Story · Ajahn Brahm
She sat all night in the stupa
Content note: health claim: unharmed after sitting all night in the cold, as he tells it
The story — as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)
this lady she started she was in the evening she started meditating on the floor of the stupa. And she just carried on all night. And then other people saw her. It was cold so they put a blanket around her. She never responded. And they know that you're meditating I describe these things to them or they knew exactly what was happening what to do. But then they came in the morning they said they shouted at her come on it's time to go for breakfast we're leaving today we've got a big ceremony first. And she didn't respond. So I told them don't call any ambulance just go back there and instead of shouting at her tell her very softly and very kindly Ajahn Brahm asked you to come to the main hall. Just once. And about half an hour later she appeared in the main hall and said you asked me to come here. I said yes. You know we've got to get ready to actually to go today. And so do you want a breakfast? She said no. Listen I said can I carry on meditating
▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 1:14:07 (to 1:15:31)
A reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)
On retreat, a woman sat in the stupa all night and didn't respond in the morning. Don't call an ambulance, Ajahn Brahm said; just tell her softly, once, that he'd asked her to come to the hall. Half an hour later she appeared and asked to keep meditating. Deep stillness isn't an emergency. A gentle invitation is enough.
In brief (our summary)
On a Hong Kong and Indonesian retreat, a woman begins sitting on the stupa floor in the evening and is still there in the morning. Others put a blanket around her; she does not respond. When they shout that it is time for breakfast, Brahm tells them not to call an ambulance — go back and say softly, 'Ajahn Brahm asked you to come to the main hall,' just once. Half an hour later she appears and asks if she can carry on meditating.
Teaching point
Deep stillness is not an emergency; a kind, quiet invitation is enough.
When this story may help
Themes
Source & credit
Told by Ajahn Brahm in Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 28 March 2026 · 2026-03-28 · ▶ watch from 1:14:07 to 1:15:31 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia
2 other tellings of this story
- Guided Meditaion | Ajahn Brahm | 13 December 2025 · 2025-12-13 · ▶ watch from 1:15:17 to 1:17:06 · Buddhist Society of Western AustraliaDec 2025: Hong Kong group, cold weather, friends wrap a blanket around her; she is warm so not dead; shouting doesn't work; he has them say Ajahn Brahm asks her to come to the hall; five minutes later she appears — 'You called me.'
- Word of the Buddha (Part 3) | Ajahn Brahm | 9 February 2025 · 2025-02-09 · ▶ watch from 56:28 to 59:20 · Buddhist Society of Western AustraliaFeb 2025: Hong Kong and Indonesian rains-start retreat, cold weather, blanket, kindness whispered rather than shouting — Ajahn Brahm requests she come to the hall; she appears at Bodhinyana, declines breakfast, and sits against the wall to keep meditating. This telling does not use the 'You called me' line.
Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions with machine-added punctuation; words left exactly as captioned.
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