# I've lived in this castle 300 years

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Joke
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-joke-castle-ghost-300-years
- Themes: humour, ghosts
- Life situations: needing a laugh

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Tourist asks castle guide if he's seen a ghost; never, in all his time there — how long? 300 years. He was the ghost.

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

have you ever seen a ghost and the guide said and all the time I've lived in this Castle I've never seen a ghost and she said well how long have you lived in this castle and he said 300 years that's Today's Joke folks it was a ghost

## Teaching point

What we ask for may already be answering.

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

A tourist asked a castle guide whether he'd ever seen a ghost. Never, in all the time I've lived here. How long is that? Three hundred years. Ajahn Brahm admits he looks for floating slippers in hospitals. He finds ghosts funny, not frightening. Approach the unknown with curiosity and humour instead of fear.

## Source

- [Real Teacher | Ajahn Brahm | 20 May 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4NRqix7-xU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 20:59 to 21:32: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4NRqix7-xU&t=1259s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Good Governance and Buddhism | Ajahn Brahm | 10 March 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcJRfjYnQwk) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 42:20 to 42:55: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcJRfjYnQwk&t=2540s