# The ladder taken away

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-laos-tree-platforms-ladder-away
- Themes: meditation, fear, monastic training, present moment
- Life situations: retreat, facing fear

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Pre-Vietnam-War Laos monastery: abbot marches exhausted monks all day to huge old trees with cushion-sized platforms and no railings; they climb the bamboo ladder; he takes the ladder away till morning. Survivors report amazing meditation.

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

there was this one Monastery in the nor in Laos just before the Vietnam War and the Communists took over the Abbot of that Monastery is a very very famous he would take his disciples on a walk all day through the jungles to Tire them out sweaty tired exhausted and they would get to a part of the forest in Laos where they had these huge trees hundreds of years old and the monks had made little platforms high up on those trees just the size of these cushions which the monks sit on with no railings on the outside just a flat piece of board with a bamboo ladder going up and the app at the teacher would send amongst climbing up these ladders to this High platforms to meditate and he would take the ladder away and so he'll be back in the morning so they're exhausted facing a drop which will kill anybody the monks had to meditate all night and that was not safe at all but many monks said they got into an amazing peaceful wonderful meditations at least the ones who survived to tell the tale said that

## Teaching point

Safety is often attitude — terror can force present-moment mindfulness.

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

A Lao abbot marched his tired monks to tiny platforms high in old trees, then took the ladder away until morning. The survivors reported wonderful meditation. Ajahn Brahm doesn't recommend it. His point: fear depends on attitude. Some people are terrified in the safest places, others calm in danger. Train the attitude.

## Source

- [Meditation 30-06-2012](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5Hx_Vs5kYw) (DhammalokaMeditation) — watch from 59:55 to 1:01:22: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5Hx_Vs5kYw&t=3595s

Other tellings of this story:

- [8. Beautiful Breath - Ajahn Brahm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDfGP_VISFs) (BSWA Retreats 2011-15 & Media) — watch from 1:30 to 2:51: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDfGP_VISFs&t=90s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 1 December 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQPWbdvHId0) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 4:59 to 7:10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQPWbdvHId0&t=299s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 11 June 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb1CkyG2Pok) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 2:51 to 3:57: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb1CkyG2Pok&t=171s
- [5 Noble Truth Meditations](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7Gd2g7batw) (BSWA Retreats 2011-15 & Media) — watch from 38:15 to 39:30: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7Gd2g7batw&t=2295s