Opening the Door of Your Heart

And Other Buddhist Tales of Happiness

By: Ajahn Brahm

Narrated by: Francis Greenslade

Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's Summary

Here are modern tales of happiness, compassion and love that will both enlighten and entertain. During his wanderings and work over the last 30 years as a Buddhist monk, Ajahn Brahm has gathered many poignant, funny and profound stories. While traditional Buddhist philosophy is at the heart of this collection, these thoughtful stories are written like playful parables, which are used to launch into a deeper exploration of subjects such as mindfulness, suffering, forgiveness, hope, wisdom, and unconditional love. Told with wit and good humor, they reveal moments of compassion in the lives of ordinary people and the timeless wisdom of the Buddha's teachings.

©2004 Ajahn Brahm (P)2009 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Listen and change your perspective

This changed my perspective on who, I thought, a buddhist can be. They can be funny, they can swear and call people names, and they can be interesting. The stories changed my perspective on the way I view people and view life. I laughed and teared up in some parts. The narrator was excellent. He wasn't just reading. He put feeling into the moments and you can picture a person in certain stories (their faces and expressions, etc). This is the first time I actually rated an audiobook with 5 stars across the board.

A really great book.

Ajahn Brahm does a wonderful job of combining stories with life lessons. This book isn't bossy or full of long lectures. Instead Brahm does a delightful job of combining humor and teaching. I would read again. The narrator also is very good, with a warm voice that invites you to listen.

Simply Wonderful....

This is a treasure of a book...full of simple, yet meaningful stories and all the while laced with warmth and humour. I will listen again and again.

Awesome book of down to earth stories for all ages

The stories in this book will inspire you to
look at life in a different way.
Worth every penny.
You can listen to it over and over again
and will not lose its taste.

Beautiful and humorous - something for everyone

Ajahn Brahm seems to have had a peek into my life as this book seems to be written to me personally. Both my husband and I have enjoyed his honesty and humor. The beautifully written stories are narrated by Francis Greenslade whose relaxed voice is easy on the ear and a pleasure to listen to.
Highly recommended.

The best Ajahn Brahm book - yet

The title is the original (and boring) Australian title. The American title is "Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung?" If you try one Ajahn Brahm book, this is the one. It's light and funny (sometimes with groaningly bad jokes) yet really packs a punch. It's a perfect bedtime read with short, thoughtful stories, many of which put a spin on tales you’ve heard before, like the six blind men describing an elephant. His telling of the elephant story fundamentally changed my worldview on religion. For that alone, I will always cherish this book. Grade: A-

The narration is very good, but having listened to many Ajahn Brahm podcast recordings of talks, I would've much preferred him to read his own book.

Wonder full Book

Wonderful book, Beautiful stories to enlighten you and help you grow as a human being. I've listened to it 3 times so far.

A good intro book.

I think this could be a great book for beginning Buddhists, or those not all that familiar with the path, there were a good number of stories where I actually found myself disappointed in the answers or paths that were taken in answer to some of the authors life problems, not so much for the fact that that specific path was taken, but because some deeper meanings and teachings were missed.

Greenslade isn't Brahm but you'll love him

What did you love best about Opening the Door of Your Heart?

Opening the Door of Your Heart is a collection of Ajahn Brahms most memorable and interesting stories that tell important Buddhist lessons in a fun, interesting and relevant way. Brahm makes Buddhism accessible for everyone, especially for lay novices like myself.

I've been a listener of Ajahn Brahm's podcast for awhile now and I love his voice and style. I was a little leery to listen to a book that wasn't narrated by Brahm himself as he is so wonderful at telling his own story. It took me a few stories before I warmed to the narrator, but after awhile he grew on me.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Opening the Door of Your Heart?

The whole thing is memorable! It's one of those books you'll read again and again.

Which scene was your favorite?

The last sentence will put a big grin on your face.

Be mindful of the door to your heart

Buddhist stories on happiness that are great for people of any or now faith. Favorite was the three questions of what is important in life: 1. when is most important time? Now, 2. Who is most important person in the world? The person with you, 3. What should we do? Care. Pretty much defines the philosophy of mindfulness in three questions.

Good stories

I liked this book for its humour and stories. It is one of these books which you have to first overcome the slightly irritating voice, I find that I am getting better at this the more books I listen to.

Amazing monk

A Wonderful book .thank you.easy going to started on.but full of wisdom.🙏🙏🙏 a 108 story in easy to listening 🙏🙏🙏

This book changed the way I look at life.

Although a born Buddhist, I have lost my way in this world. After a guidance of a good friend I started listening Arjan Brahm’s YouTube discussions eventually led me to buy this book. The simple stories in this book helped me to find my way through a deep depression and helped me to find happiness and taught me to appreciate what I have. Thank you Venerable Ajahn Brahm for writing the book.

Excellent

Absolutely brilliant. Well read and the content is typical Ajahn Brahm. Light hearted yet so deep. Highly recommend

inspiring

I couldn't "put it down". I have listened to it several times already. Skilfully narrated too.

thank you

This book changed the way I look at my life, highly recommended

Beautiful stories

I Loved this book! Each story has an important message. They often pop in to my head/ I will listen to some stories when something difficult is happening in my life to get myself a little more centred again

I literally loved every story

This random purchase turned out to be the best purchase of this year! The humour, the content, the stories… loved it all! This is not going to be marked as completed as I’ll probably listen to each story again before I go to bed!
I also want to order a paper copy! Utterly hooked!
Don’t think twice! Spend your precious credit on this book and you won’t regret it.

Great

Amazing book, must for beginners. I listen in two days I was so captivated by it.