# The maths graduate with almost no brain

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-lorber-boy-no-brain
- Themes: mind and brain, science and Buddhism, humour
- Life situations: curiosity about consciousness, fear of death

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Ajahn Brahm retells Professor John Lorber's case of a Sheffield University mathematics honours graduate whose brain scan showed about 1% cortex, the skull filled with fluid — yet he lived a brilliant, normal life. Ajahn Brahm jokes that listeners should shake their heads to check for sloshing.

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

professor John lber about the boy with no brain an honored student in mathematics at Sheffield University sorry an Honor Graduate who had a slightly misshaped skull the doctor gave him a a brain scan a CT scan and it was only 1% cortex was there everything else was missing basically as professor lber said he had no brain to speak of and there's no way that that small amount left could actually compensate for everything which was missing and at that time when I tell that story I also want to do research and I ask people CU his whole head was just filled with cranial fluid there's no brain there no gray matter so I asked people if you can do an experiment and help me can you move your head from back to forth cuz if you can hear any slushing inside that must be you as well you've got no brain it's just cranial fluid but that fellow was an honest student in mathematics brilliant normal had a girlfriend in every which way you wouldn't know he had no brain

## Teaching point

Cognition may not be wholly dependent on the brain (Ajahn Brahm's interpretation).

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

Ajahn Brahm uses this case, with a joke about shaking your head to listen for sloshing, to argue that the mind may be more than the brain. Scientists still debate what such cases show. Either way it invites some humility: whatever the mind is, it can do more than we assume, so don't sell yours short.

## Source

- [What Happens After You Die? | Ajahn Brahm | 08-04-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZZupDuprhU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 17:34 to 18:45: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZZupDuprhU&t=1054s

Other tellings of this story:

- [The Mind and Brain | Ajahn Brahm | 1st April 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6ZTU-gQPAc) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 53:27 to 53:43: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6ZTU-gQPAc&t=3207s
- [Mind Made Worlds | Ajahn Brahm | 20 January 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1DupN5I-u4) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 52:29 to 53:09: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1DupN5I-u4&t=3149s
- [Word of the Buddha (Part 11) | Ajahn Brahm | 28 January 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdoowzyD0sw) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 41:57 to 44:50: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdoowzyD0sw&t=2517s