# Ajahn Chah stopped breathing — medic takes blood samples

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-chah-stroke-stopped-breathing
- Themes: ajahn chah, meditation, illness, humour
- Life situations: illness, monastery

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

After Ajahn Chah's stroke, a royal medic freaks when Chah stops breathing for hours. Monks say he's meditating. Compromise: frequent blood samples stay well oxygenated while he remains warm — so they leave him in the jhana-like stop.

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

stopped breathing and the medic on duty you know because the king of Thailand he the uh the former King he sort of paid for a medic to be on duty eight hour shifts and the medical Duty that night got freaked out when agent Charles stopped breathing and now I leave him alone he's only meditating he said no he's not breathing that's death if you don't do something quick there's no Oxygen going to the brain you get permanent break and he's already got Strokes I don't know what more you can do but he will die and so freaking out and it's very hard for monks to explain to doctors you know what's really happening and this was like a very highly trained medic and he was paranoid you know you get in trouble with the king of Thailand if you're the agent child die so they came to this wonderful compromise it was very interesting he wasn't breathing for a couple of hours so the medic would take blood sample

## Teaching point

Stillness can look like death to someone who only measures breath.

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

After Ajahn Chah's stroke, a royal medic panicked when he stopped breathing for hours. The monks said he was meditating. They compromised: frequent blood tests showed plenty of oxygen, so he was left in peace, still warm. Ajahn Brahm jokes: don't take my organs while I'm meditating. Stillness can be deeper than we understand.

## Source

- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 18 March 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coNTdSM9CHM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:10:05 to 1:11:11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coNTdSM9CHM&t=4205s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 3 June 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3i2TmQPMvM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:09:37 to 1:11:05: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3i2TmQPMvM&t=4177s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 13 February 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pUWIQmtJlQ) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:14:38 to 1:16:07: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pUWIQmtJlQ&t=4478s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 4 July 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afbMpaeQtOg) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:36:02 to 1:36:46: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afbMpaeQtOg&t=5762s