The Waitress in the Pub.

My wife and I went to a pub restaurant the other week. Being a Thai / western couple the waitress came over to us whilst we were playing pool and said, “do you mind if I ask you something?” “Sure” we replied. “Are you from Thailand?” My wife answered yes and the waitress was excited because she travels to Thailand quite regularly. She asked the usual questions and we ordered our meal and drinks as is the custom in these places.

Later in the afternoon I talked to this waitress again and we mentioned Buddhism. I said I was into Buddhism and she said it’s such an interesting religion. I agreed and she said she would like to be a Buddhist. I said, “if you want to be a Buddhist then decide right now; in this very moment. You don’t have to fill out any forms. Just decide that’s what you now are.”

This struck me as strange since it was as if she felt there was some kind of glass ceiling preventing her becoming a student of the Buddha. There isn’t. It was a really weird moment where I could think of anything else to say. I didn’t do anything myself except read books and websites about Buddhism and decide that’s what I accept to be the best philosophy in life. Don’t wish you were a Buddhist but do nothing about it. That’s absurd.

A good place to begin and the first book I read was Steve Hagen’s excellent “Buddhism Plain & Simple.” One of the top five best selling books on the subject in the United States.