Being Mindful Stories

Joke · Ajahn Brahm

Send her back — she might resurrect

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Investigate Your Way to Freedom | Ajahn Brahm | 19 Dec 2008

1 min read

Content note: death humour; gender stereotype humour

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

holy land with his wife I think I must have told I think I told that in the armadel group last Tuesday when it just shows you just know how experience and know what real suffering really is about this guy who went to his wife was a Christian and always wanted to go to know Israel to see the holy sites and like Buddhists go on pilgrimages to India know Christians and Jews they go on a pilgrimage to Israel so his wife was pestering him again and again and again she was a very difficult woman to live with and so she pested him again and again So eventually he took her over to Israel for the um uh for a holiday and when she was over there she died and so after she died the chaplain of the hospital which was treating her said well look we can do the funeral here in Israel for only $500 but to send her back to Australia it' be about $5,000 and we have to pay for the funeral expenses also what do you want and he said no I think we better send her back to Australia and the chap was quite surprised why are you wasting all that money he said oh cuz I heard a few years ago in this country somebody died and he resurrected after 3 days I can't take that chance my wife

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 6:41 (to 8:12)

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

A husband whose wife dies in Israel pays ten times more to fly her home: someone rose after three days there once, and he can't take the chance. Ajahn Brahm's dark joke leads to his point. Real understanding comes from experience, not coffee-table theorising. Go on retreat and find out what doing nothing is like.

In brief (our summary)

A man finally takes his difficult Christian wife to Israel; she dies there. Chaplain offers $500 local funeral vs $5000 to ship her home — he chooses shipping: someone resurrected after three days in that country and he can't take the chance.

Teaching point

Dark humour names how entanglement can outlive even death.

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Investigate Your Way to Freedom | Ajahn Brahm | 19 Dec 2008 · 2008-12-28 · ▶ watch from 6:41 to 8:12 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, words left exactly as captioned. 'armadel' = Armadale.

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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