Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

Funeral subcommittee while still healthy

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Living a Happy and Peaceful Life | Ajahn Brahm | 10 July 2026

1 min read

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

arrange uh how to do my funeral service [laughter] and I feel so healthy honestly. So some people say well why do you do that for? Why not 75 soon or I called it 900? 900 is much more fun. 900 months old. And because as a it's weird as a Buddhist, ever since I was a young monk, you were never afraid of death. We're going to go one day. Let's make it a very big celebration

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 2:00 (to 2:53)

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

His Buddhist society formed a committee to plan his funeral while Ajahn Brahm was perfectly healthy. He didn't mind. Call his age nine hundred months, he says; it's more fun. Monks aren't afraid of death, so make it a celebration. He has no will because he owns nothing. Plan kindly, and fear less.

In brief (our summary)

Buddhist society starts a subcommittee for his funeral arrangements while he feels fine — he reframes age as 900 months and wants a celebration, not fear.

Teaching point

Plan the celebration before you need the coffin.

When this story may help

  • aging
  • planning

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Living a Happy and Peaceful Life | Ajahn Brahm | 10 July 2026 · 2026-07-10 · ▶ watch from 2:00 to 2:53 · 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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