Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

The ghost that moved next door

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Buddhism and Ghosts | Ajahn Brahm | 10 March 2023

1 min read

Content note: paranormal; named public teacher

The story — as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

But one of the most interesting ones was not one of the ones which I did, but one which Dr. K. Sri Dhammananda in Malaysia did and told me about. Just This was in Kuala Lumpur. And very close to his temple, there was a house which had a notorious ghost in it. And they tried many ways to get rid of the ghost. Nothing was working. So they asked him to go there. He was a good monk. He did the chanting there, and the ghost left. Departed the house. It worked, sort of. But a couple of days later, the neighbors came to complain. The ghost had just moved next door. And so he said he had to go doing some chanting in all the houses in the street, every one of them. So that ghost couldn't just move next door. Had to leave the whole neighborhood.

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 34:54 (to 36:03)

A reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

A revered Malaysian monk chanted a ghost out of a house; days later the neighbours complained it had moved next door, so he chanted every house on the street. Ajahn Brahm laughs, then turns to kindness. Remind people of the good they've done, as with the two bad bricks. That helps lift any being.

In brief (our summary)

Near Dr K. Sri Dhammananda's temple in Kuala Lumpur a haunted house is cleared by his chanting — then neighbours complain the ghost has moved next door. He ends up chanting through every house on the street so it has to leave the neighbourhood.

Teaching point

Sometimes a problem only shifts sideways until you address the whole street.

When this story may help

  • a problem that keeps relocating

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Buddhism and Ghosts | Ajahn Brahm | 10 March 2023 · 2023-03-10 · ▶ watch from 34:54 to 36:03 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions with machine-added punctuation; words left exactly as captioned.

The narrative is Ajahn Brahm's own telling, quoted from the talk captions. The summary and reflection are Being Mindful Stories's editorial notes. Please credit the teacher and link the original talk. Markdown version

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