# “Your meditation can't be that good”

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-serpentine-doctor-monks-always-here
- Themes: health, meditation, humour
- Life situations: illness, doubting meditation

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

At the Serpentine doctor's surgery a monk sees an advert for another meditation group and suggests the doctor's people come to theirs instead. The reply: your meditation group can't be that good — you monks are always coming into this surgery.

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

I think one of the monks was visiting the uh the local doctor in Serpentine. And when they were visiting that local doctor in Serpentine, they saw an advert there for a meditation group in Serpentine. Not our group, but another group. And he said, "Well, why don't you come to our meditation group?" And he said, "Well, your meditation group can't be that good because you monks are always coming into this surgery for help from the doctor.

## Teaching point

(Self-deprecating opener to a talk on mind and health.)

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

Monks inviting the Serpentine doctor's patients to meditate were told their group couldn't be much good, since they were always in the surgery. Ajahn Brahm tells it against his own team before talking about mind and health. Being able to laugh at yourself is a good sign of health already.

## Source

- [Our Mind and Our Health | Ajahn Brahm | 7 July 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irCk-DJXisM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:46 to 2:18: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irCk-DJXisM&t=106s