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Story · Ajahn Brahm

The ICU patient everyone had given up on

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Uncertainty | Ajahn Brahm | 15-07-2011

1 min read

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

there was this one lady I went to see once at the ICU at Charlie gardeners she was in the ICU she moon I was one of these cases with a flu and no really really bad cases septic all over bloated no honor lasts and a few breaths can you please come in and do some science that isn't charging for this lady and couple weeks ago she looked toward intents and purposes a goner you know the nurses said no I'm not much chance for this lady but you know a bit of chanting a bit of presence of a good mug a bit of spiritual uplift you know would give her a good death couple weeks later got a phone call from her husband can you come round to the house and she was perfectly well total recovery

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 16:40 (to 17:27)

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

The nurses gave the septic, bloated patient little chance, and Ajahn Brahm came hoping only to ease a good death. Two weeks later her husband invited him round: she had recovered completely. He insists it was no miracle, and chanting is no substitute for intensive care. The lesson is humility about forecasts. Nobody truly knows what comes next.

In brief (our summary)

Ajahn Brahm is called to chant for a woman in ICU at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital with severe flu — septic, bloated, the nurses giving her little chance — hoping at least to give her a good death. A couple of weeks later her husband phones and invites him to the house: she has made a total recovery.

Teaching point

It's not miracles — life is totally uncertain; don't trust predictions of how long anyone has.

When this story may help

  • loved one in intensive care
  • terminal prognosis

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Uncertainty | Ajahn Brahm | 15-07-2011 · 2011-07-16 · ▶ watch from 16:40 to 17:27 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, words left exactly as captioned. 'Charlie gardeners' = Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital; 'science that isn't charging' = garbled 'chanting' (not changed).

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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