Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

Meditating through the flood

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Happiness and Wanting | Ajahn Brahm | 24 February 2023

1 min read

Content note: extraordinary/paranormal claim (days underwater), second-hand; told as true; monk named only as captioned ("Sudama", uncertain)

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

There's one of these monks I knew. He has passed away now. But when he was alive, I met him, talked with him, checked out what he was up to, and this wasn't one of those real things. He was an Indonesian monk. Anyone here from Indonesia, from Java? There's a few people here anyway. They're not omitting it. But anyway, this guy, he wanted to be a rushi. And I remember this story because we got a book about Rishies a few days ago. And so he went in to a very remote place in the island of Java into a jungle and he went there and sat meditation. He was a lay person, not a monk yet. And he told me, this is what he said to me. His English wasn't the best, but it it made a lot of sense. He was sitting there got very peaceful and this like star came into his mind and I love the way he said this he married that star like united with it and then when he came out of his meditation he noticed he didn't know how long don't have clocks or watches he noticed the jungle looked very different to when he first started to meditate, there'd be lots of damage to the trees and the branches and lots of leaves where they shouldn't be. But anyway, he got up and he walked to the nearest village and they were surprised because where he had sat the damage was there had been a flood for many days and he'd been underwater about four or five days. He didn't know a thing about it. He would just blissing out inside.

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 32:15 (to 34:27)

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

An Indonesian monk told Ajahn Brahm he'd meditated in the jungle and emerged to learn a flood had covered him for days. Take it as you will. His point is gentler. When the five senses go quiet, what remains is a deep, delightful peace. The most beautiful sound, he says, is silence.

In brief (our summary)

An Indonesian monk Ajahn Brahm knew and questioned tells him that as a layman wanting to be a rishi he went deep into the Javanese jungle to meditate. A star came into his mind and he 'married' it. Coming out, he found broken branches and leaves everywhere; at the nearest village he learned there had been a flood for days — he'd been underwater four or five days without knowing.

Teaching point

When the five senses shut down in deep meditation, the body's surroundings don't register — even a flood.

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Happiness and Wanting | Ajahn Brahm | 24 February 2023 · 2023-02-24 · ▶ watch from 32:15 to 34:27 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions (machine-punctuated); words left exactly as captioned. 'rushi' = rishi; 'monk Sudama' as captioned (name uncertain).

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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