# Penang lady scared by her first jhāna

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-penang-lady-scared-by-jhana
- Themes: jhana, meditation, malaysia, fear, mental health
- Life situations: meditation, seeking help, teaching

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

A Penang lady (not even a Buddhist) falls into deep jhāna without knowing what it is and is so scared/obsessed she tours psychologists and psychiatrists who have no clue. Eventually she sees Ajahn Brahm; he names the experience from her description — she is overjoyed that someone understands and that it is safe and beautiful.

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

lady in Penang many years ago and I don't even think she was a Buddhist but no she managed to get into one of these deep meditations his jaunders and she didn't know what it was at all and it really scared her to the point that uh she was so obsessed with trying to find out what the heck this was one of the best experiences of our life so she went to so many psychologists and psychiatrists and they didn't have a clue what was happening to her and eventually that she came to see me in Penang and there she sort of I explained exactly what it was and it was wonderful to describe you know will she describe what she felt and I described a few things you missed out telling me said yes that's it she was so happy that you know somebody else had understood what she'd experienced and it was quite safe and quite beautiful

## Teaching point

Unexplained deep peace can look like pathology until someone names it as jhāna.

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

A woman in Penang, not even a Buddhist, slipped into deep meditation without knowing what it was. Frightened, she went from psychologist to psychiatrist, and nobody understood. When Ajahn Brahm described the state back to her, she was overjoyed: it was safe and beautiful. Stillness is the key. Unknown peace needn't be feared.

## Source

- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 10 December 2022](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unIkyg9hhIM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 2:33 to 3:29: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unIkyg9hhIM&t=153s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Word of the Buddha (Part 13) | Ajahn Brahm | 25 February 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45_wDE-pZFU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 39:24 to 40:22: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45_wDE-pZFU&t=2364s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 22 June 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45lYuXK3K9Q) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 7:34 to 8:24: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45lYuXK3K9Q&t=454s