# I've been waiting for you for hours — get out

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-spooky-cave-ghost-get-out
- Themes: ghosts, courage, tudong, humour
- Life situations: facing fear, solitary overnight

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Five years a monk, walking without lifts, Ajahn Brahm asks Ajahn Suwat for a cave toward Sakon Nakhon and is warned of a ghost that drove monks mad. A villager leaves him at a spooky cave with spring, old Buddha, bench and a deeper human skeleton. He meditates eagerly; no ghost. About 10pm as he lies down something runs at him — he scolds it for coming late and tells it to get out.

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

So, I had my great chance when I was only just 5 years as a monk, and had the opportunity to go walking through Thailand with everything I owned on my back, sleeping out, going to any sort of village for alms round in the morning, getting enough to eat, maybe just some rice, but nothing. But, I was well fed. And I stayed in a monastery. It was a Wat Tham Seua Khao. And so, at that time, Ajahn Suwat was the abbot of that monastery. It was quite a well-known monastery. I went there for the the full moon day. And afterwards, I was time to go. I had a resolution I would walk. I wouldn't take any lifts to go anywhere. And I asked the head monk, "Is there any nice caves on my journey halfway between where I was and going to the town of Sakon Nakhon?" He said, "Yes, there is a cave, but be careful. Because he said there was a ghost in that cave. And some monks have gone mad staying in that cave too long." And now this was a senior monk told me this. And so I had no doubt he was telling the truth. So I said, "Yes. I'm going to meet a ghost the next night told to me by a very senior Thai monk, Ajahn Suwat Thamsatika." So I managed to find that cave. And it was a spooky cave. The one of the villagers took me to the cave. There was a beautiful spring outside, lovely water. And inside the cave, there was an old bench which you could lay down on. There was a very, very, very old Buddha statue there. And the villager told me that deeper in the cave, there was a skeleton, a human skeleton. And then it was getting dark, so the villager didn't explain much more. He went back to his his house and left me there in the spooky cave with a skeleton and a reputation of a ghost who drove monks mad in the dark all night. And I was very excited. Okay, come on, ghosts. So I meditated there and meditated and meditate and meditate. No ghost came. That's really disappointing. I was expecting the ghost. It never came. So maybe about 10:00 or something at night, I'd been walking all day. I lay down. It's in the dark, pitch black. And as soon as I lay down, something ran towards me. It was a ghost. Came to see me. You know what I replied? I said, "I've been waiting for you for hours, and now you decide to come. Get out." And I said to the ghost, I chased it away. I think ghosts should be more respectful to monks. And be more polite. Been waiting for you, and now you come and I just want to go to sleep. Get out of here. That's true story. So that was the end of that ghost.

## Teaching point

Courage and a scolding can end a haunting that fear would feed.

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

Young Ajahn Brahm eagerly waited all evening in a haunted cave beside a skeleton. Nothing came, until he lay down at ten and something rushed at him. You're late, he scolded; get out. That was the end of it. Courage starves fear. Kindness and a bright mind can transform even the darkest places.

## Source

- [Buddhism and Ghosts | Ajahn Brahm | 10 March 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9fga9-6vFM) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 29:13 to 33:16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9fga9-6vFM&t=1753s