# Ray-Bans on the meditation demon

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-meditation-demon-sunglasses
- Themes: fear, meditation, power of mind, humour
- Life situations: frightening images in meditation, intrusive frightening thoughts, nightmares

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Early in his practice a blood-dripping, skull-necklaced demon appears in Ajahn Brahm's deep meditation; knowing the mind creates it, he gives it sunglasses, blacked-out fangs, a cigarette and a straw hat with a flower, laughs, and it never returns. A monastery guest who saw monsters in the paving bricks tried the same and they vanished.

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

This is one story from my life Many years ago I think I was in Thailand when this happened I was meditating nice and peacefully and then got some nice deep meditation and I got this image in my mind right in front of me was this demon with big bulging eyes like they are coming out of the sockets (Ajahn gestures with hands covering his face) the teeth were all jagged and dripping blood. (Ajahn gesturing to the amusement of the audience) And skulls around its neck I forget what else ... really angry eyes and the tongue was coming out (Ajahn putting his tongue out and making a scary noise) Is this on the camera by the way? And it looked very very frightening But I had enough wisdom to know that this is just a creation of the mind That all it is. These negative images you create them and you can mess around with them. So that's what I decided to do; to mess around with them So just like I used to do as a naughty school kid I blacked out a few of its fangs so it had these big holes in its teeth and instead of these big scary bulging eyes I put a pair of like sunglasses RayBans on, looked really cool And on top of its spiky head I put a straw hat with a flower coming out And I messed around like that until this demon was so funny was so ridiculous, I laughed I totally humiliated that demon and it never came back again

## Teaching point

What the mind creates, a playful, compassionate mind can un-create.

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

Frightening images in meditation are often things the mind has made. A playful, kind mind can unmake them — Ray-Bans, a straw hat, a laugh — and the monster loses its power. Grow that positive, fun, compassionate mind; it shapes what comes next.

## Source

- [How To Handle Negative Memories | Ajahn Brahm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiLb9kDewCA) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 0:51 to 2:32: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiLb9kDewCA&t=51s

Other tellings of this story:

- [How To Handle Negative Memories | Ajahn Brahm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiLb9kDewCA) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 2:36 to 3:04: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiLb9kDewCA&t=156s
- [What Happens After You Die? | Ajahn Brahm | 08-04-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZZupDuprhU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 44:46 to 46:51: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZZupDuprhU&t=2686s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 11 Feb 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd8lxAriOow) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:14:33 to 1:16:55: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd8lxAriOow&t=4473s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 6 February 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6ljEj2kews) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 9:02 to 10:58: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6ljEj2kews&t=542s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 8 April 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Mu8oUMPb3g) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:02:57 to 1:04:12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Mu8oUMPb3g&t=3777s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 12 May 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31SCOa3_vAM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 8:33 to 10:18: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31SCOa3_vAM&t=513s