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Story · Ajahn Brahm

“How about the Holy Ghost, then?”

As told by Ajahn Brahm in One Life, Many Lives | by Ajahn Brahm | 13-01-2012

1 min read

Content note: religious humour

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

So I was walking there with the Abbott, the performer Abbott, Abbert Placid, and I said to him, he said, "Are there any?" Actually, I was leading him on because I know a lot about Christianity and they don't believe in ghosts because they believe that once you die, you go to heaven or hell or in limbo or something, but they don't believe in ghosts. So, I decided to have some fun at the good Abbott's expense. I said, "Are there any ghosts, you know, in this abbey? It's very old. I'm sure many people have died." And he said, "No, no, Ajan, we don't believe in ghosts. You don't believe in ghosts?" "No, we don't believe in ghosts. How about the Holy Ghost then?

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 7:47 (to 8:30)

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

Shown round an old creaky abbey, Ajahn Brahm asked the abbot whether there were ghosts. No, we don't believe in ghosts. Then what about the Holy Ghost? Friendship across faiths has room for teasing. Whatever's out there, he says, there's nothing to fear. Most stories about it are gentle ones.

In brief (our summary)

Being shown around the creaky old Benedictine abbey at New Norcia, Ajahn Brahm teases Abbot Placid by asking if there are ghosts. “No, no, Ajahn, we don't believe in ghosts.” — “You don't believe in ghosts? How about the Holy Ghost, then?”

Teaching point

(Light interfaith humour introducing ghost stories; ghosts are nothing to fear.)

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in One Life, Many Lives | by Ajahn Brahm | 13-01-2012 · 2012-01-14 · ▶ watch from 7:47 to 8:30 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

7 other tellings of this story

Caption notes: 'Abbert Placid'/'performer Abbott' = (former) Abbot Placid (not changed).

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

  • “I can't understand Thai ghosts”

    In brief: At an open-air cremation in Thailand (of Ajahn Chah's brother, he thinks) all the monks leave as soon as the chanting ends. The young…

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    When I remember I just went uh Ajahn Chah's I think his brother died when I first went up to to Thailand and they did this open cremation. And so, it's after they they had all the monks around the fire and we all did the chanting and as soon as we could, all the monks left. Then afterwards, I said, "Oh, I'm just going to go by the fire." They said, "You go by the fire?" I said, "Yeah." They said, "Alone?" I said, "Yeah." "Aren't you afraid of the ghosts?" I said, "No, I'm not afraid of the ghosts. I can't understand Thai." Cuz even if the ghost goes something in Thai, I don't know what they're talking about. So, what's the point of being afraid? Is that the case that Thai ghosts only speak in Thai? And Sri Lankans only in Sinhalese? So, if it's a Western ghost and you don't understand English, you've got nothing to worry about

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  • The prankster ghost and the three leaves

    In brief: Two young English friends share a house in Perth; one dies young of cancer, promising to come back and haunt his mate. Pranks follow: the…

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    one of our members he's got a great Ghost Story one of his friends let's go back for earlier his friend I moved to to Australia to Perth from England two young men they were friends so they shared a house together as they shared a house there two guys you know they weren't gay or anything they're just um to uh say on R when out had a great time but one of them developed cancer very young he died but before he died he always says I'm going to come back and Haun you you know like what some young people say I'm going to come back and Haun you and apparently he did and he was you know what you call those Lans always like doing practical jokes and so the other fellow who kept the house you know his girlfriend moved in after his mate died and little things would happen like be in the shower and it would turn from the hot to cold so you turn the hot on and it' be boiling little silly things like that but he said and he's quite sure about this one day he went out to work when he came home all the furniture from the landro was in the garden and there was just silly little things but sometimes you know if it's a a mate a friend they do this little jokes on you and his wife apparently could see him his wife wife never knew him and could see this Spectre in the in the house and described he said oh yeah that's him and so they just after all I just accommodate to these people but this member of our Buddha Society I better not say who it is he went to visit his friend I don't believe in ghosts she's just making it up and he was having coffee with his friend at the time and his friend said look he's he's around I'm sure he's around and he asked his friend come and prove to this visitor that you exist there's a pot plant on the table a leaf fell off that pot plant floated horizontally and then went down on the edge of the table half on half off and the visitor said no that's just it's just a wi just [Applause] coincidence and then another Lea fell off horizontal and then went vertically down exactly on top of the second Leaf no no no no just Charles thirdly exactly the same hor is onto straight down on the edge of that Lea and our friend who comes here said I've got to go and just jumped in his bed and just put the foot on the acceler just w didn't run away H you can have nothing to be afraid of it's just ghost playing around

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  • The heretics' pew

    In brief: Ajahn Brahm, Abbot Placid of New Norcia, and a Uniting Church moderator sit together at St George's Cathedral for the ordination of Bishop…

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    Kay Goldsworthy I think it was. I got invited to the St Georges' Cathedral, it was the first female Bishop in any Christian tradition in the world. And it was done here in Perth so I got an invite. Two hours it took, so much ceremonies and rituals just to make someone a Bishop. Fortunately I was sitting next to my mate Abbot Placid he was the old Abbot of the Benedictine Monastery in New Norcia. We had a whole pew for non-believers so I was there with the Catholics, the Uniting Church.. We had a great time; we were telling jokes to each other like naughty school boys in Church but because we were both Abbots we couldn't be sent out

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  • The wife who came back for the will

    In brief: A Thai woman who never trusted her Chinese husband asks Ajahn Brahm to do her funeral and pay for it, in return leaving her assets to the…

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    there was this this Thai lady married to a Chinese man and she never trusted her husband at all. So much so she asked me a bra can you please uh do the funeral for me and pay for it and in return we'll I'll dedicate uh you know my assets is not that much my assets to the Buddhist society and I told them at the time I can't do that I can't do deals as a monk but I'll give it to our committee and they said yeah this is a nice little earner you know they're paying for funerals a few thousand dollars but the what would you get from the inheritance or from the will be worth much more than that. So we signed off on that and I did a funeral for them. Then after the funeral was finished that uh I did ask the widow George said have you got the the will said no I can't find it it's disappeared and I didn't want to harass him so just left it be. Then one morning that's when he came to monastery very early in the morning. George, I've never seen a man of any tradition so frightened. He said, "AJ," he came in a taxi all the way from, I think, Mlands all the way to Serpentine really early in the morning. He said, "AJ, can I give you this?" What is it? He says, "It's the will. Here, take it now, please. Quick, now." And what happened? Last night, my wife came as a ghost. George, George, you know where that will is. Take her to Ajam Brahm now. He was so scared. He was scared of her when she was alive. She was doubly scared. No, she was dead. So sometimes that's what you have to do. You just she was making sure her husband did the right thing and then after he did the right thing, then she could disappear.

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