Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

Garfield appeared in the nimitta

As told by Ajahn Brahm in It's OK to Cry | Ajahn Brahm | 5 November 2021

1 min read

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

But the time when I was meditating, it's only about three or four years ago. You know, the monks know this story in my cave really peaceful. Just everything slowing down and just the breath getting so peaceful even the breath you couldn't even discern it. The beautiful the next thing which comes up is called these limiters. If anyone wants to look at this in the books, the anapana sati suta, this is stage oh um 9 10 11 of the anapana sati suta. You're seeing the mind released from the body and it usually appears to many people like myself these beautiful lights in the mind and these lights were not just like it was actually a yellow color but not like any yellow you can see in the world. It was like purified, really intense, lovely yellow. Nothing like you can see in the world. It was a blue color. It's just so deeply blue. No paint in the world is like that. And I saw this yellow and it had a form. When I noticed the form of this yellow nimita, I noticed it was in the form of Garfield the cat. I was reading too many comics [laughter] and I burst out laughing and that was the end of that meditation. It's just what had influenced me when I'd seen a you know about an hour or two before. Those are the sorts of things when you confess those things. I learned about them and other people learn about you're not afraid of them.

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 1:07:46 (to 1:09:49)

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

Deep in cave meditation, a glowing yellow light appeared, and then Ajahn Brahm noticed it was shaped like Garfield the cat from a comic he'd just read. He burst out laughing, and that was the end of the sit. Odd things happen in meditation. Admit them, laugh, and keep going without fear.

In brief (our summary)

In deep cave meditation a pure yellow nimitta arises — then he notices its form is Garfield the cat from a comic he had seen earlier. He bursts out laughing and the sit ends. He tells it so others need not fear weird mind-states.

Teaching point

Odd meditation images are ordinary; admit them, laugh, learn, grow.

When this story may help

  • strange meditation experiences

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in It's OK to Cry | Ajahn Brahm | 5 November 2021 · 2021-11-05 · ▶ watch from 1:07:46 to 1:09:49 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

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

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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