Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

Sudhamma's flood jhāna and the laser eyes

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Word of the Buddha (Part 1) | Ajahn Brahm | 27 November 2016

1 min read

Content note: paranormal claim; named deceased monk; royalty

The story — as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

And I was talking in the retreat recently a really juicy psychic power which I never saw myself but the person who told me it I trust implicitly she was actually a Princess in the Thai Royal family a really good friend. She married a guy who went to the same school as I did so basically she started getting involved in meditation because of the western monks and she went to a meditation class every week in Wat Pho that's one of the big monasteries in Central Bangkok that's been taught by this Indonesian monk who I knew He is now dead, his name was Sudhamma he did have powers. you could actually feel that He told me about his experiences He was the one who got into a deep Jhana in the Javan Jungle and after about 7 or 8 days there was a flood he got totally submerged didn't know anything about it So he had really great powers but imagine this happening on a Saturday afternoon you feel there is something weird going on so you open your eyes and take a peak and this is what this Princess did opened her eyes to take a peak and she swore to me absolutely honestly she saw rays of light coming out of this monk into one of the people meditating Real laser eyes That's pretty cool Shall we say one of the monks here to do that we wouldn't do that because once you tell people we'll be taken off to the lab and all sorts of experiments. we'll be just like a laboratory rat from then on to the rest of our lives being experimented on But that's actually true a monk developed the laser eyes that's really cool So there are such things as psychic powers

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 59:28 (to 1:01:20)

A reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

A trusted friend told Ajahn Brahm she once peeked during meditation and saw light streaming from her teacher's eyes. The same monk had sat so deep in jungle meditation that a flood covered him unnoticed. Ajahn Brahm finds it cool, then moves on quickly. Wonders are interesting. Peace and kindness are the point.

In brief (our summary)

A Thai princess friend (married to a man from Brahm's school) told him about Indonesian monk Sudhamma at Wat Pho: after 7–8 days in deep jhāna in the Javan jungle a flood submerged him unnoticed. One Saturday afternoon she peeked during a Bangkok meditation class and swore she saw rays of light — 'laser eyes' — coming from the monk into a meditator. Brahm says he trusts her and that Sudhamma (now dead) had powers.

Teaching point

Even striking psychic episodes are treated lightly; they are not the point of the path.

When this story may help

  • hearing extraordinary claims
  • meditation experiences

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Word of the Buddha (Part 1) | Ajahn Brahm | 27 November 2016 · 2016-11-27 · ▶ watch from 59:28 to 1:01:20 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

3 other tellings of this story

Caption notes: Manual (volunteer) captions; occasional misspellings kept as is.

The narrative is Ajahn Brahm's own telling, quoted from the talk captions. The summary and reflection are Being Mindful Stories's editorial notes. Please credit the teacher and link the original talk. Markdown version

  • A terrible retreat — he only got the first jhāna

    In brief: A retreatant complains his retreat is terrible because he can only reach the first jhāna, not the second. Ajahn Brahm: one jhāna is more…

    Read full story

    this guy who came up to me once and said he's having a terrible retreat. He can only get into the first genre. He can't get into the second. This is crazy stuff. If you know what the jas are, there's deep meditation. You're blissing out. Just one janna is more than good enough

    Open story page·Watch this telling

  • She sat all night in the stupa

    In brief: On a Hong Kong and Indonesian retreat, a woman begins sitting on the stupa floor in the evening and is still there in the morning. Others…

    Read full story

    this lady she started she was in the evening she started meditating on the floor of the stupa. And she just carried on all night. And then other people saw her. It was cold so they put a blanket around her. She never responded. And they know that you're meditating I describe these things to them or they knew exactly what was happening what to do. But then they came in the morning they said they shouted at her come on it's time to go for breakfast we're leaving today we've got a big ceremony first. And she didn't respond. So I told them don't call any ambulance just go back there and instead of shouting at her tell her very softly and very kindly Ajahn Brahm asked you to come to the main hall. Just once. And about half an hour later she appeared in the main hall and said you asked me to come here. I said yes. You know we've got to get ready to actually to go today. And so do you want a breakfast? She said no. Listen I said can I carry on meditating

    Open story page·Watch this telling

  • The meditator taken to hospital as dead

    In brief: A member of the Perth community meditates so deeply at home that his wife finds no signs of life; paramedics and hospital doctors find a…

    Read full story

    this was a person who got into such a deep meditation at home I'll tell it very briefly that his wife was concerned he died and so called the ambulance and it got taken to S Charles Garden the hospital it was on a weekend he was just an ordinary person meditating in his bedroom he was meditating for too long and his wife checked him up could find no signs of life so call the ambulance ambulance could find no signs of life so took him to Charlie Gardner's hospital where they put ECG and EEG on him both were flat the guy had died at least so the instrument said now ECG there was no heartbeat for long time EEG no brain activity the brain was not working and he was just in a meditation I told the story elsewhere so I won't elaborate on it after giving him defibrillators and many electric shocks nothing worked but eventually he came out of his meditation he just decided I've had enough now I come out just like you do and as soon as he came out of meditation both machines worked perfectly ECG and EEG started beeping in the proper way and he felt fine he just wondered what the hell he was doing in hospital he was in his bedroom and gave him a quick uh uh sort of check over the doctor nothing wrong with the guy so he actually went home he walked home and obviously didn't live that far away from s charar g Hospital in Netherlands he walked back home he was that fit but during that whole time he was perfectly alert perfectly conscious but not of his uh body or his surroundings he was deep inside so he's having a wonderful time one of the best experiences of his life

    Open story page·Watch this telling

  • The most beautiful thing in the toilet bowl

    In brief: On one retreat Ajahn Brahm's mind is so still and full of energy that everything looks beautiful. After going to the toilet he glances…

    Read full story

    And that was the story of when This is really over the top, but it's beautiful. That when during one retreat, I was getting some very very deep meditation. My mind was just so still and peaceful and just so much energy that whatever you saw was just so beautiful and joyful. That's just the nature of things. You're so still, you see so much more. And I am a human being, just everybody has to do the same. I had to go to the toilet. And after going to the toilet, I just happened to glance into the bowl to see its contents. Wow. That is so beautiful. I'd never in my whole life seen such a beautiful piece of The browns, they're not just one brown. Next time you go, have a look. It's not just one brown. It's all different shades of brown. And just the way they are just arranged together like some Picasso. And the way it's just covered with this beautiful film of, you know, a little bit of mucus and water. And it shines like a diamond, you know, in the sunshine. It was sparkling. And the fragrance, my goodness. It always makes people laugh. But that's actually a true story. If you'd have been there in the cubicle next to me, you'd probably call for the guys in the white coats to take this crazy bug cuz I was really getting off on this beautiful piece of turd. And the reason why cuz my mind had opened up, and it was beautiful. You know, it was one of the hardest things I did, but I'm used to letting go. Press the button and see it fall away. I wanted to take it out, take it home with me.

    Open story page·Watch this telling

All stories·Find a story for your situation