# The flower pot physicists didn't see

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-imperial-college-levitating-flower-pot
- Themes: perception, bias, wisdom
- Life situations: certainty, scientific thinking, denial

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

At Imperial College, London, a flower pot is made to levitate with a hidden electromagnet under the bench. The physicists who watch it insist it didn't happen — it stayed on the table — because it's impossible.

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

I've said before about the flower pot experiment that was done in uh in Imperial College in London. They got a flower pot to levitate. People who actually saw it, these were physicists. They said it didn't happen. It did happen. They refuse to admit it because it's impossible. But it did happen. It was it was a trick. There was like a a um electromag electromagnet under the bench, but they didn't realize that they it did actually levitate. But they said, "I didn't see it. It was on the table all the time." And that's a very good example of we see only what we want to see.

## Teaching point

Even trained perception is bent by expectation; we see what we want to see.

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

Physicists watched a flower pot rise on a hidden magnet and swore it never left the table, because levitation is impossible. Even trained eyes see what they expect. Before you trust your certainty in an argument, remember how much wanting and fearing bend perception. A calmer mind sees more truly.

## Source

- [Expectations Cause Suffering | Ajahn Brahm | 24 June 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z8q_FWbWa8) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 50:33 to 51:22: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z8q_FWbWa8&t=3033s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Reincarnation | Ajahn Brahm | 3 Feb 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIrtqS0LkYQ) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 46:43 to 47:24: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIrtqS0LkYQ&t=2803s
- [Finding the Truth | Ajahn Brahm | 31 March 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npixvAjZ5to) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 23:38 to 24:34: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npixvAjZ5to&t=1418s
- [The Mindfulness Retreat Trend | Ajahn Brahm | 18 Mar 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xPhcGp749Q) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 17:40 to 18:34: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xPhcGp749Q&t=1060s