A Buddhist monk for more than 30 years, Ajahn Brahm is the abbot and spiritual director of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia. He is in demand worldwide as both a spiritual teacher and popular speaker. We relished his two books Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung, 108 teaching stories brimming with humor, humanity, and good will; and The Art of Disappearing, an illuminating work about the pleasure of the Buddhist path of renunciation and fading away.
With the wisdom that comes with age, Ajahn Brahm shares 108 stories about ordinary people squaring off against the challenges of each new day. The author notes that in Buddhism getting angry and insulting your partner is viewed as "temporary insanity." Considering this behavior from that perspective, we can respond with empathy and equanimity rather than rage or sulking. Couples who regard difficulties as their problem can work on finding solutions together.
Many of us carry around bad memories that haunt us. Brahm suggests we regularly do a purge of the photo album in our heads. We are bothered not only by bad vibes from the past but also by the stress of the present moment. Brahm advises that we give ourselves a half-hour break in the middle of the day to rejuvenate ourselves. This creative spiritual teacher takes this practice one step further by declaring that "kindfulness" is the animating force behind all relaxation.
Brahm, ever the playful one, ends with a Happiness License stating: "This document officially grants the bearer a perpetual right to be happy, for any reason or no reason at all, without let or hindrance. Let no one infringe on this right."
