Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

The cheap haunted London townhouse

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Why Meditate? | Ajahn Brahm | 30 October 2020

1 min read

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

halloween the night [snorts] for good and as one of my friends [sighs] he was uh in london and you know he was getting his first house he got this town house really cheap because even the real estate agent who sold it to him admitted it was haunted no one else wanted to buy it but you know he said we didn't believe in ghosts it's cheap so let's get by it so he bought it and the first night in that house he was sleeping on the ground floor in the middle of the night around midnight he heard a sound rap rap rap rap and he thought well just imagining no ghosts and everything was closed and shut there's no wind just imagining so he just turned over and tried to go to sleep again as soon as he turned over rap rap rap rap even louder and so he got up tried to find out

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 9:29 (to 10:51)

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

A friend bought a London townhouse cheaply because it was said to be haunted. On the first night came rap, rap, rap. He searched every floor, found nothing, and his legs shook more with each staircase. We claim not to believe in ghosts until the knocking starts. Fear grows in the imagination. Notice how the mind builds it.

In brief (our summary)

Friend buys a London townhouse cheap because the agent admits it is haunted; first night midnight rap-rap; searches, finds nothing, gets louder.

Teaching point

A bargain that comes with ghosts still costs sleep.

When this story may help

  • moving house
  • Halloween

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Why Meditate? | Ajahn Brahm | 30 October 2020 · 2020-10-30 · ▶ watch from 9:29 to 10:51 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

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

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