# Falling off a Scottish cliff, his life flashed by

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-scotland-cliff-life-flashed
- Themes: death, uncertainty, Scotland, youth
- Life situations: near miss, facing mortality

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

At 19, walking alone in Scotland with a heavy pack, he stepped off an eroded sheep track and fell down a cliff; his life flashed before him. He landed after what felt endless — it was only about three metres — and lost a toe.

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

when I fell over a cliff once I have mentioned that other times, real, I thought that cliff was about 100 feet. I thought I was a dead man because you fall over a cliff, 100 foot I turned about, I had really old backpack in the 1960s 1970 or something So anyway just facing this cliff, I go down down down down I thought 'this is it, I am death' And then just managed to automatically bend my legs, roll over looked up and that cliff was only about 10 foot

## Teaching point

In crisis, time stretches and what matters rises unbidden; you cannot fake that.

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

Hiking alone in Scotland at nineteen, Ajahn Brahm stepped off an eroded track and fell. Time stretched and his life flashed before him; it turned out to be a three-metre drop and a lost toe. Such moments can't be faked or planned for. How we live shapes what rises up then. Live well now.

## Source

- [Word of the Buddha (part 10) | Ajahn Brahm | 25 February 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ5oZOLYrEg) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:01:21 to 1:01:57: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ5oZOLYrEg&t=3681s

Other tellings of this story:

- [The Pure Land | Ajahn Brahm | 08-01-2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWZ4umyhHA8) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 9:22 to 11:17: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWZ4umyhHA8&t=562s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 20 May 2017](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7M-NI6sZGY) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:18:00 to 1:18:43: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7M-NI6sZGY&t=4680s