Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung? : Inspiring Stories for Welcoming Life's Difficulties

by Brahm, Ajahn

• ISBN13: 9780861712786
• ISBN10: 0861712781
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-08-30
• Publisher: SIMON & SCHUSTER

Summary

“Laugh your way to enlightenment” with this inspirational and light-hearted collection of stories from beloved Buddhist teacher Ajahn Brahm.

The 108 pieces in the international bestseller Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung? offer thoughtful commentary on everything from love and commitment to fear and pain. Drawing from his own life experience, as well as traditional Buddhist folk tales, author Ajahn Brahm uses over thirty years of spiritual growth as a monk to spin delightful tales that can be enjoyed in silence or read aloud to friends and family.

Featuring titles such as “How to Be a VIP” and “The Worm and His Lovely Pile of Dung,” these wry and witty stories provide playful, pithy takes on the basic building blocks of everyday happiness. Suitable for children, adults, and anyone in between, this eloquent volume delivers insight and inspiration in a humorous and engaging voice.

Features of this book:

• A collection of stories full of humor and wisdom
• Useful for stress relief and handling life’s ups and downs
• Perfect for gifting
• Written in easy-to-understand language
• Delightful for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike

This book contains both encouraging, uplifting stories and thoughtful teachings in Ajahn Brahm’s characteristic joyful style. Ajahn Brahm helps us navigate all of life’s difficulties and beautiful moments. Who Ordered this Truckload of Dung? is certain to be an enjoyable addition to any individual or family’s most treasured collection.

Author Biography

Ajahn Brahmavamso Mahathera (known to most as Ajahn Brahm), born Peter Betts in London in 1951, is a Theravada Buddhist monk. Ajahn Brahm grew up in London and earned a degree in Theoretical Physics from Cambridge University. Disillusioned with the world of academe, he trained as a monk in the jungles of Thailand under Ajahn Chah. A monk for over thirty years, Ajahn Brahm is a revered spiritual guide and the abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery, in Serpentine, Western Australia-one of the largest monasteries in the southern hemisphere. He is also the Spiritual Director of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia, and spiritual adviser and inspiration for Buddhist centers throughout Asia and Australia. His winning combination of wit and wisdom makes his books bestsellers in many languages, and on his teaching tours Brahm regularly draws multinational audiences of thousands.
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Table of Contents

acknowledgments	xv
preface	xvii
perfection and guilt
two bad bricks	3	(4)
the temple garden	7	(3)
what's done is finished	10	(1)
the idiot's guide to peace of mind	11	(3)
guilt and absolution	14	(2)
criminal guilt	16	(2)
the class b kids	18	(2)
the child in the supermarket	20	(2)
we are all crims	22	(1)
letting go of guilt, forever	23	(4)
love and commitment
unconditional love	27	(2)
opening the door of your heart	29	(4)
marriage	33	(1)
commitment	34	(1)
the chicken and the duck	35	(2)
gratitude	37	(1)
romance	38	(2)
true love	40	(5)
fear and pain
freedom from fear	45	(2)
predicting the future	47	(2)
gambling	49	(2)
what is fear?	51	(2)
fear of public speaking	53	(4)
fear of pain	57	(3)
letting go of pain	60	(2)
TM, or how to transcend-dental medication	62	(2)
no worries	64	(7)
anger and forgiveness
anger	71	(2)
the trial	73	(2)
the retreat	75	(4)
the anger-eating demon	79	(3)
right! that's it! i'm leaving!	82	(2)
how to stop an insurgency	84	(4)
cooling off with forgiveness	88	(2)
positive forgiveness	90	(5)
creating happiness
flattery gets you everywhere	95	(2)
how to be a VIP	97	(2)
the two-finger smile	99	(2)
priceless teachings	101	(2)
this too will pass	103	(2)
the heroic sacrifice	105	(1)
a truckload of dung	106	(4)
it's too much to hope for	110	(2)
being a dustbin	112	(1)
maybe it is fair!	113	(4)
critical problems and their compassionate solutions
the law of karma	117	(2)
drinking tea when there's no way out	119	(2)
going with the flow	121	(2)
caught between a tiger and a snake	123	(2)
give it everything you've got	125	(2)
is there a problem?	127	(1)
making decisions	128	(1)
blaming others	129	(2)
the emperor's three questions	131	(4)
the cow that cried	135	(4)
the little girl and her friend	139	(2)
the snake, the mayor, and the monk	141	(3)
the bad snake	144	(5)
wisdom and inner silence
the wings of compassion	149	(2)
caring for a son	151	(1)
what is wisdom?	152	(2)
eating wisely	154	(2)
solving the problem	156	(2)
unwise listening	158	(1)
what wisdom is not	159	(2)
the danger of an open mouth	161	(3)
the talkative tortoise	164	(3)
free speech	167	(4)
the mind and reality
the exorcist	171	(2)
the biggest thing in the world	173	(2)
searching for the mind	175	(2)
science	177	(1)
the science of silence	178	(1)
blind faith	179	(6)
values and the spiritual life
the most beautiful sound	185	(2)
what's in a name?	187	(1)
pyramid power	188	(2)
precious stones	190	(2)
then i'll be happy	192	(3)
the mexican fisherman	195	(2)
when all my wishes were fulfilled	197	(4)
freedom and humility
two kinds of freedom	201	(1)
which type of freedom would you like?	202	(3)
the free world	205	(2)
a dinner with amnesty international	207	(2)
the dress code of a monk	209	(2)
laughing at yourself	211	(1)
the dog that had the last laugh	212	(2)
abuse and enlightenment	214	(3)
when i became enlightened	217	(3)
the road hog	220	(1)
hare krishna	221	(2)
the hammer	223	(2)
enjoying a joke at no one's expense	225	(1)
the idiot	226	(3)
suffering and letting go
thinking about washing	229	(2)
a moving experience	231	(2)
poor me, lucky them	233	(2)
advice for when you are sick	235	(2)
what's wrong with being sick?	237	(2)
visiting the sick	239	(2)
the lighter side of death	241	(4)
grief, loss, and celebrating a life	245	(3)
falling leaves	248	(3)
the ups and downs of death	251	(2)
the man with four wives	253	(2)
cracking up	255	(2)
the worm and his lovely pile of dung	257	(4)
notes	261	(2)
index	263	(5)
about the author	268