Ajahn Brahm and the strange bottles of Pepsi!

[No_Mind]

I admire Ajahn Brahm a lot but can make no sense of this passage -

During his tudong months he visited many of the most famous meditation masters, including Ajahn Tate and Ajahn Maha Boowa. Ajahn Brahm had a special affinity for Ajahn Tate and he found him to be one of the most selfless (in the higher sense of the word) and peaceful of all the monks he had ever met. Meeting someone truly special can be enough to inspire one for a lifetime. At one point, while walking between villages, he became particularly thirsty but there was nothing suitable to drink. He then thought to himself: “I am a good monk. If there are any devas (divine beings) out there, can you please ensure I get a Pepsi in the next village.” Ajahn Brahm soon entered the next village and walked past the village store. Then just as he was giving up hope, a lady came running out of the store: “Venerable, would you like a Pepsi!” Then another person came, then another, then another … until he has nine bottles of Pepsi. That’s right: nine bottles of Pepsi, and nothing else!

https://bswa.org/bswp/wp-content/upload ... llness.pdf

How did the bottles of Pepsi appear? What does the passage even mean .. that he was able to make magic happen? He could remotely manipulate mind of other people into giving him Pepsi? Devas sent him Pepsi?

[bodom]

I admire Ajahn Brahm a lot but can make no sense of this passage -

During his tudong months he visited many of the most famous meditation masters, including Ajahn Tate and Ajahn Maha Boowa. Ajahn Brahm had a special affinity for Ajahn Tate and he found him to be one of the most selfless (in the higher sense of the word) and peaceful of all the monks he had ever met. Meeting someone truly special can be enough to inspire one for a lifetime. At one point, while walking between villages, he became particularly thirsty but there was nothing suitable to drink. He then thought to himself: “I am a good monk. If there are any devas (divine beings) out there, can you please ensure I get a Pepsi in the next village.” Ajahn Brahm soon entered the next village and walked past the village store. Then just as he was giving up hope, a lady came running out of the store: “Venerable, would you like a Pepsi!” Then another person came, then another, then another … until he has nine bottles of Pepsi. That’s right: nine bottles of Pepsi, and nothing else!

https://bswa.org/bswp/wp-content/upload ... llness.pdf

How did the bottles of Pepsi appear? What does the passage even mean .. that he was able to make magic happen? He could remotely manipulate mind of other people into giving him Pepsi? Devas sent him Pepsi?

Or just a strange coincidence and nothing more.

[No_Mind]

Or just a strange coincidence and nothing more.

But was the story intended as one depicting a serendipitous situation or to hint that Devas sent him Pepsi.

[bodom]

Or just a strange coincidence and nothing more.

But was the story intended as one depicting a serendipitous situation or to hint that Devas sent him Pepsi.

I guess the only way to really know would be to ask the author himself.

Devas are said to help monks out occasionally. See the first book in the Samyutta Nikaya for examples.

[Crazy cloud]

One can find stories like that among different ajahn's , check out "Ajahn Achalo", he has a couple of nice anecdotes, and what one makes out of it is off course optional

I find them truthful!

[SarathW]

“I am a good monk. If there are any devas (divine beings) out there, can you please ensure I get a Pepsi in the next village.”

I thought monks are not allowed to ask for food or drinks.

[Crazy cloud]

Did the monk ask anybody?

[binocular]

“I am a good monk. If there are any devas (divine beings) out there, can you please ensure I get a Pepsi in the next village.”

I thought monks are not allowed to ask for food or drinks.

Indeed. That monk was not a good monk.

Did the monk ask anybody?

He wished for it in his mind. For a monk, this is already a transgression.

[binocular]

How did the bottles of Pepsi appear? What does the passage even mean .. that he was able to make magic happen? He could remotely manipulate mind of other people into giving him Pepsi? Devas sent him Pepsi?

The likeliest explanation seems to be that
1. he was a Western monk in an Asian land,
2. that Asian land had a special/exclusive contract with Pepsi (as opposed to, e.g, Coca-Cola; these big companies sometimes have monopolies like that),
3. Asians want to give Western monks things they think that Western monks would like,
4. he looked thirsty, and Asians want to make merit by giving to monks.

There, a perfectly sensible explanation. And I just wasted five minutes of my life that I'm never going to get back.

[Crazy cloud]

“I am a good monk. If there are any devas (divine beings) out there, can you please ensure I get a Pepsi in the next village.”

I thought monks are not allowed to ask for food or drinks.

Indeed. That monk was not a good monk.

Did the monk ask anybody?

He wished for it in his mind. For a monk, this is already a transgression.

Did it stick?

[Meezer77]

Maybe this story has been embellished a bit.

[chownah]

How did the bottles of Pepsi appear? What does the passage even mean .. that he was able to make magic happen? He could remotely manipulate mind of other people into giving him Pepsi? Devas sent him Pepsi?

The likeliest explanation seems to be that
1. he was a Western monk in an Asian land,
2. that Asian land had a special/exclusive contract with Pepsi (as opposed to, e.g, Coca-Cola; these big companies sometimes have monopolies like that),
3. Asians want to give Western monks things they think that Western monks would like,
4. he looked thirsty, and Asians want to make merit by giving to monks.

There, a perfectly sensible explanation. And I just wasted five minutes of my life that I'm never going to get back.

Your post is such a strong reminder of the viewtopic.php?f=45&t=30890&start=80 thread. It is the "Is Ganges river back flow in Varanasi?" thread....do you remember it? In it you brought up the idea that (to quote you) "the traditional Buddhist world is far more alive than what some modernist Buddhists give it credit for." You strongly (very strongly) defended this position and expanded it by saying that one who tries to give common sense explanations "is portraying the Buddha as someone performing parlor tricks, or, in the best case, as someone who was just lucky (both in terms of the movement of his bowl in the river, as well as in terms of his enlightenment)."....and you seem to question the motives of someone who brings a common sense explanation by saying "several posters took it upon themselves to find a common-sensical explanation for how the Buddha's bowl could float against the stream. How come they did that?"

Are you saying that your trying to give common sense explanations of the pepsis is portraying the monk as "someone performing parlor tricks, or, in the best case, as someone who was just lucky "?
Are you saying that you as a modernist buddhist denies that the traditional world is alive enough to encompass this "parlor trick"?

So, I'm sort of perplexed about what seems to be a change of heart....180 degree turn about? What has prompted this I"m wondering. The desire to express a contrarian view? I don't know.
chownah

[binocular]

Your post is such a strong reminder of the viewtopic.php?f=45&t=30890&start=80 thread. It is the "Is Ganges river back flow in Varanasi?" thread....do you remember it?

You've got that wrong. This whole Pepsi scenario started out with a monk having an unwholesome desire. There was no such thing with the Buddha.

[No_Mind]

How did the bottles of Pepsi appear? What does the passage even mean .. that he was able to make magic happen? He could remotely manipulate mind of other people into giving him Pepsi? Devas sent him Pepsi?

The likeliest explanation seems to be that
1. he was a Western monk in an Asian land,
2. that Asian land had a special/exclusive contract with Pepsi (as opposed to, e.g, Coca-Cola; these big companies sometimes have monopolies like that),
3. Asians want to give Western monks things they think that Western monks would like,
4. he looked thirsty, and Asians want to make merit by giving to monks.

There, a perfectly sensible explanation. And I just wasted five minutes of my life that I'm never going to get back.

Unless you have some belief in supernatural the study of Eastern philosophy/religion becomes joyless chore.

You should really visit the forum by the self proclaimed arahant. He openly says those who practice a lot get some amazing powers such as reading minds (at least ..)

Here is what he says "make your concentration strong .. make a wish .. see what happens next" (words changed to avoid google search)

[Clarence]

You've got that wrong. This whole Pepsi scenario started out with a monk having an unwholesome desire. There was no such thing with the Buddha.

Don't you think it would be more beneficial for your own mind stream if you rejoiced in him keeping his vows so well that the devas are willing to give him a bottle of Pepsi or 9?