Story · Ajahn Brahm
The monk who laughed at his cancer diagnosis
The story — as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)
One of the monks who has been here before, but he died maybe about a year ago. He was the - we used to call him the chief priest of Malaysia, Dr K. Sri Dhammananda. He has got a few books in our library, like How to Live Without Fear and Worry is one of his famous ones. It's easier to write a book, isn't it? But can you do it? When he was diagnosed with cancer, terminal cancer, his doctor said he's the only person he ever met who, when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, burst out laughing. Now, that's a monk!
▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 28:09 (to 28:56)
A reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)
He wrote a book on living without fear and worry, and when the diagnosis came, he lived it: his doctor had never seen a patient laugh at such news. Few of us could do that, and nobody has to. But even frightening news usually has a positive side, and looking for it takes some fear away. This is not medical advice.
In brief (our summary)
Dr K. Sri Dhammananda, the 'chief priest of Malaysia' and author of 'How to Live Without Fear and Worry', was, his doctor said, the only patient he ever met who burst out laughing on being told he had terminal cancer.
Teaching point
Fearlessness is shown not in writing the book but in living it when the bad news comes.
When this story may help
- terminal diagnosis
- cancer diagnosis
- fear of death
Themes
Source & credit
Told by Ajahn Brahm in Letting Go of Fear | Ajahn Brahm | 22-05-2009 · 2009-06-12 · ▶ watch from 28:09 to 28:56 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia
6 other tellings of this story
- Loving our sufferings | Ajahn Brahm | 30 Nov 2012 · 2012-12-02 · ▶ watch from 51:31 to 51:54 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia2012 telling (brief, Q&A): Ajahn Brahm met the doctor in Kuala Lumpur.
- Does Life Suck? | Ajahn Brahm | 1-05-2009 · 2009-05-16 · ▶ watch from 26:37 to 26:58 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia2009 telling (brief): the Malaysian doctor says he's never seen anyone laugh at a cancer diagnosis.
- Get Real | Ajahn Brahm | 12-06-2009 · 2009-07-07 · ▶ watch from 55:10 to 55:44 · Buddhist Society of Western AustraliaJune 2009 telling, brief: from Dhammananda's biography; the doctor says it was the only time he'd seen anyone laugh at a cancer diagnosis.
- Finding Positivity in People | Ajahn Brahm | 22 March 2019 · 2019-03-22 · ▶ watch from 33:31 to 34:13 · Buddhist Society of Western AustraliaMar 2019 telling: KL Chief Dhammananda laughs at terminal diagnosis.
- New Year's Eve Dhamma Talk | Ajahn Brahm | 31 Dec 2016 · 2016-12-31 · ▶ watch from 30:40 to 31:20 · Buddhist Society of Western AustraliaNYE 2016: Brickfields Dr K. Sri Dhammananda — oncologist's only patient who laughed at terminal diagnosis.
- Mencintai Penderitaan Kita Sendiri | Ajahn Brahm | 30 Nov 2012 · 2018-08-02 · ▶ watch from 51:32 to 51:58 · Buddhist Society of Western AustraliaNov 2012: he met the doctor's account in Kuala Lumpur — the only patient who laughed when told the cancer was terminal, with no possibility of cure.
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