True Happiness

0:00 So if you'd like to get yourselves comfortable, because those monsters are supposed to be appearing here by about 9 p.m., so there won't be much opportunity, chance to answer questions. So the talk this evening, I'll try to keep it a little bit more succinct, more to the point. So to save time enough for questions and then also to enjoy the lion dance afterwards. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:38 We've already got one girl over there already doing the lion pose. Come on, you can lie down, it's okay. Report an error in the passage at 0:38 Highlight the passage at 0:38

0:49 We've also got, amazing, today we have that beautiful chair over there which no one is sitting in. Go and yes. Be comfortable. Yes. Fast. Excellent. That's good. That's what the chair is there for. To sit in. It's amazing. Why is it that it's there and many people see it but they won't sit in it? It's always because it's how we think of ourselves. Think of ourselves as a tough meditator. Think of ourselves as monks. Report an error in the passage at 0:49 Highlight the passage at 0:49

1:29 Monks don't use I'm Jez. This one does. If I go to somebody's house, just recently the place where they allowed me to stay while I was over in Thailand last week, as you know I go, actually I don't go traveling a lot, I just go sitting on an aircraft, and the aircraft does the moving, and you get off in another country. Report an error in the passage at 1:29 Highlight the passage at 1:29

2:01 It's kind of interesting. At this particular time, the last week when I wasn't here, I was visiting some of these old friends I've known for years over in Thailand and have been able to visit them. It was wonderful to have that opportunity and chance to see how they all were. And at the same time, I don't know who told them, they said Ajahn Brahm is getting old now. Report an error in the passage at 2:01 Highlight the passage at 2:01

2:29 And they were wrong. I got old many years ago. Report an error in the passage at 2:29 Highlight the passage at 2:29

2:36 The nice thing about being a monk is it actually gives you more respect. That's why in Asia you always add at least one year on to your age. And the more you add on, the more respect you get. Over here in Australia, you tend to take a couple of years off your age or you're just not honest about it. But over there, please add. Report an error in the passage at 2:36 Highlight the passage at 2:36

3:07 As many more possible years as possible. That's why I kind of wonder, you know, as people who celebrate many of the important times of the year here in this temple in Nolamara, how many new years do we celebrate? Report an error in the passage at 3:07 Highlight the passage at 3:07

3:29 We have the Western New Year, January the 1st. We have the Chinese New Year, which is coming to an end soon. We have the Thai New Year in April the 13th. Three New Years a year we celebrate. That should make us three times as old as everybody else. Report an error in the passage at 3:29 Highlight the passage at 3:29

3:55 If you had a choice, would you like a legitimate reason to add a few years onto your age? No? Why not? That's why I tell some kids sometimes, I ask them how old they are. Report an error in the passage at 3:55 Highlight the passage at 3:55

4:14 And then I'd say how old I am. And it's not 74, 75 years. This year, my birthday, my last birthday, I was 888. Honest. That's totally true. I haven't told a lie. 888 I was. Months. Report an error in the passage at 4:14 Highlight the passage at 4:14

4:41 I count my age in months. Next year, actually not next year, this year in August, I would be 900 months. The girl in front of me now, how old are you? Report an error in the passage at 4:41 Highlight the passage at 4:41

4:59 You know, you're 108. 108 months. Imagine, you don't have to go to school. You're 108 years. You can drive a car. 108? Report an error in the passage at 4:59 Highlight the passage at 4:59

5:16 Am I going to get you into trouble? One thing we know, a different way of looking at life is, and sometimes, why is it that people always want to... Actually deny, you know, what they're like, who they are, why they are who they are. And instead of actually denying, we make peace with our body, make peace with our lives, make peace with everything else we have in life, not fighting it. Report an error in the passage at 5:16 Highlight the passage at 5:16

5:44 There's one lady I was trying to counsel this morning over in Singapore. And she had a bad cancer, could be dying, but who knows? I've seen so many strange cases of people who are following what their doctor says is going to happen and almost being a prisoner of that. I told her the story of this guy called Ted many years ago who had lung cancer. Report an error in the passage at 5:44 Highlight the passage at 5:44

6:21 He'd been smoking in his life, cigarettes, and that's really bad for your health. And it's one of the reasons why I was told by a doctor that even monks lighting incense, especially here in Perth, is not very good for your health. It's not necessary. At least over in places like Thailand, the incense is good for keeping mosquitoes away. Report an error in the passage at 6:21 Highlight the passage at 6:21

6:54 We don't do that here in Perth, simply because It is similar to lung cancer, to cigarettes. And sometimes if you do go overseas and you come back to Perth, it's one of the first things you notice, how clean the air is. That's one of the reasons why so many people come to this temple to meditate, listen to the Dhamma. Because the Buddha even said this, monks, you should always go and teach. Report an error in the passage at 6:54 Highlight the passage at 6:54

7:29 To places where people have got little dust in their eyes. Report an error in the passage at 7:29 Highlight the passage at 7:29

7:37 Honestly, in many places, there's lots of dust. For those of you who went to India on pilgrimage, there's heaps of dust over there. Report an error in the passage at 7:37 Highlight the passage at 7:37

7:49 But it's wonderful that in a place like Australia, there's so little dust and little pollution outside. But there's pollution inside of people. And sometimes you ask, why is there pollution? A lot of times it's because we want things and we can't get them. We try so hard. And why is it not working? A lot of times when it doesn't work, people just try harder. And they think they should try harder. Report an error in the passage at 7:49 Highlight the passage at 7:49

8:22 You know, like failing exams, for example. I don't know if I told this story the last time here. I could tell so many talks. That story about when I started at school. I loved playing soccer. I was good at soccer. A young boy. And people told me, no, there's no future in soccer. And I believed them. I could be a millionaire by now. Report an error in the passage at 8:22 Highlight the passage at 8:22

9:01 You know how much those soccer players earn every match? It's crazy. But anyway, so I said, no, no, okay, I'll follow my parents and follow my teachers, instead do my homework. You know that story? Report an error in the passage at 9:01 Highlight the passage at 9:01

9:19 Did I tell that two weeks ago? Report an error in the passage at 9:19 Highlight the passage at 9:19

9:23 No one says yes. So either you weren't here, or you want to hear it again. So anyway, at that time in the UK education system, we had to do what we called O-levels at 16. I did mine at 14. Get them out of the way. So I can go back playing soccer. But no, I really worked hard at O levels. Did really well. What happens? They said, if you pass those exams, then you'll be happy. Report an error in the passage at 9:23 Highlight the passage at 9:23

9:59 Was I? No way. If you pass those exams, then you have to do the next level exams called A levels. So at that time, I must admit I wasn't that interested in chasing a football. At that time I was more interested in chasing pretty girls, going to parties and places. And my parents told me, don't do that. Do your homework and then pass your A-levels, then you'll be happy. Report an error in the passage at 9:59 Highlight the passage at 9:59

10:34 And I believed them. Do something and it will lead to happiness. Did it? I passed those A-levels really well. Straight A's. Did that make me happy? No way. Then you had to do university scholarship entrance exams, which I passed. Then what happens? You can't relax, then you've got to go to university. More exams. More learning. Report an error in the passage at 10:34 Highlight the passage at 10:34

11:09 How much do you have to learn to be happy? I didn't say successful. A new definition of success. Happiness. And that's when I started to get interested in looking at people who were older than I was, who had passed university. Report an error in the passage at 11:09 Highlight the passage at 11:09

11:31 What did they do next? You know there's always another exam. Once you get a bachelor's degree, then you do a master's degree. You know how sexist that is? A bachelor? Male? Report an error in the passage at 11:31 Highlight the passage at 11:31

11:52 If you pass your first degree, do they call that a spinster's degree? Report an error in the passage at 11:52 Highlight the passage at 11:52

12:02 If you get a master's as a girl, do they call that a mistress's degree? And then, carry on going, then you get a PhD. A PhD is really top, then you'll be happy ever after, they told me. And it was one of the brothers of one of the nuns at Dhammasara who told me, he got his PhD. And he said, PhD means, it's the first time people actually explained to me, what does PhD mean? And they said, permanent head damage. Report an error in the passage at 12:02 Highlight the passage at 12:02

12:47 I don't mean to offend anybody here. What it is doing is celebrating intellect at the expense of feelings and emotions. I met later on in life many people who were really, really clever. Report an error in the passage at 12:47 Highlight the passage at 12:47

13:07 Even, honestly, in the college I went to, one of the people there, that's right, he was a, what's it called, Nobel Prize winner in chemistry. Report an error in the passage at 13:07 Highlight the passage at 13:07

13:24 And I thought, wow, this is the top of the crop. And someone who really knows their stuff, an intellectual, not lying. We'll see them in a few minutes. But you know, a great sort of intellect. When you meet them and you talk with them, they may know about the chemistry or the one branch of chemistry, but about life, the meaning of life, what happiness really is, how to live in life with no arguments with anybody, how to have that spiritual strength. Report an error in the passage at 13:24 Highlight the passage at 13:24

14:03 They had none of that. And that kind of really shocked me. Even on one of these occasions, I saw him getting drunk. No wise person would ever do something like that. And he was a Nobel laureate. So that made me question, question a lot about the meaning of life. Is it you pass these exams, you get these prizes and then you'll be happy? No. That's why at that time, I gave up interest in academia. Report an error in the passage at 14:03 Highlight the passage at 14:03

14:45 Even later on when I became interested in Buddhism, not only academic Buddhism, but what Buddhism was as a lifestyle, as a feeling, as an understanding how you can develop your emotions, how you can learn how to feel, how you can learn how to connect with others. Report an error in the passage at 14:45 Highlight the passage at 14:45

15:12 Not on an intellectual level, but on an emotional one. You know how people feel. You can look into their eyes, into their behavior, and see what you can do to help. Report an error in the passage at 15:12 Highlight the passage at 15:12

15:29 Just like simple things. I say this because not everybody has actually been to a university yet. Often I tell people, of the five fingers of a hand, Which one is the most important? Five fingers, which one is the most important? This one? This is the strongest in sort of, we call that the opposable thumb. It allows me to pick up things and hold them. Report an error in the passage at 15:29 Highlight the passage at 15:29

16:06 And it's small, but really tough. And we use this in Western culture, probably some Asian culture as well. If you say okay, which? What finger do you put up? It's the thumb. It's the okay finger, the thumb. But then this finger said, no, I am the most important. Report an error in the passage at 16:06 Highlight the passage at 16:06

16:33 You know why this finger said it was the most important? I am the index finger. I point things out to people. I'm the finger of wisdom. And then this one puts his hand up and said, no, no, you're all wrong. Report an error in the passage at 16:33 Highlight the passage at 16:33

16:53 I am the tallest finger. I can see the furthest. And I'm also the middle finger. And we all know the Buddha always praised the middle way. Report an error in the passage at 16:53 Highlight the passage at 16:53

17:07 And I won't do it, but if you really want to know how powerful I am, just put me up the other way around. I'm not going to do that. That's how powerful I am. And then this one said, no, no, no, no, you're all wrong. I am the most important finger. You know why? How many of you are engaged or married? On what finger does the ring of love go? Report an error in the passage at 17:07 Highlight the passage at 17:07

17:38 It goes on me, said his finger. I am the finger of love. And without that love, that compassion, how powerful compassion is. He said, I am the most important finger. And lastly, this little one put his finger up and said, no, no, actually, you're all wrong. Of all the fingers of the hand, this one is the most important. You know why? He said, even though you use me to do dirty things, this Report an error in the passage at 17:38 Highlight the passage at 17:38

18:19 is the finger you use to do dirty things. But nevertheless, his finger said, when you pay respects to the Buddha, I'm always closest to the Buddha. I'm always closest to the monks as well, or the nuns. That's why I am the most important finger. Do you agree? So if you need to feel more important in life, please stay behind afterwards to help clean up. Report an error in the passage at 18:19 Highlight the passage at 18:19

18:53 Because the person who does the dirty things is the most important in the Buddhist temple. The little stories like that, which you learned when I was a young Buddhist, they really mean a lot. Because they take these Report an error in the passage at 18:53 Highlight the passage at 18:53

19:12 Ideas and put them in a way which you can easily remember and easily repeat to others and it helps you become a better human being. And it's the same way with all those other little teachings which we give. You know, how to don't do things which you don't need to do. How to do less. How to actually not do things and see how powerful Report an error in the passage at 19:12 Highlight the passage at 19:12

19:44 That's one of the reasons why I always impress upon being a monk is learning the art of doing nothing, relaxing to the max. Do you understand what that means? A lot of times that is not praised, it's not recommended in the world. Which is one of the reasons why this world is in a mess it becomes in. Too many people trying to do something to fix things up, rather than just trying to be at peace and letting things fix up. Report an error in the passage at 19:44 Highlight the passage at 19:44

20:30 A lot of times, even plants in the ground, do they need a lot of work for them to grow? Or is the work mostly protection? Report an error in the passage at 20:30 Highlight the passage at 20:30

20:47 To make sure that no one interferes with them. To make sure they have the opportunities to be able to let them grow. That's even in education, because I was a school teacher for one year, and that's actually where I lost all my hair, teaching kids. Report an error in the passage at 20:47 Highlight the passage at 20:47

21:15 No, that's an exaggeration. But never, it's nice being a monk or being like a nun, you never, never have a bad hair day. Even though many people have, I think it's for a joke, they've offered me, I'm like, what do you want for Christmas or what do you want for a present on your birthday? And you know what they've offered me? A comb. What do you give me a comb for? A hairbrush, would that be any good? Report an error in the passage at 21:15 Highlight the passage at 21:15

21:50 Even though when I was at One of the airports once, the customs officer was asking everybody, you know, in your bag, do you have any liquids or gels? And they looked at me and said, like a hair gel. Report an error in the passage at 21:50 Highlight the passage at 21:50

22:10 And I couldn't help it. I wasn't trying to sort of, you know, be arrogant, but I couldn't help but laughing my head off. And the people even behind me waiting in the queue, they also started laughing. And the poor guy felt sorry for me. He said, I'll just go through. Report an error in the passage at 22:10 Highlight the passage at 22:10

22:26 But it's nice just seeing things in a different way and having fun with the differences which we have in life, not needing to prove a point that you are the best, the cleverest. You can sit meditation the longest. I haven't said this story for a while, but I remember this story, it's not an original Ajahn Brahm's, it actually comes from Ajahn Chah, because somebody asked him once, To really get deep insight, deep peace, and even enlightenment, do you have to sit still for long periods of time in meditation? Report an error in the passage at 22:26 Highlight the passage at 22:26

23:10 You know Ajahn Chah's answer. He said, if sitting perfectly still for long periods of time was really important, then all the chickens in this world would all be our huts. Because chickens, They sit for hours on an egg and they don't move for almost half a day, even though they must get very sore bottoms. Report an error in the passage at 23:10 Highlight the passage at 23:10

23:40 But have you ever seen an enlightened chicken? Report an error in the passage at 23:40 Highlight the passage at 23:40

23:48 So from that time on when we heard Ajahn Chah's response, we started saying that anyone who sits and thinks they have to sit for hours and hours and hours on end in meditation, we call that chicken meditation. meditation. Report an error in the passage at 23:48 Highlight the passage at 23:48

24:05 Does anyone want to practice chicken meditation? No cushions, just round eggs, the wrong size to sit on. If it was anything like me who sat on an egg, that egg would be squashed by now. Report an error in the passage at 24:05 Highlight the passage at 24:05

24:23 So anyway, that was Ajahn Chah. And then one of the nice things about Ajahn Chah, he gave these answers which you'd always remember. And they were kind of funny, human, relatable. meditation? Report an error in the passage at 24:23 Highlight the passage at 24:23

24:36 And that was one of the most wonderful things about him. Nevertheless, sometimes you can sit still, but without any problem at all. Why? Because you're not doing anything. You're just sitting there, happy in this moment. How long can you sit still watching a movie? Report an error in the passage at 24:36 Highlight the passage at 24:36

25:01 How long can you sit still watching a football match? How long? Why can you sit still for so long doing things like that? Because you're enjoying them. Report an error in the passage at 25:01 Highlight the passage at 25:01

25:19 I know that sometimes people are sitting just watching a movie. They've got to see the ending. They've got to wait for the ending and they can't move. They get fascinated by the whole process in a movie. That's just a movie. Imagine something more interesting. When you're discovering the nature of your body and your mind, understanding how it works. If you have a new car, do you have to learn how it works? Report an error in the passage at 25:19 Highlight the passage at 25:19

25:54 When you have a mind, do you want to learn how that works? How do you know you're an expert on the mind? Report an error in the passage at 25:54 Highlight the passage at 25:54

26:06 By when you're challenged and you can be at peace. When you don't try and change what can't be changed. When you can make peace with everything. Even when you are sick. Report an error in the passage at 26:06 Highlight the passage at 26:06

26:20 How many of you have tried all the things you've been taught and nothing works? Those are great times. I'm fortunate to have many of those times in my life. Even one simple time. My problem at that time was pain. Report an error in the passage at 26:20 Highlight the passage at 26:20

26:45 A simple pain but it really hurts and I'm really grateful for it because I learned so much from this. Just a toothache but an intense toothache. Report an error in the passage at 26:45 Highlight the passage at 26:45

26:57 And they always get worse, as many of you know, in the middle of the night. In the middle of the night, the pain in my jaw got so intense, there's no way I could sleep. Even I crossed my legs to meditate and I could not do it. Report an error in the passage at 26:57 Highlight the passage at 26:57

27:17 The pain was too much. I tried walking meditation and I realized I was not walking, I was running. Have you ever noticed that when you're in great pain, you can't do anything slowly, everything you do is intense? I went to the medicine cabinet. We did have a medicine cabinet in this monastery in Thailand where I first started and Report an error in the passage at 27:17 Highlight the passage at 27:17

27:49 I opened the medicine cabinet. It had a cross on it, like medicine cabinet. We did have a medicine cabinet. There was nothing in it. Totally empty. It was teaching me something. Teaching me the best medicine is nothing. Report an error in the passage at 27:49 Highlight the passage at 27:49

28:11 Emptiness, freedom. I didn't understand that at the time, as most of you hadn't, otherwise you'd burst out laughing. So anyhow, I tried chanting. At that time, I know that I do a lot of chanting these days. I didn't believe in any of it. I was a scientist. Give me the evidence. Does chanting work? Report an error in the passage at 28:11 Highlight the passage at 28:11

28:37 These days I've totally changed my mind to seeing the evidence. But anyhow, that time, try chanting, meditating, no medicine, walking, sitting, and many times in your life you'll experience this. Report an error in the passage at 28:37 Highlight the passage at 28:37

28:55 You can't go forward. You can't go back and you can't stay still. All your options are gone. You tried everything you know and you can't just stand doing nothing. Report an error in the passage at 28:55 Highlight the passage at 28:55

29:13 What do you do? Those are some of the most wonderful moments of life, real. You didn't choose that. Everything you've ever done before, everything you know doesn't work and you can't stand it any longer. Report an error in the passage at 29:13 Highlight the passage at 29:13

29:31 So for me, it was the one thing which I remembered, which somebody had said years ago, but I didn't really understand it. Just two words, let go. One of the most important parts of that statement, let. Report an error in the passage at 29:31 Highlight the passage at 29:31

29:56 You don't do anything. You don't make it happen. You stop doing things. You stop. Squirming and trying to get free. You let go. Report an error in the passage at 29:56 Highlight the passage at 29:56

30:13 And I'm not just saying this, you know, to inspire you. I told some of the monks, I think, yesterday or a few days ago, I have a sense of responsibility. Report an error in the passage at 30:13 Highlight the passage at 30:13

30:28 I'm not going to teach you things which aren't true. I'm not going to say things which happened which didn't happen. I'm not going to exaggerate. I got a sense of responsibility to each and every one of you. And when I said to myself, let go, you actually did. Report an error in the passage at 30:28 Highlight the passage at 30:28

30:50 You stopped fighting. You stopped trying to challenge reality. It's not complicated like that. You just stopped. When I let go that first time, it's fantastic. The pain, which had been driving me crazy for hours, Report an error in the passage at 30:50 Highlight the passage at 30:50

31:12 It vanished immediately. There was no pain there. Instead there was bliss, not only happiness, but this intense joy inside the body. Report an error in the passage at 31:12 Highlight the passage at 31:12

31:27 And it was wonderful that that's actually what does happen if you really let go. You can let go of deep pain and get into bliss. Report an error in the passage at 31:27 Highlight the passage at 31:27

31:37 There was this guy years ago, before we had this hall, and he told me, He had this incredibly bad back pain. He'd been treated at Osmond Park Hospital here. And he told me, I just had to believe him because I didn't know too much about the treatments allowed in Western Australia at the time. But he said he was legally allowed to have any medication, any drug, because his back pain was so severe that everything was permitted for him. Report an error in the passage at 31:37 Highlight the passage at 31:37

32:17 And he said that at that time they developed a way of telling other people how you felt. Like how many times, you know, you really feel very sick and you tell, you know, your wife, your husband, your best friend, it really hurts. Report an error in the passage at 32:17 Highlight the passage at 32:17

32:38 What do you mean it really hurts? How much does it hurt? Hurts a lot? Hurts a little? Is it you're just exaggerating? They developed this way of telling people, your friends, to be able to convey accurately to what that feeling was like. In his case, this excruciating back pain all the time. And they said, they did the scans on his machines, and they said, you are experiencing exactly the same level of pain as you would experience, a normal healthy person would experience. Report an error in the passage at 32:38 Highlight the passage at 32:38

33:18 If they were having their arm cut off with a chainsaw with no anesthetic. Report an error in the passage at 33:18 Highlight the passage at 33:18

33:28 And he said that was the pain that he had been experiencing. That made me sort of kind of squirm. He said that was what the doctors had measured and it was an accurate way that he could tell other people how much pain he had. That's really extreme. Report an error in the passage at 33:28 Highlight the passage at 33:28

33:51 And that was actually proved by these instruments in the hospital. But then he said, as he looked at me, he said, I've finally done it. The way he said that, what do you mean you've finally done it? Done what? He'd used his meditation to get beyond that pain. Report an error in the passage at 33:51 Highlight the passage at 33:51

34:17 So beyond that pain, he said he got the machine flatlining. I said, did you mean the ECG? He said, no, I did that weeks ago, the EEG. The EEG, the brain activity, perfectly level line, but still alive. Report an error in the passage at 34:17 Highlight the passage at 34:17

34:45 And he said he had to do that because his pain was so extreme. He had to go to unusual ways of getting beyond it. And when he saw me, I was looking at him with a lot of doubt. He really done that? And the way he was looking at me, I trusted him. Report an error in the passage at 34:45 Highlight the passage at 34:45

35:14 It's amazing such enormous pain, you get past it with these deep meditations to get the machines to record no brain activity, no heart activity. Report an error in the passage at 35:14 Highlight the passage at 35:14

35:31 Yes, that can be done. And the reason why I say that and told it in the story, if I'd have just said that, he'd say, yeah, yeah, no, you're making it up again, Ajahn Brahm. It's just some punchline to a joke later on. And these are true. And it's amazing. And he just pointed to the back. He said, see all those new people at the back over there, he said to me. He said, they're all these doctors from Osborne Park who want to find what the hell is going on in this place. Report an error in the passage at 35:31 Highlight the passage at 35:31

36:06 You know, about, you know, how can you overcome such pain? Because they didn't know what Buddhist monks were. It's almost like that story I told someone earlier today. They did a gap year. Apparently, they hadn't heard this joke. I shouldn't say this, should I? They hadn't heard this story before. This young girl did a gap year before going to university. She did some volunteer work in Africa. Report an error in the passage at 36:06 Highlight the passage at 36:06

36:38 And when, before she came back, she sent email to her mum and dad saying, I've met somebody who's really special. I'm married. And the mother hadn't seen that, hadn't seen sort of that husband yet. And when they came through the immigration and the mother could actually put eyes on the husband, he was just wearing a sarong. Report an error in the passage at 36:38 Highlight the passage at 36:38

37:10 wrong with beads and really strange hairstyle and things in his ears he looked really weird he said daughter i told you to marry a rich doctor oh i thought you said witch doctor mummy I'm Report an error in the passage at 37:10 Highlight the passage at 37:10

37:38 surprised you haven't heard that joke for a while. Anyway, so be careful when your daughters go overseas and they come back. Come back, come back with me. Report an error in the passage at 37:38 Highlight the passage at 37:38

37:52 But anyhow, so they thought I was a witch doctor. How can you come get rid of these diseases and stuff? It's interesting, more things you can learn and more things you can know. One of those things which I did while I was in Thailand, because I just was over there, just came back last Thursday, was I thought, you know, some of the experience I had, you know, can you do something to help the villagers? Report an error in the passage at 37:52 Highlight the passage at 37:52

38:20 So one of the things which I did do was to build a methane generator for the villages. You know, it's made from water buffalo poo. Report an error in the passage at 38:20 Highlight the passage at 38:20

38:35 There's so many water buffalo in that part of Thailand. And so you get the poo and you put it in this methane generator and it'll make this gas which you can use to cook with. Report an error in the passage at 38:35 Highlight the passage at 38:35

38:49 And it worked. I knew my stuff. As you know, I'm an expert on poo and all the similes for it. But the villager who helped me, a very simple fellow, but had a lot of faith in the monks. He said, when I was working so hard to build this methane generator for you, I never thought it would work, but I worked really hard to help you. Report an error in the passage at 38:49 Highlight the passage at 38:49

39:22 And it was amazing. They got the gas from the poo and the monks in Wat Bananachat, that year, the last year I was there, it meant we could have a drink of Milo every morning. Okay, it's not much, Ovaltine, but actually to heat it really easily out of cow poo. It had a lot of benefit. That's just now the Mark I version. But nevertheless, because he saw things he'd never seen before, he actually saw it work, that's when he started to share with me all the amazing stuff which he had seen in his life. Report an error in the passage at 39:22 Highlight the passage at 39:22

40:11 And one of those things was that in Bung Wai village in the northeast of Thailand, they had thrown away all their anti-snake venom. Report an error in the passage at 40:11 Highlight the passage at 40:11

40:25 The stuff which you would inject to keep people alive if you've been bitten by a snake. He said he'd thrown it away because it's not worth using anymore. One of the villagers had learned this special chant and had this special herbal medicine which would heal any snake bite. Report an error in the passage at 40:25 Highlight the passage at 40:25

40:52 He said, I didn't believe in that until I actually saw it. Just like your methane generator, I never believed in that until I saw it work. And to tell you about that anti-snake venom, after I'd left Bunwana and came to Australia, there was a Singaporean monk who got bitten by a snake. Report an error in the passage at 40:52 Highlight the passage at 40:52

41:19 He came into the library first of all, never asking for help, but as he asked the... How's the librarian? Librarian, can I have a look at the snake book? Had a picture of all the snakes in that area and their danger. And then he got this one picture of this one snake. He said, oh my goodness, that's the snake which has just bitten me. Report an error in the passage at 41:19 Highlight the passage at 41:19

41:48 And even the librarian, he was really concerned. It was a very, very venomous snake. And the information in the book, was that it is lethal. And so that monk immediately ran into the village. In our rules of discipline, it's one reason why a monk can stop whatever they're doing and run. And the Singaporean monk had to stay there and just relax. Report an error in the passage at 41:48 Highlight the passage at 41:48

42:21 Other monks came in to try and help. And then the doctor came in from the village on a little motorbike. With the other monk, there was a librarian, and then he was just like a witch doctor in a sarong, not really well dressed, not really impressive. And this villager started chewing this medicine, having a look at the wound. By this time, the leg was really swelled up. Report an error in the passage at 42:21 Highlight the passage at 42:21

42:55 And you can see the two fang marks, the two red holes in the guy's feet. And started chanting. You have to get dressed first of all. The lions? Report an error in the passage at 42:55 Highlight the passage at 42:55

43:14 Yes, okay, yes. Very good. And so anyway, I'm the boss here. The lions will have to wait. Anyway, this poor Singaporean was seeing this guy doing this weird chanting and actually he chewed some of these herbs. Then spat it on the wound and rubbed it in. And this poor Singaporean had never seen anything like this before. He was well-educated, devout Buddhist, and the Singaporean looked up and said, can I please have a proper doctor? Report an error in the passage at 43:14 Highlight the passage at 43:14

44:03 If that was your leg just being bit by a snake, it was swollen up already, and then you believe in this hocus pocus? But then there's no other doctor around. So the other monks saw those two bite marks close up slowly and the swelling go down. It actually worked. If that was your leg, would you trust that person? Report an error in the passage at 44:03 Highlight the passage at 44:03

44:36 What I'm saying is weird things which can happen in this world. And that's one of the things which we like saying about Buddhism. Report an error in the passage at 44:36 Highlight the passage at 44:36

44:48 Science doesn't know everything. And when you see other ways of dealing with really enormous problems, you remember stories like that, life becomes much more useful, much more interesting, more fun as well, and you don't get so depressed in life. Even sicknesses. I know so many people who should be dead by now. They recover. Don't know why. Report an error in the passage at 44:48 Highlight the passage at 44:48

45:21 Just the happiness of the mind, the power of the mind, that's what really works. Thank you for listening. Report an error in the passage at 45:21 Highlight the passage at 45:21

45:33 So I have ten more minutes for any questions. Is there any questions from the internet? No? Good. Thanks If you want to come up and just bring those. Any questions from the floor? There's no questions from Eddie tonight. Report an error in the passage at 45:33 Highlight the passage at 45:33

45:48 Because he's out looking after the lions. Any questions from anybody else here? Okay, there's some on the internet. Okay, good. Okay. I'll answer them very quickly. Yeah, here we go. Question from Bolivia. How is it possible that a job gives someone real happiness as right livelihood suggests when even for a sotāpanna having to work is suffering? Report an error in the passage at 45:48 Highlight the passage at 45:48

46:15 What is the right approach to work? The best job is being a monk or a nun. That's my job. So sometimes when you fill out forms and stuff, they ask, what is your occupation, sir? And I said, I'm a monk. How much do you earn? Report an error in the passage at 46:15 Highlight the passage at 46:15

46:40 Nothing. I've got no bank account. I've got no money in the bank. But I earn a lot of happiness. That's the currency of my life as a monk. I don't measure my wealth in dollars and cents. I measure my wealth in the fact that you can really help and serve people. And they succeed. They think they shouldn't have, but they do. Report an error in the passage at 46:40 Highlight the passage at 46:40

47:06 That gives me lots of happiness. So the best way for real happiness is actually being a job which serves others. Dear Ajahn, how to listen and talk to closed people who are materialistic and don't always align with Buddha's views? How much should one sacrifice opinions for the sake of harmony? A lot. Harmony first. If you don't have harmony, people run away when you try to start to talk to them. Report an error in the passage at 47:06 Highlight the passage at 47:06

47:36 That's one of the reasons why a lot of people like to convert everybody else they know and love to what they like. And a good example of that, there was one Malaysian Chinese girl who used to come here and she said, her husband refuses anything to do with religion. I said, that's easy. We can change that. How? I said, Easy. He's an Australian guy. He likes looking at the TV, going to see football. I said, go and get a copy of Opening the Door of Your Heart. Take it home and tell your husband, this is a book by my teacher. Report an error in the passage at 47:36 Highlight the passage at 47:36

48:21 It's a very holy book. Please, husband, keep your hands off it. Don't even touch it. I think you all know enough about Australian men. Report an error in the passage at 48:21 Highlight the passage at 48:21

48:35 If you say that, don't do it. He has to. So she was out shopping or something. She can't tell me what to read. So she got a copy of that. He got a copy of the book out. And it's easy to read, that Opening the Door of Your Heart. He read it from beginning to end, the whole lot in one go. And then he started coming every week. Report an error in the passage at 48:35 Highlight the passage at 48:35

48:58 That's how to deal with it. If you know the psychology, tell your close relationship you're banned. Banned from going to Nolamara Temple. Report an error in the passage at 48:58 Highlight the passage at 48:58

49:13 Then he has to come. Dear Ajahn, how to build confidence with attention to the moment, rejecting all irrelevant advice or authority? How to build confidence? Confidence is how you feel, what you see. It's wonderful. If you like your confidence, your own personality. But quite frankly, I've never seen a person who's incompetent. I understand that. You can't be confident in anything. Report an error in the passage at 49:13 Highlight the passage at 49:13

49:43 And that really confidence, laugh a lot, know a few jokes, you can always bring out if you're lost for words. And then you always have, you know they say that one of the hardest things to do, one of the scariest things to do, is to speak in public. Report an error in the passage at 49:43 Highlight the passage at 49:43

50:05 Do you agree with that? That's what people said. And so look at me, that's my whole life speaking in public. And even the worst speaking in public is speak on live TV. If you speak on live TV and you've got an itchy nose and you go... That's what they focus on. And that's what they keep repeating. Ajahn Brahm scratching his nose on live TV. Report an error in the passage at 50:05 Highlight the passage at 50:05

50:38 I don't mind. So whatever you do, do, always have a happy time. Oh, the lines are coming. I better finish quickly, otherwise they'll eat me. Report an error in the passage at 50:38 Highlight the passage at 50:38

50:49 Question from Medan. How can we effectively manage our thoughts to view illness, aging and death neutrally without anxiety and fear? Look at me. I'm old. Do I have anxiety? Do I have fear? I'll be flying in an aircraft. And years ago, people used to say there's so many terrorists on aircraft. Report an error in the passage at 50:49 Highlight the passage at 50:49

51:18 And they say, Ajahn Brahm, what would you do? You keep on flying so often. One of these days will be a terrorist on the aircraft and they blow up the aircraft. What would you do? Is it easy? I'd always remember that 33,000 feet in the air, number one, the explosion is so quick, you die immediately. So I don't have to worry about health care and going to hospital and worrying all of you coming to visit me. It's immediate death. Report an error in the passage at 51:18 Highlight the passage at 51:18

51:53 Not only that, It means you don't have to arrange a funeral. Imagine if I died slowly. What kind of funeral service would you give me? Wow, that would take so long. So get rid of all that funeral. And how expensive is funeral service? Really expensive. So if I die at 33,000 feet, it's not only for free for the Buddhist Society of Western Australia, but you also get insurance payout too. Report an error in the passage at 51:53 Highlight the passage at 51:53

52:25 You actually make money out of my death. Isn't that good for the accounts, treasurer? Report an error in the passage at 52:25 Highlight the passage at 52:25

52:37 And number, the next thing, we always worry about what to do with the ashes. If you die at 33,000 feet, they get sprinkled over everywhere. Report an error in the passage at 52:37 Highlight the passage at 52:37

52:49 No doubt about what to do with the ashes. But the best part of dying at 33,000 feet, you're so close to heaven, it's easy to go the rest of the way. Report an error in the passage at 52:49 Highlight the passage at 52:49

53:03 That's why I don't worry about things. You make fun of them. And from Germany, last question. The heart and the mind, are they two or one? Report an error in the passage at 53:03 Highlight the passage at 53:03

53:18 I feel closer to the heart. How do they relate and how does the mind feel? They should reincarnate together. Of course, the mind is the most important. The mind runs the heart. When the mind has... I'm talking about the physical heart. When... The mind has a lot of kindness and compassion. We call that you have a big heart. But it's really the mind. It's not in the physical heart. Report an error in the passage at 53:18 Highlight the passage at 53:18

53:49 The mind is the best. That's why in meditation you get to know and understand the heart. And that's the best of all. Report an error in the passage at 53:49 Highlight the passage at 53:49

54:00 Okay? So, any other questions from the floor? Thank you, no, great. Because the lions are here. So thank you all for listening. Now can we... Move to the side so the lions can come in. And Report an error in the passage at 54:00 Highlight the passage at 54:00

54:21 thank you for accommodating the wildlife of Perth. Just Report an error in the passage at 54:21 Highlight the passage at 54:21

54:30 wonder, what do the lions do after the New Year festival is finished? They hibernate. They go to the zoo? They hibernate. Okay. Report an error in the passage at 54:30 Highlight the passage at 54:30

54:48 They sleep tonight. They don't sleep. Wow, how many are there? We've got the whole zoo. Report an error in the passage at 54:48 Highlight the passage at 54:48

55:11 So I think there's enough lions here. But be careful. If you do give them an ang pao, the red packet, if there's nothing in the red packet, be careful. The lions will check. Report an error in the passage at 55:11 Highlight the passage at 55:11

55:35 Okay, whenever they're ready, we're ready. Report an error in the passage at 55:35 Highlight the passage at 55:35

55:42 Whoever's doing the UV... Whoa. Report an error in the passage at 55:42 Highlight the passage at 55:42

56:14 Hello. Hello. Report an error in the passage at 56:14 Highlight the passage at 56:14

· · · silence, 14 minutes

1:10:36 Hello everybody. The Lion Troop performers, they are from the Chung Wah Association. Special thanks to their leaders and to the members of the troupe. A big applause for them again. Report an error in the passage at 1:10:36 Highlight the passage at 1:10:36

1:10:56 Thank you. Thanks Report an error in the passage at 1:10:56 Highlight the passage at 1:10:56

1:11:08 Ajahn Brahm. Thank you. He gave it to you. Take more. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, hang on. He gave it to me. I'll take it. Report an error in the passage at 1:11:08 Highlight the passage at 1:11:08