# The executive who slept for three days

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-sydney-executive-slept-three-days
- Themes: rest, kindness to oneself, meditation, letting go
- Life situations: burnout, starting a retreat, overwork

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

On a retreat in Sydney many years ago, an executive arrived at 11:30 at night after tying up loose ends at work. Told in her first interview that most people are tired and that she should be kind to herself and sleep as much as she wanted, she took it to heart: she slept before and after every meal for two or three days and hardly meditated. Then she felt healthy and full of energy; over the next three days she got into her meditation and caught up with everyone, and in the last days she became one of the star meditators with really deep meditation.

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

the classic story many many years ago teaching a retreat in Sydney and an executive you know from some big company in Sydney she arrived really late about 11:30 at night because you had to try and tie up all the Loose Ends before she could arrive at The Retreat so she arrived in the middle of the night so she missed the evening talk and when I sort of uh she asked for quick interview in the morning when I told her this that most people are tired so to practice your kindness and take as much sleep as you want she really took that advice on board she went straight back to bed got up for lunch after lunch went to sleep again she got up in the morning just before breakfast after breakfast went to bed got up for lunch went to bed again afterwards she said for the first two or three days she slept and slept and slept she was just catching up after 3 days she had hardly done any meditation at all but you felt so good as you do do when you really caught up on your sleep I really feel got energy now I feel healthy and then the next three days you know she started to get into her meditation and she caught up with everybody else so by the sixth day she was on a par with all the other people and of course the last few days she just took off she was one of the star meditators really got some really deep meditation and I used her courage and wisdom as an example for all others

## Teaching point

You can't meditate deeply with a tired body; rest first, kindly, and the depth comes.

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

An executive arrived at retreat late at night, took Ajahn Brahm's advice to sleep as much as she liked, and dozed between meals for three days. Then she caught up and became one of the star meditators. You can't go deep on an exhausted body. Even the Buddha ate and rested first. Be kind to your body.

## Source

- [2. Letting Go in Meditation - Ajahn Brahm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk3jZskZU6c) (BSWA Retreats 2011-15 & Media) — watch from 24:48 to 26:41: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk3jZskZU6c&t=1488s

Other tellings of this story:

- [1 Introduction to Meditation - 9 Day Jhana Grove Retreat Oct/Nov 2012](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JSo75D-aRI) (BSWA Retreats 2011-15 & Media) — watch from 6:08 to 8:09: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JSo75D-aRI&t=368s
- [2023 April (3/19) | 9 day Retreat | Ajahn Brahm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPllNABzV_A) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 1:12:46 to 1:14:41: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPllNABzV_A&t=4366s
- [1. Happy To Be Here - November 2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jybf_72fzxQ) (BSWA Retreats 2011-15 & Media) — watch from 39:16 to 41:12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jybf_72fzxQ&t=2356s