# “Please don't die during our retreat”

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-please-dont-die-during-retreat
- Themes: uncertainty, plans, death, humour
- Life situations: plans disrupted, sudden death, travel at short notice

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

At the start of the rains retreat Ajahn Brahm jokingly asks everyone not to die until October or November, since funerals break his meditation. On Monday an email arrives: one of his disciples has died. His plans are thrown into turmoil, and at one in the morning on Tuesday he flies to Singapore, spending less than 24 hours there to help with the funeral.

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

I made an announcement last week please don't die during our retreat because if you do I have to come out of the retreat and do your funeral service for you and that breaks my meditation so just out of respect and out of kindness can you please delay your death and to the least know October or or even better November so of course there's a there's always karmic consequences when I say city jokes like that because on Monday I got an email one of my disciples died then he left it for one day and so all my plans of what I was supposed to do on Tuesday and Wednesday were thrown into turmoil as I had to go to Singapore for their funeral so on Tuesday morning at one o'clock in the morning I had to take the flight and I came back on Wednesday afternoon just you know 20 less than 24 hours in Singapore to help with the funeral service

## Teaching point

You cannot control your future; the one thing you can be certain of is uncertainty.

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

Ajahn Brahm jokingly asked everyone to postpone dying until after the rains retreat, so funerals wouldn't break his meditation. Within days a disciple died, and he was on an overnight flight to Singapore for the service. Plans are worth making, but life keeps the final say. Build in slack, and when the call comes, go kindly.

## Source

- [Uncertainty | Ajahn Brahm | 15-07-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pswsVGVdISY) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:16 to 2:19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pswsVGVdISY&t=76s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Taking time to retreat | Ajahn Brahm | 27 July 2012](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2eKXvfsezQ) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 4:18 to 4:50: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2eKXvfsezQ&t=258s