# The ghost who kept playing practical jokes

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-scottish-ghost-practical-jokes
- Themes: ghosts, humour, friendship
- Life situations: grief with humour, paranormal claims

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

A Scottish man's mate promises that after death he will still play practical jokes; in the English friend's house a pot plant and other tricks convince the visitor the ghost is real.

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

I'm going to still play practical jokes on you and he did and so this house had this ghost we always playing practical jokes even to the point this guy went to work one day the guy who survived the F who survived and all this furniture from the front room was in the garden when he came back to work and it's all it's him again and so this guy the um the Scottish guy who was visiting they're talking about this and he said I don't believe in ghosts said really I see if I can get him to do something for you and they're just having coffee on the coffee table and there was a pot plant

## Teaching point

Even death, in this telling, does not stop a sense of humour between friends.

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

A man promised to keep playing practical jokes after he died. Later a sceptical visitor watched three leaves fly off a pot plant and stack perfectly on the coffee table, then fled to his car. He grins as he tells it, so make of it what you will. If friendship and humour can last that long, let's practise them now.

## Source

- [Buddhism and alien abductions | by Ajahn Brahm | 24 April 2015](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLvNFS1VCNU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 15:05 to 15:44: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLvNFS1VCNU&t=905s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Meaning of Rites and Rituals | Ajahn Brahm | 18 May 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyIL3R0o-Jc) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 19:58 to 21:59: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyIL3R0o-Jc&t=1198s