# “Get off my feet”

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-ram-dass-foot-massage
- Themes: attachment to suffering, fear of change, healing
- Life situations: illness in hospital, prejudice, refusing help

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

From Ram Dass's writings: a young disciple invites him to her father, in constant agony in hospital with no drug that works. The 'redneck' father sees the long-haired guru in beads and refuses to talk to him. Standing idle, Ram Dass starts a foot massage; it feels nice, so the man allows it, and within minutes all his pain is gone. Realising he is pain-free for the first time in days, he snaps: “Get off my feet. Leave them alone.” He'd rather have the pain than have his world view challenged.

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

There was this guru, when I was a young man, called Ram Dass – you know, this long-haired hippies, you know, went to India, taking lots of drugs and thinking that was spiritual awakening, a weirdo, but he did say some wise things as well. And he went to United States, got a few disciples, ‘cause he was from Harvard apparently. He got a few disciples and one of his lady disciples said: ‘Look, my father is really sick, in constant pain in hospital, can you come and visit him, give him some counselling?’. So he said: ‘Yeah I'll go in’. So he went into one of these hospitals in the United States. And her father was like a redneck, you know, typical United States Caucasian redneck. So when he saw this hippie in his robes and beads coming in, he just: ‘What are you doing, get out of here! I'm not gonna listen to you, you freak!’ And so, you know, he wouldn't take any counselling. So his daughter started talking to her father. And apparently Ram Dass, nothing else to do, decided to give this patient a foot massage. You know, just something nice to do. And he's giving a foot massage, and for the first time in days, all the patient's pain disappeared. The pain vanished, it was like a miracle. And this guy said: ‘Get off my feet, you freak!’ He'd rather have the pain and have his whole worldview and philosophy intact, then get the pain away and having to face that there was many things in his life which he didn't understand. And that was a good example of addiction to pain, rather than giving up your views about what life is and what the reality is or what religion is. That was really quite an interesting story.

## Teaching point

People can be attached to their suffering and afraid of a relief they don't understand.

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

In agony and suspicious of a long-haired guru, a man allowed Ram Dass to rub his feet, felt his pain vanish, then snapped: get off my feet. He'd rather keep his pain than his view of the world. Most pain has a physical cause, so get it checked. But notice where you cling to suffering you could let go.

## Source

- [Dealing with addictions | by Ajahn Brahm | 19 June 2015](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9eiGPAIyK8) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 50:08 to 51:56: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9eiGPAIyK8&t=3008s

Other tellings of this story:

- [No Fear | Ajahn Brahm | 20-05-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIMWm5JnNrE) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 33:22 to 35:44: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIMWm5JnNrE&t=2002s
- [Being Afraid | Ajahn Brahm | 16 March 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYHTHj4PGPU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 30:54 to 32:02: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYHTHj4PGPU&t=1854s
- [Word of the Buddha (Part 1) | Ajahn Brahm | 24 November 2024](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J4OhM265Eo) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 27:54 to 29:17: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J4OhM265Eo&t=1674s