# Cough once, get eight bottles of medicine

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-cough-eight-bottles-of-medicine
- Themes: humour, generosity, health
- Life situations: being fussed over, illness

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Once in Australia Ajahn Brahm coughs at the start of a talk. By the end there are eight or nine bottles in front of him — Ayurvedic, homeopathic, 'horrible but you must take this'. Compassionately letting everyone make merit, he takes every one — and that's what really makes him sick. Now he relaxes his throat so he doesn't cough.

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

this happened once when I was in Australia I coughed in public the beginning of a talk by the end of the talk there was about eight or nine bottles of medicine in front of me and people said you must take this this is Ayurvedic it's very good this is homeopathic it's much better this is horrible you have to take this I took this this is no usual medicine you've got to take that had so many medicines and now being compassionate and watching people to you know to make merit I said yeah I'll take that I'll take that so I had to take every of those bottles of medicine and that really made me sick

## Teaching point

(A light aside on kindly relaxing an irritable throat.)

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

One cough at the start of a talk, and by the end eight or nine well-meant remedies were lined up in front of him. Ajahn Brahm took every one so everyone could make merit, and that made him sick. Kindness sometimes overflows. Accept care gracefully, and laugh when it gets out of hand.

## Source

- [The Importance of Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 07 Nov 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDoKJJdevvg) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 22:23 to 23:09: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDoKJJdevvg&t=1343s

Other tellings of this story:

- [A Thousand Petalled Lotus | Ajahn Brahm | 26 March 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk0X3ufzFxs) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 25:11 to 26:13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk0X3ufzFxs&t=1511s