Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

The ghost dog who brought back the ring

As told by Ajahn Brahm in One Life, Many Lives | by Ajahn Brahm | 13-01-2012

2 min read

Content note: paranormal claim (told as true)

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

One of those ghost stories was a lady, I'm not sure if she's here this evening, but she told me this story a long time ago. She was a uh lived by herself. No, not really by herself. You know, she didn't have any any other human friends. She had her dog. And she told me here in front here just after a Friday night talk she said that uh you know she loved her dog her dog and her was you know basically the the contents of the house and she said one day she would taking her dog for a walk in the the park or the reserve and she don't know h didn't know how this happened but she lost her fingering you know in the in the park. As soon as she came home she realized she'd lost this ring. It wasn't expensive, but it had sentimental value. So, she immediately returned, traced her steps trying to find her fingering. She looked everywhere, but in a in a park, there's just too many twigs and leaves and grass. You just can't find it. It's hard enough to find things in your house, let alone in a park. So, after a couple of hours, she gave up and then she just came home. Few days later, her dog died. And of course she was devastated because that was the the being she was close to, she loved very much. And she swore to me in front here saying, "Absolutely honest, Ajam Brah, I won't lie to you, not a Buddhist monk. I heard that dog many times in my house barking. I couldn't see it, but I heard it." And if you've had a pet dog, you know its bark. You know its bark is different than any other dog. You recognize that was my dog. She's heard it many, many times. It was always behind a door around a corner and she'd rush around the corner, try and open the door. She could never see it. She could hear it though. But she was really wanting so much to see the dog that one day she was right in front of her front door inside the house and she heard the dog barking just outside the front door of her house and she was right there. So she immediately opened the door trying to get a glimpse of her dear dog. No one was there, completely empty. But she heard the sound there. And that's when she looked down at the welcome mat. And right in the middle of the welcome mat was her fingering. It was a dog who found her ring once. It was a ghost. True story.

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 8:55 (to 11:39)

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

A woman who lived alone with her beloved dog lost a precious ring in the park. Then the dog died. She kept hearing its bark, and one day, opening the door to it, found her ring on the mat. Believe what you will. Love may outlast the body. Death needn't be frightening.

In brief (our summary)

A woman living alone with her beloved dog loses a sentimental ring in a park and can't find it after hours of searching. Days later the dog dies. She keeps hearing its distinctive bark around corners and behind doors, but never sees it. One day it barks just outside her front door; she flings it open — no one — and there in the middle of the welcome mat is her ring.

Teaching point

Ghosts are nothing to be afraid of; life is bigger than one life.

When this story may help

  • pet died
  • grief for a pet
  • living alone
  • losing something precious

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in One Life, Many Lives | by Ajahn Brahm | 13-01-2012 · 2012-01-14 · ▶ watch from 8:55 to 11:39 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

1 other telling of this story

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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