The following story was shared by Ajahn Brahm and it narrates a story about his teacher Ajahn Chah. Here’s the story.
You know, there are countless stories like this, but this is when you really started to realize Ajahn Chah was different. He just knew things—he could read minds. You had to be very careful what you were thinking when you were around him.
On this particular occasion, I was in the backseat of a car. Next to me was an American monk, a former Vietnam War helicopter pilot—a real tough guy. Beside him was a little novice named Gary, from Los Angeles. In the front passenger seat was Ajahn Chah himself, and the driver was taking us into town for some errand.
During the drive, Ajahn Chah turned around, looked straight at young Gary, and said, “You’re thinking of your girlfriend back in L.A.”
Poor Gary—he was instantly busted, caught red-handed and utterly embarrassed. His face gave him completely away. He was thinking of his old girlfriend in Los Angeles, and Ajahn Chah had seen right through him.
Then, with the most compassionate smile, Ajahn Chah said through the interpreter, “You know, that’s so painful. I think we can help you so you don’t feel so lonely, being all the way on the other side of the world and missing your girlfriend. Next time you write to her, ask her to send you something personal, so whenever you miss her, you can take it out to remind you of your love.”
Ajahn Chah said this with such a serious face that even the interpreter and I started wondering, “Is this allowable? Are they breaking the Vinaya [the monastic rules]?”
But Ajahn Chah was entirely unfazed: “Oh yeah, you know, we can do that out of kindness. Come on, welcome to the modern world.”
The novice immediately started brainstorming what he should ask for—something romantic, like a piece of her skirt scented with her perfume, or a lock of her hair. As they were discussing it, Ajahn Chah chimed in, “Oh no, none of that. Something a bit more personal.”
Whoa!
And then, when Ajahn Chah finished speaking, it took the poor interpreter about five minutes to pull himself together—he was simultaneously crying and laughing.
Ajahn Chah delivered the kicker: “I told you, when you write to your girlfriend in L.A., ask her to send a little bottle, about this big, of her shit! So whenever you miss your girlfriend, you can take a sip of that.”
“That’s my girlfriend back in L.A.” What’s the logic there? When you truly love someone, you love everything about them, my darling. Haha! That was classic Ajahn Chah.
He always viewed things in such a unique way. But it’s true, isn’t it? When you fall in love, you love everything about him or her. Really, everything.
Oh… well, maybe not quite everything.
Bodhi-Bowl commentary:
When I first heard this story, it caught me completely by surprise. My impression of Ajahn Chah was that of a strict forest monk who taught primarily through the suttas and meditation—I rarely heard tales of clairvoyance or supernatural abilities associated with him. This encounter actually reminded me of the Buddha’s famous lesson given to Nanda.
For some readers, such extraordinary tales might naturally spark doubt. Was it staged? Was it just a colorful anecdote spun by Ajahn Brahm?
In our modern world, a healthy dose of skepticism is wise—especially when scammers and tall tales are everywhere. However, too much skepticism can also result in us shutting ourselves off from the genuine mysteries and wonders of life.
I think a balanced approach is best. In this instance, it seems highly unlikely that everyone in that car was ganging up in an elaborate plot to fool Ajahn Brahm. It’s almost comical to imagine the Thai driver trying his absolute best to interpret, while Ajahn Chah effortlessly caught the junior monk’s private thoughts and responded right on cue. Imagine being in that young novice’s shoes: having your innermost, private thoughts exposed out of nowhere, inside a moving car. The shock alone would be enough to make you want to disappear!
Beyond the initial sense of wonder at a monk displaying psychic powers, a much more meaningful approach is to examine the deeper lessons unfolding beneath the humor.
1. Beauty Only Skin-Deep: Looking Past the Surface
To some readers, Ajahn Chah’s suggestion might sound crude or even offensive because it involves human waste. Yet in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, meditation used to overcome strong passion often relies on a detailed, unflinching analysis of the physical body’s unglamorous reality.
We invest an immense amount of effort into upkeeping our bodies. If we stop washing, we quickly begin to stink; we constantly cut our hair and trim our nails. Beneath the surface, we are made up of various biological elements—foul-smelling liquids and solid matters neatly packaged inside a thin layer of skin. When we observe all of this matter-of-factly, it becomes apparent that physical beauty is truly only skin-deep.
Ajahn Chah’s shocking teaching was a masterclass in stripping away illusions and refusing to be fooled by surface appearances.
2. Taking Responsibility for Our Thoughts
Another profound lesson here is about our personal responsibility regarding the contents of our minds. In the modern world, many people have entirely surrendered control over their thought streams.
Exposed to an endless torrent of media, our minds dart restlessly from one thing to another. Many of us are so lost in our thoughts that we lose the ability to discern wholesome thoughts from unwholesome ones. That is both unfortunate and deeply unhealthy.
Our minds operate very much like smartphone apps designed to keep us hooked on entertainment. Any excitement or good feeling generated by a specific thought causes the mind to spin out similar thoughts in a split second. Before we realize it, we’ve developed rigid patterns of habitual thinking:
- Habitually finding things offensive
- Habitually driven by desire or greed
- Habitually envious or harboring ill will
This creates a self-strengthening loop where our mental habits solidify into a fixed persona.
3. Catching and Stopping the Current
This story serves as a vivid reminder to watch what we are thinking. If a thought is unwholesome, we need the bare awareness to catch it and stop it right there. We cannot afford to let bad thoughts steer our lives in the wrong direction.
This is fundamental practice, sitting right at the heart of the Noble Eightfold Path. Even when we practice observing thoughts simply as clouds floating across the sky, the essential message is to let them go without leaving a trace—meaning, do not engage, and stop feeding the thought loop.
Conversely, wholesome thoughts—such as the teachings of the Buddha—are the ones we should actively cultivate, cherish, and lean into.
By doing so, we shape our mind and tune it according to the Dharma. That will bring us one step closer to Nirvana.
May all be well and happy.
Categories: Articles
I am just an ordinary guy in Singapore with a passion for Buddhism and I hope to share this passion with the community out there, across the world.
A few years ago, I met an American Buddhist. I thought he was the coolest guy. I still do. He knew magic. And had all these esoteric tattoos on his arms.
His ex wife was Chinese so he knew Chinese culture well. He was a great mentor. But he never taught me magic if you can believe it. He taught others magic. What he taught me was about Buddhism.
Because I asked him for help. There are many Buddhist mystery schools. And some of them charge thousands of dollars to teach you things. I didn’t think he would hold discourse with me. But he did. For months, he was my mentor.
And what we discussed was morality.
In those days, I was power hungry and vindictive. I suffered from a massive ego. I’m not saying I am so humble right now. But I am working on myself. I try my best to be a good person. Even though I often wonder if I am or just fooling myself.
But back then I can tell you that my life could have gone either way. I could have become a very nasty sorcerer. I used to bind demons and torture them in vessels for fun. This was something a darker master had taught me. I trusted him.
And he led me to my baser instincts.
Even though I was a fledgling Pagan, I still had this hardcore Judeo-Christian mentality. We are at war and demons are our enemies. And the Geneva co
Convention doesn’t apply to them. After all, they torture humans. Without realizing it, I had learned to de-value life.
I put these creatures into a category pf inferiority beneath me. And while I didn’t know it at the time, this meant eventually I could do the same to people I didn’t like. If I could de-value one life, who is to say I couldn’t do it to other humans. And if torture is wrong, and I am using it and even gaining pleasure from it, what does that say about me? He never screamed at me. Or chastised me.
Instead, he urged me to have compassion for them. This was the beginning of a transformative journey for me. Because soon through another Master (a Hedgewitch, Pagan) I began to realize that demons are just unbalanced spirits. They engaged in evil out of hurt and pain. And I shouldn’t act as judge, jury, and executioner.
Over time I let go of my war mentality. And those spirits I released into the custody of the Goddess Nemesis. She made sure they would not return to torment anyone. But she also didn’t hurt them. Eventually they were released.
But they never tormented my former clients. And they never came after me. I credit this man (let’s call him David) and my Hedgewitch teacher (let’s call her Willa) with putting me onto a nonviolent path. I began to learn a simple meditation where I just picked a random spot and focused on it for 15 minutes. David told me to let my thoughts come, just focus on the spot.
My mind quieted down. And I did it for the whole half an hour bus ride. But long story short, this story reminded me of David. He was funny without intending to be. I used to think Buddhists all were constantly happy and nice.
😂
Yeah, not David! Lol. That’s why he told me not to glorify him or anyone else. That he is just a man. And he has flaws I will see soon. Well one day we are having this profound discourse with my friend.
And this student shows up and asks,
“Excuse me, do you know how I can enter that building over there?”
And before we can answer my friend goes,
“You mean the one with the stairs?”
And he’s like opph right. And without skipping a beat my mentor says,
“Shit for brains, all those books in his hands and he can’t see the stairs in front of him,”
And I know it was kinda mean but I also know he warned me ahead of time. And I just couldn’t stop laughing. Another time, he had this profound discourse with me about the need not to search for power but to look for enlightenment. And then again, without skipping a beat, he goes,
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go take a piss,”
And he went behind a trash can.
🤣
Or at another time. I told him I felt like I was being called by the Gods to do special work. And I told him another mentor told me I could say no. And that just because spirits or Gods tell me to do something doesn’t mean I have to. So he asks me,
“So your Gods are all powerful right?”
I said maybe not all powerful. They do have limitations but some of them are in my opinion all powerful. He he throws a coin in the air and says,
“Can they stop that coin from hitting the ground? Oops, looks like they couldn’t. So does that mean you have to always do what you’re told?”
And I wasn’t angry. I was shocked and genuinely terrified at the time that he was going to face some kind of punishment for doing that. But it never came. And two things occurred to me.
1) The Gods and spirits can urge me or nudge me in a certain direction. But that doesn’t mean I have to follow through on it.
And
2) They’re not these tyrannical control freaks. They don’t give a fuck if someone believes in them or not. And they don’t need to punish someone even for critiquing them.
This gave me a brand new experience with the Gods. It showed me they were not tyrants. And also that even if they were, I don’t have to obey just because they’re Gods. I have free will. I can determine my own destiny.
And no loving being will try to force you to be what they want you to be. So that’s how I learned to be closer and more free to disagree with my divinities in a respectful manner using a simple demonstration. I just thought this post reminded me of him. We lost touch when I changed phone numbers and now I can’t find him again. But either way I have learned. And still continue to learn more.
Thank you for sharing ☺️🙏