one of the ladies. Report an error in the passage at 20:02 Highlight the passage at 20:02

20:36 She was a social worker, and she told me that she had a very, very difficult job, high responsibility. It was her job that when there were some children whose parents were in doubt of whether they were capable of looking after their children, they may be drug dealers or alcoholics or something, and their children were not given A solid foundation for their lives. She had to be the one who made the final decision. Shall we take the children away from the parents and put them in some state care? Report an error in the passage at 20:36 Highlight the passage at 20:36

21:21 Or should we let them stay with their parents? It was one of the most difficult decisions to make. And a lot of the time she was always wanting to find some other alternatives. Report an error in the passage at 21:21 Highlight the passage at 21:21

21:35 And I remember when she told me that she came on the retreat really late. She was trying her best to finish off all the loose ends so she could have a nice, a quiet retreat. She deserved it. It was such a very difficult job. And as she was meditating one day in the hall in the retreat center, that's when she sort of had all these insights came bubbling up. Report an error in the passage at 21:35 Highlight the passage at 21:35

22:02 And she got a piece of paper out and wrote them down. And she told me afterwards, did I do the right thing? Interrupting the retreat, these insiders came in by themselves and she wrote them down on a piece of paper. I said, yes. I said yes because you'll probably find out that those solutions which came up in your meditation were probably so innovative, so kind, and so effective. Report an error in the passage at 22:02 Highlight the passage at 22:02

22:31 And she actually said that afterwards when she went back to work after the retreat was finished. All of those innovations which she had, new ways of dealing with some very difficult situations, were very, very, very effective. Report an error in the passage at 22:31 Highlight the passage at 22:31

22:49 And she didn't know how on earth did she manage to come up with those ideas. A lot of times when we have problems in our life, which we have to find solutions for, it's not just to say, I'm just going to walk away from this. These are real kids and their lives are in jeopardy. And what do you do? Take them away from their loved ones? Or just leave them with their loved ones and maybe see them really injured? Report an error in the passage at 22:49 Highlight the passage at 22:49

23:19 It's a very difficult situation, very difficult decisions to make. But what she did? Meditated. Put it down. And then when she picked it up afterwards, she came up with some terrific ideas. And this is actually how we use our meditation. Please, don't always think it's just for the Dhamma, just thinking about what Anicca is, or what Dukkha is. I think you all know what Dukkha is on the second day of a retreat. Report an error in the passage at 23:19 Highlight the passage at 23:19

23:54 But what it does, it makes the mind very clear, and you see new ways of dealing with things. So this is one way which we can value what meditation is, but that's just one thing there, of how to keep it still. I also love the way that we can talk about other ways where we don't have to put so much effort into what we're doing. Report an error in the passage at 23:54 Highlight the passage at 23:54

24:24 Simply because one of the biggest problems I've seen anyway with human beings in this age is that they're all so tired. Everybody is tired. And even Paul Iachander is tired. Are you? He's staying up all night trying to organize the program, and then afterwards Ajahn Brahm just doesn't follow the program. Report an error in the passage at 24:24 Highlight the passage at 24:24

24:54 It's my fault. Report an error in the passage at 24:54 Highlight the passage at 24:54

24:59 But you have to do those things, but things do go wrong. And when they do go wrong, one of the things I've learned as a monk, that I go wrong blaming others never really works. If you blame somebody else, it just makes life really hard. That's what everybody does. I prefer just to say, well, it's not gone, I haven't gone in the direction I expected, but let's make the best of the direction which I found right now. Report an error in the passage at 24:59 Highlight the passage at 24:59

25:32 See what happens next. I already mentioned, I think, that how Dhammasara, the ninth monastery in Perth was found, because, you know, we were going somewhere else. We saw a big sign, so we decided to go and have a look. And it was brilliant. It's also much of my life, even how I became a monk. I went to many, many retreat centers to meditate. Report an error in the passage at 25:32 Highlight the passage at 25:32

25:59 But the meditation retreat which I liked the best, it was just in an old boarding house. Not particularly quiet, not particularly beautiful. But nevertheless, when you close your eyes, it's like you are in a cave. And I closed my eyes and my... Sense of sight disappears. I should mention this point that I did go once to a Zen monastery up in the north of England. Report an error in the passage at 25:59 Highlight the passage at 25:59

26:31 It was called Throstle Hole Priory. Have any of you ever been to their Throstle Hole in Northumberland? The one thing which I learned there which was really amazing was that I'd never done Zen meditation before. And I was told all you needed to do was to keep your eyes open, cross your legs, and stare at a wall. There's not much instruction, but at least, because I had little instruction, I think that's why it worked. Report an error in the passage at 26:31 Highlight the passage at 26:31

27:05 It worked because I didn't know what to expect. And I was always adventurous. And I hope you can be adventurous in your meditation as well. So when I was, my eyes open, looking at a wall, that was what The next thing which happened, which was very strange, was the wall vanished. Imagine the curtains here and the wall, the concrete, whatever it is, and all the painted stuff as well. Report an error in the passage at 27:05 Highlight the passage at 27:05

27:34 Imagine that you're looking at all those photos on the wall over there, and they suddenly all vanished. They disappeared with the wall as well. My eyes were fully open. I was conscious, and I could not see anything. And it was weird. It happens suddenly. How on earth can that happen? And what is happening? To me, it was a wonderful experience. Report an error in the passage at 27:34 Highlight the passage at 27:34

28:03 Number one, because I was not scared. I knew I was in good physical and mental health. But I realized this was something which was strange. Report an error in the passage at 28:03 Highlight the passage at 28:03

28:15 And then you realize that this is not really that strange. If any of you just look at just something, a simple object, Just like a white wall. And don't move. And don't think. And don't go to the past or the future. Keep in the present moment. Basically, the brain turns off. Report an error in the passage at 28:15 Highlight the passage at 28:15

28:47 It happens again. Just leave it alone. Because after a while, it turns off by itself. Just like everything else. Report an error in the passage at 28:47 Highlight the passage at 28:47

28:56 After a while, your brain is only meant to notice things which change. Things which stay the same. If you want to prove that, close your eyes. Can you see the colour of the inside of your eyelids? Report an error in the passage at 28:56 Highlight the passage at 28:56

29:18 Maybe you got too used to that now, you don't notice it anymore. If you're in front of a reasonably bright light, you can see the dark red of the inside of your eyelids. Report an error in the passage at 29:18 Highlight the passage at 29:18

29:30 And after a while, that vanishes. Because it's not dangerous, it's not exciting, it's not... Stimulating. And that's the only things which your brain notice. If I give a boring talk, after a while I see that the eyes stop listening and I see the eyelids close and the head droop. Report an error in the passage at 29:30 Highlight the passage at 29:30

30:05 What actually stimulates you? What keeps the brain working? It has to be something interesting. Something enjoyable, something, change the tone of the speech, and then you find it wakes you up. So because of this, it's one of the reasons why when things remain the same, you don't move, you stay still, things vanish. Report an error in the passage at 30:05 Highlight the passage at 30:05

30:34 So let's give you another simile of this. This is the simile of how to become enlightened. Are you interested? Report an error in the passage at 30:34 Highlight the passage at 30:34

30:47 Now you can see that's an example. When it stimulates the brain, then the brain, yeah, you see everybody move up. And how to become enlightened with absolutely zero effort? Report an error in the passage at 30:47 Highlight the passage at 30:47

31:01 Are you more interested? Report an error in the passage at 31:01 Highlight the passage at 31:01

31:06 And that's a simile. I'm sure you must have heard it before if you've listened to my talks a lot. And that's a simile of the... you interested? Report an error in the passage at 31:06 Highlight the passage at 31:06

· · · silence, 1 minute

31:17 I'm going to do two similes of this. One, I don't think I've said for quite a while, the driverless bus simile. You know, this was years before Google came up with the idea of a driverless bus. I'm kind of kicking myself. I came up with that idea way before Google existed. If I'd have written that down on a piece of paper, I could have paid for the Anakamba Bhikkhuni Monastery and a lot more as well. Report an error in the passage at 31:17 Highlight the passage at 31:17

31:45 I could have bought the whole of Boar's Hill for you. Too much work, okay, yeah. But nevertheless, the driverless bus simile. It's just about using a usual simile about what life is. Life is your journey. Okay, so suppose, suppose you're on a bus, you know, on a journey somewhere, and you find that sometimes you drive through this beautiful scenery, look out the window, and it's absolutely gorgeous. Report an error in the passage at 31:45 Highlight the passage at 31:45

32:18 Beautiful green fields, waterfalls, all the stuff which you really feel is just almost, you should paint a picture of it, so gorgeous. Report an error in the passage at 32:18 Highlight the passage at 32:18

32:29 So what do you ask a bus driver to do? Can you please slow down? This is beautiful outside. Can you even just park and let's just go for a little walk, a bit of exercise outside? What does your bus driver do? Speeds up. Speeds up and drives through the beautiful territory so quickly. And then you go through this really the toxic waste dumps of life. Report an error in the passage at 32:29 Highlight the passage at 32:29

32:59 You've got a weird sense of humor. Well, thank you. It makes me perk up. Your sense of humor is weird like mine. Report an error in the passage at 32:59 Highlight the passage at 32:59

33:11 So the toxic waste dumps of life. And you go, get out of here. What's the look at this? What does your bus driver do? Speeds up, yeah. Report an error in the passage at 33:11 Highlight the passage at 33:11

33:23 Slows down, yes. Just checking you out. Report an error in the passage at 33:23 Highlight the passage at 33:23

33:29 He doesn't just slow down, he parks. Report an error in the passage at 33:29 Highlight the passage at 33:29

33:35 So you have to endure the toxic waste dumps of life longer than anyone ever should. And then after a while, you can understand that simile. Why is it when you're having a wonderful time, it goes really fast? When you're having a lot of difficulties, a lot of disappointments and work and problems and excess heat and excess, what else? Report an error in the passage at 33:35 Highlight the passage at 33:35

33:59 Why is that just that? It takes such a long time, longer than it should do. So then you realize that your bus driver is his fault. Or her fault? Which one? Their fault. Okay, thank you. Thank you for saving me. Report an error in the passage at 33:59 Highlight the passage at 33:59

34:25 It's the bus driver's fault. So what do you do next? You want to tell the bus driver, speed up when life is very difficult. Slow down when you're having a wonderful time. How long have I been staying at Anukamba Grove now? Is that gone very quickly? Whose fault is that? Your bus driver? Or my bus driver? You can see why sometimes we want to make sure the happy times, the joyful times, the valuable times last longer. Report an error in the passage at 34:25 Highlight the passage at 34:25

35:06 And the unhappy times... Go through fast. Can we not train our bus driver to make sure that they know how to drive the bus so they can go through life when it's really difficult very fast and when life is very perfect and beautiful and having a wonderful time while you can slow down and even park and enjoy? Report an error in the passage at 35:06 Highlight the passage at 35:06

35:33 It's the bus driver's fault. So what do you do? You want to find out Where is this bus driver sitting? So that's why in this simile, in meditation, you get up from your normal seat, you go deep inside to find out where your will lives. Your bus driver's seat, the will. When you find your bus driver's seat, that's where you get the shock of your life. Report an error in the passage at 35:33 Highlight the passage at 35:33

36:04 The bus driver's seat is empty. There's no one there. You. A driverless bus. So what happens when you realize you're a driverless bus? There's no one actually driving your bus. You go back to your seat and you shut up complaining. Report an error in the passage at 36:04 Highlight the passage at 36:04

36:29 You complain to. There's no one there to complain to. So you're sitting down there having a wonderful time going through toxic waste dumps or beautiful scenery and you're just a bus driver. There's no one there. So it just goes according to the program. And who designed the program? Māra. But anyway, the more interesting driverless bus or effortless enlightenment simile is the simile... Report an error in the passage at 36:29 Highlight the passage at 36:29

37:03 First of all, you know what enlightenment is? Before how to achieve it? I was going to say this the other day about the five kids playing the wishing game. Report an error in the passage at 37:03 Highlight the passage at 37:03

37:16 How many of you know the story of the five kids playing the wishing game? Report an error in the passage at 37:16 Highlight the passage at 37:16

37:23 Okay, I think the majority don't. That's a relief. So, five kids playing the wishing game. The rules of the wishing game go like this. Every kid has a wish. And if the kid which comes up with the best wish, obviously wins the wishing game. The first kid puts up their hand and said, my wish is for a new Nintendo computer game. Report an error in the passage at 37:23 Highlight the passage at 37:23

37:51 Is that right? I have no idea. That's okay, yeah. I've never... An Xbox. I've never played a computer game in my life. I'm not of that age. I've been a monk for 50 years. I've been, what is it, neglected. Report an error in the passage at 37:51 Highlight the passage at 37:51

38:11 Deprived, yes. Can I sue somebody? Report an error in the passage at 38:11 Highlight the passage at 38:11

38:17 Sue tomorrow. Oh, sue Māra, yes. And then I assume to pay off the debts for Amakampa, Bikuni, Project Growth, whatever it's called. Report an error in the passage at 38:17 Highlight the passage at 38:17

38:34 Sorry. But anyhow, the computer game. Okay, first kid said, I want a new Xbox. Very good. So they asked the second girl, what would you like? And she said, she's much smarter than the first kid. I would like a computer game store with a shop. Then I get a new computer game whenever I want one. Very good. Third kid, what would you like? What's your choice? Report an error in the passage at 38:34 Highlight the passage at 38:34

39:06 And he said, Well, you know, the trouble is I can have as many computer games as I want, but my mum and dad will never let me actually play those computer games until I've done my homework. Report an error in the passage at 39:06 Highlight the passage at 39:06

39:22 So what I would want is $10 billion US, and with $10 billion US, the first thing I will buy is my own school. Report an error in the passage at 39:22 Highlight the passage at 39:22

39:36 And if I own the school and I give the teachers a salary, They can never fail me. They can never write F on my homework. But anyway, you know what F means if you get an F at school? Report an error in the passage at 39:36 Highlight the passage at 39:36

39:52 Yes, right, fantastic. E means excellent. A means arrogant. Report an error in the passage at 39:52 Highlight the passage at 39:52

40:04 I love telling kids that. They get into trouble with their parents. Report an error in the passage at 40:04 Highlight the passage at 40:04

40:10 You know, I once told this story about... oh my. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 40:10 Highlight the passage at 40:10

40:16 Okay. I've got three stories. Okay, I won't tell you. I can't. I've started it. Okay, five minutes. Okay. How many more kids have I got left? Two kids or three kids? Two kids left. Billion dollars US. Once I graduate from my own school and I can buy my own university, so I don't have to do any school work at all. Report an error in the passage at 40:16 Highlight the passage at 40:16

40:38 I can just play computer games all day. And mum and dad can't even criticise me for that. Okay, billion dollars U.S. Okay, two markets left. The fourth girl said, if I had a wish, I would wish, how can you do better than 10 billion U.S.? Don't say 20 billion. That's basically the same. So the next wish was, if I had a wish, I would wish for three wishes. Report an error in the passage at 40:38 Highlight the passage at 40:38

41:07 That's a wish. And with three wishes, my first wish, I'd have the computer game shop. Second wish, and I have the $10 billion US. And my third wish, three more wishes. Report an error in the passage at 41:07 Highlight the passage at 41:07

41:22 I can go on forever. That's the infinity of wishes. And actually, it's not a joke. This is some serious dharma here. Because sometimes I wondered, why is it that people have got more money than they can ever use, ever spend, want to go into power, either become a politician or a president, or be able to influence them? Report an error in the passage at 41:22 Highlight the passage at 41:22

41:46 They won those three wishes, infinity of wishes. And the fifth kid, the fifth kid, they won the wishing game, clearly. Everybody agreed they got the best wish. And the best wish was, I wish I was so content I never needed a wish ever again. Report an error in the passage at 41:46 Highlight the passage at 41:46

42:13 And I like the way that was presented, simply because it mentioned all the other things which people aspire for. And the only thing which is really worth something is that contentment, understanding, wisdom, contentment, kindness. So you never needed a wish ever again. Report an error in the passage at 42:13 Highlight the passage at 42:13

42:36 And anyway, so now you know what enlightenment is. How do you get it? To be so content you never needed a wish ever again. And that's where... Yeah, I've got two minutes. That's where we got the simile of the... What's it called again? I can't remember Ajahn Brahm. I've only got two minutes left. Report an error in the passage at 42:36 Highlight the passage at 42:36

42:57 That's the donkey simile. Is that the one you were thinking of? I wasn't thinking. I was so content. Report an error in the passage at 42:57 Highlight the passage at 42:57

43:10 Yes, sadhu, sadhu, sadhu. So the donkey. Now you all know that donkeys used to pull carts a long time ago. And donkeys are very stubborn. They always used to call them stubborn as a donkey. But always be kind to donkeys, because as I mentioned to you, if you read some of the introductions to some of my books, that was where this Zen monk once told me when I was young, anyone who writes a book, anyone who writes a book, and I've wrote quite a few books, has to pay for that with seven lifetimes as a donkey. Report an error in the passage at 43:10 Highlight the passage at 43:10

43:53 So I've wrote so many books, so I've got so many donkey lives. In my future incarnations. So please, if you see a donkey, be kind to them. If you want to find out if it was me, give them some tea with condensed milk. You know, that's Ajahn Brahm incarnating. Yeah. But I'm not a donkey yet. But anyway, so how do you get a donkey to pull a cart? Report an error in the passage at 43:53 Highlight the passage at 43:53

44:23 It's a waste of time sort of hitting it with a stick. The donkey won't move. It's stubborn. So instead, you tie the stick to the donkey's neck. So the front of the stick is two foot in front of the donkey's head. On the end of the stick, you put a string. On the end of the string, you put, if it's a donkey from UK, you put a cup of tea with condensed milk in front. Report an error in the passage at 44:23 Highlight the passage at 44:23

44:51 If it's an Italian donkey, what would you put in front of an Italian donkey to get it to move? What is it Italian donkeys like? Cappuccino. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 44:51 Highlight the passage at 44:51

45:03 I don't know. When I told a story over in Malaysia, I said, put a piece of durian. Yeah, they love durian. Anyway, so you put, if it's like a usual donkey, a carrot, okay. You put a carrot in front of the donkey and on the end of a string, on the end of the stick. What does the donkey do? It sees a carrot and goes running after the carrot because it likes carrots. Oh, I'm sorry, I have to stop now. Report an error in the passage at 45:03 Highlight the passage at 45:03

45:37 No, of course I won't. So it Report an error in the passage at 45:37 Highlight the passage at 45:37

45:46 goes running after the carrot. When it goes running after the carrot, what happens next? The faster it runs after the carrot... That's the carrot. The carrot, yeah, okay. I'll take some carrot first. Carrot's healthy. Anyway, it goes running after the carrot. What happens? Can it catch the carrot? No. Why not? It goes farther away. Yeah, because it's on a stick, on a string. Report an error in the passage at 45:46 Highlight the passage at 45:46

46:18 That's a carrot. The faster the donkey runs, the more the carrot runs in front of the donkey. It's always about two foot in front of the head. It runs really, really, really, really, really, really fast, and it's still two foot in front. Report an error in the passage at 46:18 Highlight the passage at 46:18

46:33 So, but then, then the donkey learns the dharma. When the donkey learns how to meditate, what does the donkey do? Stay still and let's go. What happens to the carrot? Go further away. Four foot in front of the donkey. Never been that far away ever before. So what does the donkey do? Gives up and chooses another religion. Report an error in the passage at 46:33 Highlight the passage at 46:33

47:17 The donkey Report an error in the passage at 47:17 Highlight the passage at 47:17

47:24 stops. And the donkey is patient. Remember I said about patience? That's an important quality. And then... The donkey stops. Report an error in the passage at 47:24 Highlight the passage at 47:24

47:34 Carrot's never been as far away before, but then a strange thing happens to you in meditation life. Then the carrot starts to come towards you. Report an error in the passage at 47:34 Highlight the passage at 47:34

47:47 You don't do anything. You just keep still. And as the carrot's coming closer and closer towards the donkey, the closer it comes, it's its usual place now, about two foot in front of the donkey's mouth. And it's two foot in front of your mouth. That's when it's going the fastest. It's really coming really, really speedily towards you. And then soon it comes so close to the donkey's mouth. Report an error in the passage at 47:47 Highlight the passage at 47:47

48:15 There's one last thing which the donkey has to remember. Many donkeys forget this. And this is why they don't become enlightened. They have to go to the dentist. When it comes that close, you know how big teeth donkeys have? Many donkeys get the carrot bouncing off the teeth. Report an error in the passage at 48:15 Highlight the passage at 48:15

48:40 Because you have to remember kindness, compassion. This is mindfulness and compassion is the title of these talks. He has to remember, just at the very last minute, to remember, carrot, the door of my mouth is open to you. Report an error in the passage at 48:40 Highlight the passage at 48:40

49:06 If the donkey doesn't open his mouth, then the carrot can't come in. And that's how you become enlightened. You've been running after wisdom. Peace, enlightenment. I don't know what you've been running after, but you know what I'm talking about. And you get close sometimes, but then you move, and it moves away from you. Report an error in the passage at 49:06 Highlight the passage at 49:06

49:28 Stay still. Be kind. A nice moment. And it will come right inside of you. That's how you become enlightened. Seriously, anybody who ever gets these deep meditations or gets these enlightenment experiences, they're always unexpected. Report an error in the passage at 49:28 Highlight the passage at 49:28

49:49 You've been chasing and chasing, running and running. You have all the causes there. All you need to do is to stop. And it gets so peaceful, so amazing. Please don't disturb it by doing things. Just be kind and open your mouth. Thank you for listening. Report an error in the passage at 49:49 Highlight the passage at 49:49

50:09 It's only five minutes. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 50:09 Highlight the passage at 50:09

50:21 So now, as I mentioned earlier, we're going to have some, not Q &A. Yeah, no, but this is Q &A. It doesn't mean questions and answers. It means going to the toilet and queuing. And arguing. Report an error in the passage at 50:21 Highlight the passage at 50:21

50:38 It means queuing and arguing in front of the toilet. Oh yeah, please. Oh God, they're already gone. Yeah, okay. Please, if you want to use one of the men's toilets, make sure there's no one in there. But then... The hotel said that we can't do that because it's open for all the guests. Open for all the guests, I'm quite sure. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 50:38 Highlight the passage at 50:38

51:03 Thank Report an error in the passage at 51:03 Highlight the passage at 51:03

· · · silence, 12 minutes

1:03:32 you everybody. So Report an error in the passage at 1:03:32 Highlight the passage at 1:03:32

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:04:15 now the opportunity to be still. So Report an error in the passage at 1:04:15 Highlight the passage at 1:04:15

1:04:23 please let the eyes close and Report an error in the passage at 1:04:23 Highlight the passage at 1:04:23

1:04:34 see if you can let the body go into a comfortable posture and Report an error in the passage at 1:04:34 Highlight the passage at 1:04:34

1:04:50 just feel the body and get to know the body very easily. Report an error in the passage at 1:04:50 Highlight the passage at 1:04:50

1:05:00 How are the toes? How are the heels of the feet? How are the uppers? How Report an error in the passage at 1:05:00 Highlight the passage at 1:05:00

1:05:13 are your ankles? Report an error in the passage at 1:05:13 Highlight the passage at 1:05:13

1:05:17 And as you experience these parts of your body, be kind to them. Report an error in the passage at 1:05:17 Highlight the passage at 1:05:17

1:05:29 These are the things which you care about. They're entrusted to you. You look after them. And Report an error in the passage at 1:05:29 Highlight the passage at 1:05:29

1:05:52 through kindness, it's amazing how they can relax and feel very, very, very comfortable. How Report an error in the passage at 1:05:52 Highlight the passage at 1:05:52

1:06:08 I feel my lower legs. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:08 Highlight the passage at 1:06:08

1:06:21 of them and the longer I observe them. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:21 Highlight the passage at 1:06:21

1:06:29 the more that they become at ease. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:29 Highlight the passage at 1:06:29

1:06:35 Sometimes it's like you have a little kitten. Let me just set my head down. Let her go to sleep. Report an error in the passage at 1:06:35 Highlight the passage at 1:06:35

1:06:57 when they can relax. There's a special feeling I can notice in my body of my Ajahn Brahm says, and everything else will be coming at ease Report an error in the passage at 1:06:57 Highlight the passage at 1:06:57

1:07:13 It's like they're having a massage or they're soaking in hot water with some salts in them which relax me. I'm being kind to them. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:13 Highlight the passage at 1:07:13

1:07:37 I'm kind to my knees. I Report an error in the passage at 1:07:37 Highlight the passage at 1:07:37

1:07:45 can feel them and relax every part of them. Report an error in the passage at 1:07:45 Highlight the passage at 1:07:45

1:07:54 To my thighs and Report an error in the passage at 1:07:54 Highlight the passage at 1:07:54

1:07:59 my buttocks. I Report an error in the passage at 1:07:59 Highlight the passage at 1:07:59

1:08:05 made them as comfortable as possible. Wrap Report an error in the passage at 1:08:05 Highlight the passage at 1:08:05

1:08:16 from my buttocks to my waist. If you had your eyes open, you could see me just adjusting my waist. When I give a talk, I have one posture. When I meditate, another posture is needed. It just works for me. In Report an error in the passage at 1:08:16 Highlight the passage at 1:08:16

1:08:42 that posture, my back is straight. As Report an error in the passage at 1:08:42 Highlight the passage at 1:08:42

1:08:50 I go up the back, I feel a different vertebrae. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:50 Highlight the passage at 1:08:50

1:08:58 I get to my neck, shoulders. I mentioned to you yesterday, often my shoulders feel tight. One other way to relax them is I go the opposite direction. I scrunch them up more. Report an error in the passage at 1:08:58 Highlight the passage at 1:08:58

1:09:21 Squash all those muscles and bones as much as I can. And when I can scrunch them up no more, I let go. One of Report an error in the passage at 1:09:21 Highlight the passage at 1:09:21

1:10:04 the methods I use, I imagine that body and go up on the inside going up through my digestive tract Report an error in the passage at 1:10:04 Highlight the passage at 1:10:04

1:10:15 Tightness in my intestines. And imagine it expanding. By expanding that area, it's as if that the pain or the irritation gets diluted. And from ice, it becomes water. From water becomes vapor. And from vapor, it gets so thin, it disappears. And Report an error in the passage at 1:10:15 Highlight the passage at 1:10:15

1:10:50 as I go up my torso, if I come across any tightness anywhere, I will pause. I will relax. So the body can do its job without going through any congestions or swellings or inflammations. I Report an error in the passage at 1:10:50 Highlight the passage at 1:10:50

1:11:20 also get to know my body as I do this. As I often say, if anybody has any tightness somewhere that could be like a cancer, don't be afraid. But just know, and as you go past that area, or pause in that area, just give it lots of kindness, acceptance, peace. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:20 Highlight the passage at 1:11:20

1:11:54 And you can feel just how it opens up roots of healing which may have been closed before. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:54 Highlight the passage at 1:11:54

1:12:08 It's usually a method I do at greater length. I'm doing that next week in Perth when the local cancer group come to monastery. I take Report an error in the passage at 1:12:08 Highlight the passage at 1:12:08

1:12:38 as much time as I need to Report an error in the passage at 1:12:38 Highlight the passage at 1:12:38

1:12:44 relax the body and Report an error in the passage at 1:12:44 Highlight the passage at 1:12:44

1:12:49 go up to the neck again, making sure my head is well balanced on top of the neck, not too far forward, not too far back, not too far to the left or right. I Report an error in the passage at 1:12:49 Highlight the passage at 1:12:49

1:13:08 find the optimum and then I go to my facial muscles to make sure the muscles around the eyes and the nose and the mouth are at ease. Report an error in the passage at 1:13:08 Highlight the passage at 1:13:08

1:13:34 Then I become aware of the whole body sitting here on this armchair. At Report an error in the passage at 1:13:34 Highlight the passage at 1:13:34

1:13:45 this point I often, I'm doing this now, I often stay with the perception of relaxation until Report an error in the passage at 1:13:45 Highlight the passage at 1:13:45

1:13:57 I feel the body exhibiting the joy of relaxation. To relax is very pleasurable. When Report an error in the passage at 1:13:57 Highlight the passage at 1:13:57

1:14:14 I can experience that pleasure, the body relaxes even more. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:14 Highlight the passage at 1:14:14

1:14:24 As it relaxes more, I know that this is the moment to go from the body to the mind. I've done the preparation of relaxing the body to the backs. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:24 Highlight the passage at 1:14:24

1:14:45 I feel the joy of it. It feels good. And it's there for me every time. Except when I'm sick or something. Report an error in the passage at 1:14:45 Highlight the passage at 1:14:45

1:15:02 As I go to the mind, the first thing I perceive is the present moment. Just now, the Report an error in the passage at 1:15:02 Highlight the passage at 1:15:02

1:15:17 future, past, all of that which has caused more work for me when it's not needed. The past has just disappeared. I can't change it. I never learn much from the past. I learn from the present, from now. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:17 Highlight the passage at 1:15:17

1:15:45 This is where reality lives now. And Report an error in the passage at 1:15:45 Highlight the passage at 1:15:45

1:15:54 again, I always remember that the future is a perception which is Right there in the front of my meditation mind. Your future is being made right now. If you care for your future, keep your attention now. Report an error in the passage at 1:15:54 Highlight the passage at 1:15:54

1:16:16 And it makes meditation so much more easy. What I need to be aware of is what's happening now. And Report an error in the passage at 1:16:16 Highlight the passage at 1:16:16

1:16:38 as you go deeper, you stop the internal commentary. Stop describing things. Know them. Report an error in the passage at 1:16:38 Highlight the passage at 1:16:38

1:16:55 It's like you know a sunset without putting it down in words. In Report an error in the passage at 1:16:55 Highlight the passage at 1:16:55

1:17:07 this moment, silent present moment awareness. Just let the meditation happen. Don't choose. Don't decide what to do next. What you're doing now is the only thing to be aware of. Report an error in the passage at 1:17:07 Highlight the passage at 1:17:07

1:17:32 Let the meditation happen. Don't be afraid. We're Report an error in the passage at 1:17:32 Highlight the passage at 1:17:32

· · · silence, 29 minutes

1:47:02 getting close to the end of this meditation period. A couple of minutes left. How do you feel? How Report an error in the passage at 1:47:02 Highlight the passage at 1:47:02

1:47:17 peaceful is your mind? How relaxed is your body? How Report an error in the passage at 1:47:17 Highlight the passage at 1:47:17

1:47:44 does it feel when it works? What are the causes? The causes which give rise to peace. In Report an error in the passage at 1:47:44 Highlight the passage at 1:47:44

· · · silence, 1 minute

1:48:53 a few moments you may open your eyes. For those who wish to continue with the sitting meditation, you're welcome to do so. Report an error in the passage at 1:48:53 Highlight the passage at 1:48:53

1:49:07 For those who want to do some walking meditation, you're welcome. If Report an error in the passage at 1:49:07 Highlight the passage at 1:49:07

1:49:18 you need to go to the toilet, please do so. And in 40 minutes time, there will be lunch for you. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:18 Highlight the passage at 1:49:18

1:49:34 We meet again after lunch at 1.30. Report an error in the passage at 1:49:34 Highlight the passage at 1:49:34