# Tarantula tickly feet — spider monk

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-tarantula-tickly-feet
- Themes: humour, forest life, fear, meditation
- Life situations: forest life, fear

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Forest hut: looks forward to tarantulas falling on him; tickly feet running over him for a month with no TV. Kids say a bite would make him spider-monk, not Spiderman.

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

they had such tickly feet they were tickly and so once they fall on you they'd run all over you and that took a month who didn't have a TV no uh entertainment like to anula you know hour was kind of enter entertaining you learn to see things in a different way and that's what Buddhism told me and because I wasn't scared I was looking forward to it of course they never bit you and even if they did what would happen if a tarantula bit you apparently these days so kids told me you get superpowers you don't become Spiderman you become spider monk

## Teaching point

Fear flips to entertainment when you stop wanting safety more than wonder.

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

In his forest hut, Ajahn Brahm looked forward to tarantulas dropping on him; with no TV, their tickly feet were the entertainment. They never bit. Children told him a bite would make him Spider-Monk. Buddhism taught him to see things differently. When fear turns into curiosity, even spiders become company.

## Source

- [Why I Became a Monk | Ajahn Brahm | 28 March 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-U28g_SVuc) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 32:59 to 33:53: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-U28g_SVuc&t=1979s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Overcoming Phobias | Ajahn Brahm | 07-03-2014](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGpMWuvnlVg) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 8:38 to 9:04: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGpMWuvnlVg&t=518s
- [Guided Meditation | Ajahn Brahm | 18 February 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12jTLXDddZk) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 15:36 to 16:18: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12jTLXDddZk&t=936s