# Naked in the coffin — hell has air-con

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Joke
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-joke-naked-coffin-air-conditioning
- Themes: humour, death, wealth
- Life situations: death, business

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Dying businessman asks to be buried naked — hell is hot, no clothes needed. Days later his naked ghost asks for the old gardening jumper and golfing trousers: hell is full of rich people who've installed air conditioning everywhere.

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

he told his wife that he wanted to be put in his coffin without any clothes on you keep the coffin lid open if you wish but I don't want any clothes on my body when I die have you ever thought of that but anyhow so it was his last wish she didn't want to be haunted by him afterwards so she buried him naked but she oh she asked why why first of all and he said look I've been doing a lot of business in my life I know I've just you know broken a few rules here actually more than a few rules that's why I've been very wealthy look I know where I'm going it's very hot down there I don't need any clothes so she buried him naked [laughter] [gasps] two or three days later two or three days later he appeared as a ghost in her room naked as the day he was born and he said wife wife have you still got that that old gardening jumper I used to use and they go golfing trousers you still got them said yeah but what do you need them for didn't you go down to Hell and said well actually yes but there's so many rich people down there they've installed air conditioning everywhere

## Teaching point

Even the afterlife joke lands on how the rich rearrange the heat.

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

A rich man asked to be buried naked, since hell would be hot. Soon his ghost came back for his old jumper: so many rich people down there had installed air-conditioning. A silly joke, Ajahn Brahm admits, but it made a dying nun laugh and ask for another. Bring lightness to the dying. Joy lifts heavy hours.

## Source

- [Terminal Lucidity | Ajahn Brahm | 1 December 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyKxtE_U-t4) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 7:38 to 9:16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyKxtE_U-t4&t=458s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Virtue and Kindness | Ajahn Brahm | 30 May 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y529kJC6opI) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 55:46 to 56:55: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y529kJC6opI&t=3346s
- [Word of the Buddha (part 3) | Ajahn Brahm | January 26, 2020](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcYaFHusEB0) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:00:43 to 1:01:55: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcYaFHusEB0&t=3643s