# The wife who came back for the will

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-ghost-wife-will-delivered
- Themes: ghosts, death, trust, humour
- Life situations: wills and inheritance, bereavement, unfinished business

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

A Thai woman who never trusted her Chinese husband asks Ajahn Brahm to do her funeral and pay for it, in return leaving her assets to the Buddhist Society; he passes it to the committee, who agree. After the funeral her husband George says he can't find the will. Then one early morning George arrives by taxi at Serpentine, more frightened than any man Ajahn Brahm has seen: 'Take it, now, quick!' Last night his wife came as a ghost: 'George, you know where that will is. Take it to Ajahn Brahm now.'

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

there was this this Thai lady married to a Chinese man and she never trusted her husband at all. So much so she asked me a bra can you please uh do the funeral for me and pay for it and in return we'll I'll dedicate uh you know my assets is not that much my assets to the Buddhist society and I told them at the time I can't do that I can't do deals as a monk but I'll give it to our committee and they said yeah this is a nice little earner you know they're paying for funerals a few thousand dollars but the what would you get from the inheritance or from the will be worth much more than that. So we signed off on that and I did a funeral for them. Then after the funeral was finished that uh I did ask the widow George said have you got the the will said no I can't find it it's disappeared and I didn't want to harass him so just left it be. Then one morning that's when he came to monastery very early in the morning. George, I've never seen a man of any tradition so frightened. He said, "AJ," he came in a taxi all the way from, I think, Mlands all the way to Serpentine really early in the morning. He said, "AJ, can I give you this?" What is it? He says, "It's the will. Here, take it now, please. Quick, now." And what happened? Last night, my wife came as a ghost. George, George, you know where that will is. Take her to Ajam Brahm now. He was so scared. He was scared of her when she was alive. She was doubly scared. No, she was dead. So sometimes that's what you have to do. You just she was making sure her husband did the right thing and then after he did the right thing, then she could disappear.

## Teaching point

Ghosts are beings with unfinished business; once it's done they move on.

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

A widower who couldn't find his late wife's will turned up at dawn, terrified, with the document in hand: she had visited him in the night. Whatever you make of ghosts, Ajahn Brahm's point is simple. Unfinished business keeps us stuck. Do the right thing promptly, and everyone, living or not, can move on.

## Source

- [Our Mind and Our Health | Ajahn Brahm | 7 July 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irCk-DJXisM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 51:16 to 53:13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irCk-DJXisM&t=3076s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Buddhism and Ghosts | Ajahn Brahm | 10 March 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9fga9-6vFM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 10:06 to 13:46: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9fga9-6vFM&t=606s
- [The Dangers of Complaining | Ajahn Brahm | 1 March 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYLHU0eddYA) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 5:12 to 9:53: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYLHU0eddYA&t=312s