# “You're either going to get better or you're going to die”

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-chah-get-better-or-die
- Themes: illness, impermanence, teacher-student, humour
- Life situations: serious illness, hospital stay, visiting someone in hospital

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Seriously ill with typhus in a Ubon hospital with no night nurse, young Ajahn Brahm is overjoyed when the famous Ajahn Chah visits — for five seconds. Ajahn Chah says, “Brahmavamso, you're either going to get better or you're going to die,” and leaves.

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

That's when I was really, really down and sick as I said a few weeks ago. Really down and sick in this third-world hospital in Ubon in Thailand, 35, 37 years ago now really really bad. That was the hospital where first evening there you know you had typhus fever felt terrible, next to death and at 6:00 p.m. the nurse disappeared one hour later the night nurse still hadn't appeared and I asked the monk next to me in the next bed should we let someone know the night nurse hasn't arrived but there is something happens in the middle of the night you know you got no one to help you and that's when the monk said there is no night nurse in this hospital we only have a nurse during the daytime sometimes. If something happens in the middle of the night that's just bad kamma. That was not reassuring. Now it is true you only had nurses there for half the day at nighttime you're at your own resources and people really sick and there's no bell to ring no one would come, you scream and you know no one would come to help you. So good for a hospital but anyway after feeling so bad for day about two or three weeks that's when Ajahn Chah came to visit me and now this was this big scene even by that time he was famous and he came just to visit me. Oh I felt so so good and so happy and so relieved, the great master comes to visit me, yeah. But the euphoria only lasted for about five seconds that's all because this great teacher he came right up to me and he said to me Brahmavamso that's the full name not Ajahn Brahm, "Brahmavamso," he said “you're either going to get better or you're going to die” and then he left. His wisdom was wonderful but his bedside manner was terrible. And that's so true, it doesn't last you're either going to get better or you're going to die, that's it. Very good teaching. So if any of you are going to visit your mother this weekend in hospital Mom, I heard from this monk, you are going to get better or you're going to die, bye bye, see you tomorrow. Don't do that. That really hurt me

## Teaching point

Illness does not last: one way or another it changes. “His wisdom was wonderful but his bedside manner was terrible.”

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

Ajahn Chah's whole hospital visit lasted five seconds: you'll either get better or you'll die. Great wisdom, terrible bedside manner, Ajahn Brahm jokes, and please don't try it on your mother. The truth underneath is kind: no illness stays the same, and usually you get better. It's a teaching, not a prognosis; follow your doctor's guidance.

## Source

- [What to do when everything falls apart | by Ajahn Brahm | 18-05-2012](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe4gks2rAGg) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 56:31 to 59:00: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe4gks2rAGg&t=3391s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Change | Ajahn Brahm | 17 December 2010](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgeXSJr9a4E) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 33:44 to 36:19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgeXSJr9a4E&t=2024s
- [The Meaning of Life - Peace of Mind | Ajahn Brahm | 16 Jan 2009](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNiS2OI-bSk) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 44:14 to 45:00: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNiS2OI-bSk&t=2654s
- [The Nature of Your Mind | Ajahn Brahm | 8 May 2020](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilmc6aO6ElM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 18:04 to 21:52: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilmc6aO6ElM&t=1084s
- [Making Decisions | Ajahn Brahm | 19 February 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pELi1VJlj-0) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 16:39 to 17:29: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pELi1VJlj-0&t=999s
- [Three In One | Ajahn Brahm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hac2MFrYJc) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 31:51 to 32:17: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hac2MFrYJc&t=1911s
- [The Healing Power of Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 26 April 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L29H6tdvTqI) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 28:29 to 28:42: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L29H6tdvTqI&t=1709s
- [2017 반다라웰라 집중수행 지도 법문 제1편 | 아잔 브람](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37ruaUp4BtA) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 27:37 to 28:38: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37ruaUp4BtA&t=1657s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 7 February 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU5c9FkL1hM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:10:07 to 1:10:28: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU5c9FkL1hM&t=4207s