# The coffin stuck halfway down

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-chinese-coffin-knobs-stuck
- Themes: death, humour, mistakes, funerals
- Life situations: funeral going wrong

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

At a Chinese disciple's burial the ornate knobs on the coffin catch on the way down the grave; it sticks halfway. Ajahn Brahm has to chant about five times while they struggle to free it.

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

don't put so much knobs on the outside of the casket because they had this this um burial and they had so many ornaments on the outside of the coffin which they stuck on there. It looked really just very very like a little palace this fellow was being committed to. But when they lowered it into the hole, had so many knobs on the outside it got stuck halfway down. And there was your coffin. It hadn't got to the bottom. It wasn't to the top. They tried to move it and it was stuck stuck fast. And I, you know, do some chanting as it was being lowered down. And it hadn't been finished lowering down. So I did the chanting again another time. About five times I had to chant while they were trying to dispose this coffee which had got stuck halfway down

## Teaching point

Mistakes at solemn moments become the stories people remember with humour.

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

At a solemn Chinese funeral, the coffin's ornate knobs jammed it halfway into the grave, and Ajahn Brahm chanted about five times while the mourners wrestled it free. Even death doesn't go to plan. Funeral directors survive on humour for good reason. A light heart helps us through life's heaviest moments.

## Source

- [How to deal with mistakes | Ajahn Brahm | 10-10-2014](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avEojw6wMSs) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 34:49 to 35:38: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avEojw6wMSs&t=2089s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Different perspective on empathy | Ajahn Brahm | 15 Jul 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1ktH395ZY4) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 10:42 to 13:42: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1ktH395ZY4&t=642s
- [Buddhism and Dogs | Ajahn Brahm | 23 February 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfDRY2XNa_4) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 4:05 to 4:55: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfDRY2XNa_4&t=245s