# The bikies' funeral

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-bikie-funeral-fremantle
- Themes: inclusion, prejudice, grief, funerals
- Life situations: funerals, meeting different groups, prejudice

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

A young bikie hits a lamp post and dies; his Buddhist mother asks Ajahn Brahm to support her, and he ends up conducting the funeral in Fremantle. The bikies come in leathers and chains, their girlfriends dressed as if for a nightclub — and he in brown robes looks just as odd to them. Afterwards they all come up: 'Nice service, sir. Thank you, sir.' So polite that it changes his idea of bikies.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

I remember going to a funeral service. I mentioned this because I was at a funeral service over in Freo um last Wednesday and it was for a bikey funeral. You know, it was real bikes. One of their members had hit a lamp post and died. And the m their mother was a Buddhist and invited me to come to the funeral to, you know, support her. In the end, I ended up doing the funeral service. One of the best funerals I've ever done cuz no bikes. They came in all their leathers and chains and whatever else they had on. and all their their girlfriends again came as if they were going to a dance or a nightclub, not a funeral. They're all dressed up. That was their culture. But I looked a bit weird as well to them cuz I was dressed in brown. And I ended up doing the funeral service. But there was so I always remember it because after the funeral service was concluded, they all came up to me, nice service, sir. Thank you for that, sir. They were just so polite. It totally changed my idea of a, you know, bikey just I was on their side that day

## Teaching point

Include people whatever they look like; grief makes everyone kin.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

Asked to support a grieving mother, Ajahn Brahm ended up taking her son's funeral in Fremantle, surrounded by bikies in leathers who looked as strange to him as he did to them. Afterwards they thanked him so politely it changed his view of bikies. Grief makes everyone family. Include people, whatever they look like.

## Source

- [Expectations Cause Suffering | Ajahn Brahm | 24 June 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z8q_FWbWa8) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 27:43 to 28:52: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z8q_FWbWa8&t=1663s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Living Without Blame | Ajahn Brahm | 05-12-2014](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR5c4h7Tmo0) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 4:23 to 6:52: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR5c4h7Tmo0&t=263s
- [Expectations | Ajahn Brahm | 15 April 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV0wiAuOqik) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 21:35 to 23:04: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV0wiAuOqik&t=1295s
- [Right Speech | Ajahn Brahm | 22 March 2013](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89YXjb1rWSo) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 9:36 to 10:24: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89YXjb1rWSo&t=576s
- [Vesak Day (Afternoon) | 11 May 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T123BDNTy4Q) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 22:31 to 23:17: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T123BDNTy4Q&t=1351s