Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

The unidentified flying monk

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Dealing with Fear | Ajahn Brahm | 25 Nov 2016

1 min read

Content note: paranormal claim (levitation) — second-hand, unverified, partly told tongue-in-cheek; unnamed monk

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

there was this famous monk close by and there's always amazing monks which I I met this Monk and I don't doubt this story he became famous this was in the north of Thailand because a a fighter jet pilot in the Thai um Air Force oh okay that's not much of a siren you can do better than that anyway this Thai um the Air Force guy was flying you know I don't know how many hundred thousand feet through the clouds and he was really amazed because on sitting on one of the clouds was a monk he caught the monk levitating they were supposed to be doing that privately but you know without getting caught but you know because he didn't expect to see a fighter jet pilot up there quiet place above the jungle he got caught out and so the fighter jet party could recognize him you don't often see see unidentified flying Monks at 30 30 000 feet and there was one so he recognized the um the face and he knew the location the coordinates and so when he landed when he had a day off he went looking for the unidentified flying Monk and I found him exactly as he saw him in the uh found exactly as he found him in the uh the cloud it looks exactly the same and that's where he got very famous and this monk when I was up in that area he said is going to be the biggest fireworks today ever this year and that meant nuclear Holocaust so I was told it's by one of the monks you better meditate really well because this is your last chance and it never happened I was really disappointed with that Monk

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 21:13 (to 23:17)

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

A famous monk predicted the biggest fireworks ever, which everyone took to mean nuclear war, and Ajahn Brahm was told to meditate well; this was his last chance. Nothing happened. Neither did the invasion he'd packed for during the Vietnam War. Expecting the worst steals today's peace. Most of it never comes.

In brief (our summary)

A famous monk in the north of Thailand became famous because a Thai Air Force fighter pilot, flying high above the clouds, saw a monk levitating on a cloud. The pilot memorised the face and the coordinates and, on his day off, went looking — and found him exactly as he had seen him. Ajahn Brahm met this monk, who once predicted 'the biggest fireworks ever' that year — taken to mean nuclear holocaust — and a monk told him to meditate well because this was his last chance. Nothing happened; he was 'really disappointed with that monk'.

Teaching point

Fear of predicted catastrophes robs the present; most of what we fear never happens.

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Dealing with Fear | Ajahn Brahm | 25 Nov 2016 · 2016-11-25 · ▶ watch from 21:13 to 23:17 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

1 other telling of this story

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, 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

  • The locust plague that never came

    In brief: Years ago The West Australian reports a locust plague advancing on Perth: twenty kilometres closer each day, arriving in two days,…

    Read full story

    I remember here in Perth many years ago there was a locust PL I remember in the West Australia you used to get those newspapers and it reached I think um somewhere like in gerton and it was coming to Perth and the next day it was 20 km closer and the next day and the next day and they said it's going to be coming in 2 days time and the next day we've got the paper it's coming tomorrow and nothing happened it was a complete sort of wind up cuz I think you know the Locust whatever they decided to go somewhere else didn't like per I don't know why but whatever it was it's a complete buildup of fear

    Open story page·Watch this telling

  • “What if a tree did not fall when we were underneath it?”

    In brief: Walking home from Rabbit's house through a storm, little Piglet freezes as trees crash around them: “What would happen if a tree fell down…

    Read full story

    So Winnie-the-Pooh was with his friend, Piglet. And Piglet was a very small being. Very kind. Very loyal. But being very small, was usually subject to a lot of fear. And then one day, they were walking back from Rabbit's house in a storm like we had today and yesterday. And as they were walking through the forest, trees were coming down around them, branches were crashing to the floor and even whole trees were being ripped off and smashing around them. That was very dangerous. So dangerous, so scary, that little Piglet could stand it no longer. He froze and he looked at his best friend, Winnie-the-Pooh, and said these words: "I can't go on any longer. I just can't. What would happen? What would happen if a tree fell down when we were underneath it?" And that was a possibility. And for a second, but only a second, the great philosopher and enlightened bear, Winnie-the-Pooh, was afraid, but only for a second. And then his wisdom kicked in and he looked at his terrified friend and replied with these reassuring words: "What would happen if a tree did not fall when we were underneath it? And that was also possible. In fact, even more possible. And that was the key to overcoming little Piglet's fear so he could move on with the thought, "What would happen if a tree did not fall when we were underneath it?" And that's exactly what happened, so he could go back safely.

    Open story page·Watch this telling

  • Snoopy: “Most days we won't”

    In brief: Charlie Brown and Snoopy sit on a pier enjoying a beautiful view of mountains and lakes. Charlie Brown says, “You know, Snoopy, all of us…

    Read full story

    And this Peanuts, this Charlie Brown and his dog Snoopy, must have been on vacation somewhere, they were on a pier and they were sitting there enjoying the afternoon, this beautiful view, just mountains and lakes and waters, having a beautiful afternoon there, and Charlie Brown says to his dog Snoopy, "You know Snoopy, all of us one day will die." And Snoopy, this great philosopher, he really is wise dog, much wiser than human beings, Snoopy says, "True, one day all of us will die, but most days all of us won't die.

    Open story page·Watch this telling

  • The monk who stopped the bus by thinking

    In brief: A forest monk visiting Ubon rides a bus for the first time and wonders how an engine works; as soon as he thinks about the motor it stops,…

    Read full story

    There's one of the the forest monks a good meditator. It's a first time when he was visiting the town of Ubon. That's you know where I grew up as a monk. He was visiting Ubon and he went into a bus for the first time in his life. This was many years ago. And then he started thinking I wonder how a bus works. internal combustion engine. He never gone to school and seen diagrams of internal combustion engines. I wonder how it works. And so he started thinking about the motor. As soon as he started thinking about it, the motor stopped. It wouldn't work. And so he stopped thinking about it and it worked again. He said, "It's really weird." And then he thought about it again and it stopped. He was actually interfering with the firing of the car. But that became such a well-known story in that part of the world that when Ajent char got on an aircraft to go to London, people said to him, "Please don't think about how this aircraft works. You must stop the engine. They were all dead.

    Open story page·Watch this telling

All stories·Find a story for your situation