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Story · Ajahn Brahm

Psychic battle with Hindu saints

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Expectations | Ajahn Brahm | 15 April 2016

1 min read

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

I was fighting the psychic battle with the Hindu Saint flying around the air and they're levitating all over the place and zapping each other in my little movie really good fun so I was enjoying it of course because it was my movie I won as usually happens totally egotistical

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 50:47 (to 51:09)

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

In an early meditation, Ajahn Brahm's mind screened an epic psychic battle with flying saints, which of course he won; it was his movie. The mind sometimes just needs to play. Don't scold it or think you've failed. Be kind, let the fantasy run its course, and it settles down by itself.

In brief (our summary)

In early meditation Ajahn Brahm's mind put on a movie: a psychic battle with Hindu saints flying and levitating and zapping each other. He enjoyed it — and of course, because it was his movie, he won.

Teaching point

Be kind to the mind's fantasies; after they have had their play they settle by themselves.

When this story may help

  • distraction in meditation

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Expectations | Ajahn Brahm | 15 April 2016 · 2016-04-15 · ▶ watch from 50:47 to 51:09 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

1 other telling of this story

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions: unpunctuated, words left exactly as captioned.

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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