Ajahn Brahm

Ajahn Brahm

Interviewer：What do you think is the most important thing in your life – in one word?
Ajahn：Now. 

Interviewer：How about one phrase?
Ajahn：Kindfulness.

Interviewer：One sentence?
Ajahn：Make peace, be kind, be gentle.

Interviewer：Some people may say that I suffer so much in life.  Maybe I was raped by my father and I’ve never had enough food to eat.  Why do I have to be kind to others?  Life isn’t kind to me.
Ajahn：It’s because when you’re kind to your past, then your past doesn’t torture you anymore.  People are unkind to their past, then it try and try to destroy these people.  When you’re kind it’s like an animal who’s snarling at you – it calms down, it doesn’t bite you.  If you’re kind to your past, your past doesn’t bite you anymore.  And it’s the same with your future, be kind to your future.  So sometimes people are so angry at their future.  They worry too much.  Be kind to it.

Interviewer：How to be kind to your future?
Ajahn：Oh just see all the positive things which might happen in the future.  And you can smile at your future.  It’s a wonderful adventure you’re gonna go on.  You don’t know where it’s gonna go.  How old are you now?  You don’t know where you’re gonna be in the next year, let alone 5 years and 10 years.  It’s a huge adventure called the life, who knows where it’s gonna go?  It’s incredibly exciting.

 (Interviewer: I think I’d like things to be more stable and planned.) Ah come on, like you’re dead.  The only thing to be stable is for dead people.  When they’re in their coffin, then things don’t happen.  But you know what you don’t want – you don’t want stability, you want security, the lack of fear that you’re gonna handle it, and that is confidence.  Cause confidence is you can handle anything, whatever happens in your life, wherever you go. 

(Interviewer: Where does this confidence come from?)  From making peace, being kind, being gentle.  So you go into life, realising yeah you get hurt but you can handle it; yeah you get disappointed, but that’s life.  So for goodness’s sake, don’t make yourself too safe in life, cause safety destroys life. 

(Interviewer: Because safety excludes disappointment and anger.) Well safety does, but you get destroyed anyways, you’re not really safe.  It means you don’t take chances, you don’t explore, you don’t push your own personal boundaries.  And at the end of your life, you look back and say, “All these opportunities which I had, I wish I had taken them.”  Take chances, obviously wise chances; don’t be stupid, but don’t be so safe.

Chinese version
https://goo.gl/f58eqj