# Waving from the stretch limo

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-stretch-limo-baby-funeral
- Themes: status, funerals, grief, humour
- Life situations: death of a baby, funeral arrangements, status symbols

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

A Buddhist family's first child, born with complications, dies after a few months despite the doctors' best efforts. The parents are too upset to attend, so they ask Ajahn Brahm to ride alone with the tiny casket to the crematorium and chant, and hire a stretch limo to send their child off in the best way. At every traffic light people peer in to see who has two uniformed chauffeurs — they can't see the little coffin, only the monk, so he waves regally.

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

I went into a stretch limo once you know the occasion I was in the back of a stretch limo because part of being a monk doing funeral services and it's the only time I've been in a limo because what actually happened it was it was a sad occasion because this family of Buddhists you know the first child you know died you know was born with complications and after a few months they tried their very best the doctors gave 100% ENT trying to keep this kid alive but you know sometimes it doesn't work so the child died and the parents they were just too upset actually to go to the funeral service so they asked me can I just go uh with the casket you know to the um pratorum and just do a little bit of bush chanting and just me myself the two funeral directors and the coffin and of course you know they wanted to send their kid off in the best possible way so they hired a stretch limo for it so there was like you know have you ever been in a stretch there most huge car and this these two seats like facing each other so you know in the front was the little coffin which was only a tiny thing no one could see that and I was in the back and these two uniform drivers were in the front and so every time we stopped the traffic lights this was about made 20 years ago when the first stretch lios came people actually you know look through the window to see who was this guy with two uniform chauffeurs in a stretch limo and of course when they look through the window they couldn't see the coffin they could just see me so I waved regally everybody

## Teaching point

(Told against the status motive for big cars: the only time he rode in a limo.)

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

Riding alone with a baby's tiny coffin in a stretch limo, Ajahn Brahm saw strangers peering in at the lights, so he waved regally. Even in grief there was a moment of play. His only limo ride led him to ask why we want big cars and houses at all. Mostly it's worry about what others think; a small home is easier to clean.

## Source

- [Motivation | Ajahn Brahm | 08-07-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90afts4S6aw) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 5:31 to 7:12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90afts4S6aw&t=331s

Other tellings of this story:

- [A Thousand Petalled Lotus | Ajahn Brahm | 26 March 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk0X3ufzFxs) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 13:08 to 13:49: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk0X3ufzFxs&t=788s