# Ajahn Chah sits in the centre of the fever

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-chah-malaria-centre-of-fire
- Themes: illness, pain, meditation, acceptance, healing
- Life situations: chronic illness, fever or pain, fear of disease

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Malaria was an occupational hazard for jungle monks, and Ajahn Chah suffered it for years. During one intense attack, instead of lying in bed worrying, he sat up and meditated right in the centre of the fever, making complete peace with it. It felt like sitting in the cool centre of a raging forest fire growing hotter and hotter — until the fever 'burst' and everything was cool. He never got malaria again.

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

And I know Ajahn Chah's story, my teacher, being a forest monk living in the jungles he had malaria for many years it was for those monks an occupational hazard just like these days, for current monks having tummy aches is an occupational hazard simply because as I told you I don't own my stomach you put whatever you want into it, and sometimes my stomach says 'no' (Ajahn laughs) But nevertheless you get to peace with that. His occupational hazard was malaria for many years I remember him telling me how he overcame his malaria once and for all having a very intense attack of the fever and instead of just laying in bed, sitting up meditating with it instead of running away from the thing or complaining about it, worrying about it what most people do when you got a problem, a disease or a tumor or whatever you think about it too much it creates more problems by the way react to them Instead he sat with it, he said he sat right in the centre of his fever quietly silently had peace with it. And it's a very hard thing to do but it's a wonderful thing to train yourself to be able to do. To be able to make peace with pain or with the fever, or with difficulty to make absolute peace with it so you don't even think you are just there at one with what you are experiencing not making any inner speech with it. he said as he was just with that he sort of felt like he was in the centre of a raging forest fire. but in the centre it was cool. but he could perceive all around him was a fire getting hotter and hotter and hotter which was his fever increasing in intensity and he said at one point the fever got so hot it burst and everything was cool. He never got malaria ever again.

## Teaching point

Making absolute peace with pain or illness, without inner speech, allows healing to happen.

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

Instead of running from pain with worry and inner chatter, Ajahn Chah sat quietly in the centre of the fever until it was cool. Making absolute peace and silence with difficulty can open a space where healing may happen. This is a practice story, not medical advice.

## Source

- [The Power of Silence | Ajahn Brahm | 12-12-2008](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWtLQ_ho63M) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 24:03 to 26:23: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWtLQ_ho63M&t=1443s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Guided Meditation with Q&A | Ajahn Brahm | 18 Apr 2020](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRXpXVjoWCw) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:05:00 to 1:06:06: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRXpXVjoWCw&t=3900s
- [The Healing Power of Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 26 April 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L29H6tdvTqI) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 33:13 to 34:32: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L29H6tdvTqI&t=1993s
- [Guided Meditation | 1 January 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWeud_pk2f8) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:03:46 to 1:04:52: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWeud_pk2f8&t=3826s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 9 March 2019](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tslWqVAiHxA) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 9:26 to 10:12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tslWqVAiHxA&t=566s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 18 December 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvhQ-cykrzY) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 5:03 to 6:28: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvhQ-cykrzY&t=303s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 9 June 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj9OAjrBfgY) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 13:06 to 14:00: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj9OAjrBfgY&t=786s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 17 July 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yaa6b9barg) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:09:58 to 1:10:49: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yaa6b9barg&t=4198s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 13 January 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc5xd1vcjx4) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:10:22 to 1:11:11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc5xd1vcjx4&t=4222s
- [Sức mạnh của sự im lặng | Ajahn Brahm | 12-12-2008](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TExC5PlltSk) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 24:09 to 26:27: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TExC5PlltSk&t=1449s