# Kissing it better

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-mother-kissed-grazed-knee
- Themes: kindness, pain, mother, childhood
- Life situations: childhood injuries, pain relief, meditating with pain

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Growing up poor in Acton, west London, young Ajahn Brahm plays street football with migrant friends and keeps grazing his knees. He runs to his mother, who kneels and kisses the open wound better. Now he wonders why it never got infected — but it always healed, and the pain vanished at once: a mother's love was the best painkiller.

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

falling over and scrapping the skin off my knee which really hurt, it stung, and my mother would just crouch down and kiss it better Just her kindness would take the pain away. Every time that happened

## Teaching point

Kindness and compassion relax pain; give the irritated part of the body a 'mother's kiss' in meditation.

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

As a boy, Ajahn Brahm kept grazing his knees playing street football, and his mother would kneel and kiss them better. The pain vanished every time. Love is a powerful painkiller. When no one else is there, you can still visit yourself with that same kindness. It soothes physical and emotional aches alike.

## Source

- [How to deal with chronic pain | Ajahn Brahm | 04-07-2014](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As9jmZBCUWU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 45:11 to 45:25: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As9jmZBCUWU&t=2711s

Other tellings of this story:

- [The Importance of Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 07 Nov 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDoKJJdevvg) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 18:55 to 20:27: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDoKJJdevvg&t=1135s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 13 April 2019](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SMh0eTgNoU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 20:33 to 21:00: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SMh0eTgNoU&t=1233s
- [The Mindfulness Retreat Trend | Ajahn Brahm | 18 Mar 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xPhcGp749Q) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 35:46 to 36:10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xPhcGp749Q&t=2146s
- [2017 반다라웰라 집중수행 지도 법문 제1편 | 아잔 브람](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37ruaUp4BtA) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 42:25 to 43:02: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37ruaUp4BtA&t=2545s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 29 March 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVCn9FaxPN0) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:16:16 to 1:17:09: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVCn9FaxPN0&t=4576s
- [Friday Night Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 17 April 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUqytR414b4) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 15:04 to 15:44: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUqytR414b4&t=904s