# He died of the blunt knife and the running tap

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-fake-execution-blunt-knife-fear
- Themes: fear, belief, death, psychology
- Life situations: anxiety, catastrophising, facing medical news

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Told as a famous psychology experiment: a condemned man in England is told his hanging is changed to having his throat cut; blindfolded, a blunt knife is drawn across his throat while a tap runs; he falls dead without a scratch — killed by belief and fear.

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

a guy in jail in England over 100 years ago he was about to be executed by hanging And some psychologists, some scientists had permission to do this really gross experiment on him. They went to his cell the night before his execution and told him the law had been changed he still had to die tomorrow morning but this time not by hanging he would have his throat cut. And they let this poor man think about that all night. In the morning at dawn as happens with executions they came for him tied his hands securely behind his back put a blindfold over his eyes led him to the place of execution A priest gave him his last rites or whatever they did for him and then they took a knife and they cut his throat and he fell down and died. That's what he thought. He had his eyes blindfolded. What had really happened it was just the scientists and the prison governor or whoever it was, the superintendent took him to the wash rooms and one of them pretended to be the priest And when they finished reading out the sentence they took a knife which was so blunt you couldn't even cut butter with it and they drew it across his throat. He felt the steel on his throat. At the same time the other scientist just turned on a tap in the wash room, and he heard liquid coming out and he felt the steel on his throat and he fell down and died not a scratch on him. A very famous psychology experiment

## Teaching point

Fear and belief can kill as surely as a blade.

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

Ajahn Brahm retells a grim old tale: a blindfolded prisoner felt a blunt blade on his throat, heard a tap run, and died without a scratch. Treat the details with caution; the point stands. Fear can harm as much as illness. A wise doctor once advised telling the injured they'll be fine. Calm reassurance helps.

## Source

- [How to deal with chronic pain | Ajahn Brahm | 04-07-2014](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As9jmZBCUWU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 51:50 to 53:35: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As9jmZBCUWU&t=3110s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Friday The 13th](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0krodCJYes) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 26:37 to 28:13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0krodCJYes&t=1597s