Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

Root canal without anaesthetic

As told by Ajahn Brahm in How Do We Deal with Deeper Suffering | Ajahn Brahm | 5 June 2020

2 min read

Content note: do not imitate: refusing anaesthetic; names private people (Dr Chan and his son, captioned "Sing How")

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

And even telling that story, uh just you know, one of uh uh vice presidents years ago. I remember uh Sit Oh, now what was his name? Uh Dr. Chan. This was a time when we first opened this place up with um uh the Premier Gordon Reid. But anyway, his son, Sing How. Um it just happened that uh uh Dr. Chan, he was a uh a dentist. And his son had joined in the the uh family sort of trade as dentists. He started off like almost like being an apprentice, learning his stuff. And in those days, you had to work in these like free dental clinics. And there was one in North Perth. And I was just around the corner from our first Buddhist center in Back in Audley Street in North Perth. So when I needed some medical attention, I just went there even not really knowing him. Sort of you know, I was assigned to him as my dentist. And he had a look, and because I was a monk, he said, "Well, best one of your teeth is not really good. Best to do a root canal." So I guess to do a root canal. And I saw him about 2 or 3 months ago. He came to Bodhinyana Monastery. It was the anniversary of his mother's death, and she's in uh her ashes are in the wall of Bodhinyana Monastery. And I just happened to see him, and I went to say hello and just just hadn't seen him for years. He said, "Ah." And he said to his friend, "This is Ajahn Brahm, and I did his root canal when he was a young monk." And he said I was so impressed because he refused to take any any anesthetic. He said, "Even as he was doing my root canal without anesthetic, even though tears were coming out of my He said, "Ah, it's okay. It's only tears." And just have my root canal without anesthetic. And he asked me what type of like crown do you want on that root canal? I said, "Oh, the cheapest one. You know, no need to anything flashy or something." And apparently the cheapest one was gold. And monks aren't supposed to to own gold, especially on your teeth. So I said, "I can't take gold. It's It's wrong. It's It's against my precepts." He says, "Well, I have to give you the expensive one." So anyway, he didn't mind giving me the expensive one anyway cuz he was a Buddhist, and his I think his father helped out.

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 24:56 (to 27:35)

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

Young Ajahn Brahm had a root canal without anaesthetic, then asked for the cheapest crown, which turned out to be gold, which a monk can't own. He laughs that anaesthetic is mostly for the dentist's nerves. Please don't copy him. Pain is one thing; our reaction to it is where we have some choice. Be kind to what you feel.

In brief (our summary)

As a young monk at the first Perth centre in North Perth, Ajahn Brahm goes to a free dental clinic and is assigned a trainee dentist — the son of a former society vice-president, Dr Chan. He has a root canal and refuses the anaesthetic: 'It's okay, it's only tears.' Asked what crown he wants, he says the cheapest — which turns out to be gold, which a monk can't accept, so he has to be given the expensive one. Decades later the dentist meets him at Bodhinyana and tells his friend how impressed he was.

Teaching point

Physical pain is one thing; our reaction to it is where we have control.

When this story may help

  • dental treatment
  • medical procedures
  • fear of pain

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in How Do We Deal with Deeper Suffering | Ajahn Brahm | 5 June 2020 · 2020-06-05 · ▶ watch from 24:56 to 27:35 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions with machine-added punctuation; words left exactly as captioned. 'sunny root canal' as captioned; 'Gordon Reid' (then Governor? named as 'the Premier' in captions — probably Governor Gordon Reid) — verify; 'Audley Street' 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

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