Being Mindful Stories

Story · Ajahn Brahm

The monk they cremated

As told by Ajahn Brahm in Happiness and Wanting | Ajahn Brahm | 24 February 2023

1 min read

Content note: sutta source not named in the talk (probably Ven. Sañjīva, MN 50 — verify); followed by a joke about checking monks before cremation

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

There was this monk who was meditating in the forest and then these two villagers came past and they saw him is meditating so still they couldn't even see him breathing. They took one look at him and thought, "Oh my goodness, this venerable monk is dead." That's one of the problems there. Why monks please don't go and nuns don't go meditating in the forest by yourself in some countries because you might end up like this monk ended up there were you know devout Buddhist so they thought we can't leave this monk to be eaten by the jungle animals that's disrespectful we're in the forest anyway there's lots of wood around so they got lots of wood together and they made a funeral p And they put this venerable monk on top. They didn't know much chanting, but they did whatever chanting they knew. Wouldn't you do that for me if I was meditating family just sitting there so still in the forest? You check the pass, there's no pass or whatever. A bomb's dead. They put this mark on top of this funeral p. They lit it. And once the flames were strong enough, they realized, you know, just the job's done. Now the flames will look after the rest. And they were busy people. You know, you don't have much time in your life, do you? So many things you have to do. So having lit the fire, flames were very strong. So they went off to collect some mushrooms or whatever. And you can imagine what they felt when the following morning that monk walked in the village for his arms round. Not even his robes were charred, fully alert and alive.

▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 29:12 (to 31:16)

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

Villagers found a monk sitting so still they thought him dead, cremated him, and next morning watched him walk in for alms with his robes unscorched. Ajahn Brahm adds his advice: don't rush any monk to the crematorium. Behind the humour is the point that a deeply still mind is untouched by what happens to the body.

In brief (our summary)

From the suttas: villagers find a monk meditating in the forest so still he doesn't seem to breathe. Thinking him dead, and not wanting animals to eat him, they build a funeral pyre, lay him on it, chant what they know, light it and go off. The next morning the monk walks into the village on alms round, not even his robes charred.

Teaching point

In deep meditation the five senses shut down so completely that the body seems dead — and the mind is untouched.

When this story may help

Themes

Source & credit

Told by Ajahn Brahm in Happiness and Wanting | Ajahn Brahm | 24 February 2023 · 2023-02-24 · ▶ watch from 29:12 to 31:16 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia

2 other tellings of this story

Caption notes: YouTube auto-captions (machine-punctuated); words left exactly as captioned. 'funeral p' = funeral pyre; 'mark' = monk; 'arms round' = alms round.

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

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