This podcast is offered by the San Francisco Zen Center on the web at www.sfzc.org. Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. You all are quite a sight, actually. There's a lot of you. I'm very glad you're here. And I'm very happy that children are here. So I have a story today, and you may have heard this story, but you may not have heard this story. And it's a Native American story, and it's called The Story of Jumping Mouse. The Story of Jumping Mouse. And here's a picture of Jumping Mouse. So I know the kids probably can see this. I don't know if the adults can. Are the lights all the way up back there? Turn them a little, thank you. Whoops, the other one. Let me down on me.

[01:00]

Thank you. Maybe a little bit up on me. Maybe they can see a little bit better. Is that Phil? Could you turn the note just to 10? Is that better? Okay. Louder? I'll try to talk louder too. All right, jumping mouse. Once there was a young mouse. See the young mouse? And he lived in the brush near a great river. During the day, he and the other mice hunted for food. At night, they gathered to hear the old ones tell stories. The young mouse liked to hear about the desert beyond the river. And he got shivers from the stories about the dangerous shadows that lived in the sky. What do you think the dangerous shadows that lived in the sky are? Anybody guesses down here? Birds. What kind of birds? Birds. Like little parakeets? No. What do you think? Sorry?

[02:02]

You think they're plants? But what kind of birds might they be? What do you think? Yeah, like eagles or hawks or things to eat mice might be scary. But his favorite story, do you know what his favorite story was? It was the story of the far-off land. The far-off land sounded so wonderful, the young mouse began to dream about it. So he would go to sleep at night and start dreaming about it, and he knew he just had to go there. And the old mouse said, no, no, no, it'll be too hard, you can't do that. But he said, no, I really have to do it. So early one morning, before the sun came up, all by himself, he set off to find the far-off land. He walked all day, and finally, just before it got dark, he reached the edge of the brush, and before him was the river. He finally got to the river, and on the other side was the desert. The young mouse peered into the deep water. How will I ever get across, he thought.

[03:04]

And just then he heard a voice say, Don't you know how to swim? The young mouse looked around, and he saw a small green frog. Hello, he said. What is swim? This is swimming, said the frog, and she jumped into the river. Oh, said the young mouse, I don't think I can do that. Why do you need to cross the river, asked the frog, hopping back up the bank. I want to go to the far-off land, said the young mouse. It sounds too beautiful to live a lifetime and not see it. In that case, you need my help. I'm Magic Frog. You are you. I'm a mouse, said the young mouse. Magic Frog laughed. That's not a name. I'll give you a name that will help you on your journey. I name you Jumping Mouse. As soon as Magic Frog said this, the young mouse felt a strange tingling in his hind legs.

[04:08]

He hopped a small hop, and to his surprise, jumped twice as high as he'd ever jumped before. Thank you, he said, admiring his powerful new legs. You're welcome, said Magic Frog. Now step onto this leaf, and we'll cross the river together. I don't know if you can see this. Can you see the frog? Oops, sorry, everybody over here. This is the frog, and this is like a leaf. And this is the mouse. And so he's pushing, the mouse can't swim, so he's pushing the mouse on the leaf. When they were on the other side, magic frog said, you will encounter hardships. A lot of things will be hard on your way, but don't give up. You will reach the far off land if you keep hope alive within you. So jumping mouse set off at once. And he hopped from bush to bush, and he saw the shadows. Remember the shadows circling above? But he kept going. He was really careful.

[05:08]

He kept going and going. And then finally, after days, he thought he'd never get there. And finally, he gets to the edge of the desert. But right at the edge of the desert, there is a stream. And right at the stream, he meets another mouse, except it's sort of a fat old mouse who's been there a while. And he says, what strange legs do you have, said the old mouse. They were a gift from Magic Frog when she named me, said Jumping Mouse proudly. Oh, said the fat mouse, what good are they? He says, they've helped me come this far across the desert, and with luck they'll carry me to the far-off land. But now I'm very tired. May I rest here for a while? Indeed you may, said the fat mouse. In fact, you can stay forever. So here's the young mouse, and here's the old mouse. He's been there a long time under the very bush. says, thank you, but I'll only stay till I'm rested. I've seen the far-off land in my dreams, and I must be on my way as soon as I'm able.

[06:13]

He says, dream, says the old mouse. I used to have such dreams, but all I ever found was desert. Why go jumping about in the desert when everything everyone needs is right here? And the next day, the fat mouse warned him. He said, now stay on this side of the stream, because, because, A snake rose on the other side. But don't worry, he said. He's afraid of water, so he won't cross the stream. You're safe. So the young mouse sits under the berry bush. He eats a lot of berries. He's very happy, and he almost forgets. He almost forgets about his dream. And then one day, he looks in the river, and he's realizing he's getting kind of big and slow, too. And he realizes, uh-oh, I'd better get moving. And then he sees something that scares him. Do you know what he sees? The branch, a branch has fallen over the stream. Do you know what that means? Right.

[07:16]

That means the snake can get across the stream. So he runs really fast to hurry and warn his friend. But do you know what? He's not there. And do you know what he smells in the air with his strong nose? Snake. So he's like, ah. My poor friend, it was too late for him. He had his dreams, but he never made it. I better get out of here fast. So he heads out. And then he keeps going and going and going through the night. And then he sees something really big. It's so big he doesn't even know what it is. He thinks it's a rock. But then what he thinks is a rock goes, something like that. And he says, do you know what it is? It is a buffalo, a bison. And he says, He's kind of amazed at this, especially the sound. He shivered. He said, hello, great one. He's being brave. I'm a jumping mouse, and I'm traveling to the far-off land. Why do you lie here as if you were dying? Because I am dying, said the bison.

[08:19]

I drank from a poison stream, and it blinded me. I can't see to find tender grass to eat or sweet water to drink. I surely will die. Jumping Mouse was so sad to see him so helpless. And he said, when I began my journey, Magic Thaw gave me a new name and strong legs to carry me to the far-off land. My magic isn't as powerful as hers, but I'll do what I can to help you. I name you Eyes of a Mouse. As soon as he had spoken, Jumping Mouse heard the bison snort with joy. What do you think it sounds like for a bison to snort with joy? Want to try it? Yeah, that's really good. I'm not a very good snorter. Yeah, anyway, he's big. He snores with joy very loudly, I think. And then Jumping Mouse was happy to see this, except he couldn't see anymore. Because by wishing his sight to the bison, he lost his own sight. He says, thank you, said Eyes of a Mouse.

[09:21]

You are small, but you have done a great thing. If you hop along beneath me, the shadows of the sky won't see you, and I'll take you to the mountains. So here's the bison, and here's the tiny little mouse hopping on underneath. Finally, they get to the mountains, and he says, how will you manage? You can't see. He says, there will be a way. And he keeps going, he keeps going, and then if he can't see, he's hop, [...] and then he feels something, and then he feels fur, and he's terrified, because do you know what it is? It's a wolf. And he thinks, well, a wolf, it's not very hard for a wolf to go off. And that's the end of the mouse, right? And he says, finally, nothing happens. And he says, excuse me, can you tell me the way? I would if I could, said the wolf. But a wolf finds his way with his nose, and mine will no longer smell. He says, what happened? I was proud and lazy. I misused my gift, and I lost it.

[10:23]

And now I cannot survive. I'm lying here waiting for the end. And he's saddened. And he says, you know what? I'm going to name you Nose of a Mouse. Guess what happens? The wolf howls with joy. Can you howl? Can you guess why he's howling? Why is he howling? Because he can smell again. But what about Jumping Mouse? He can't smell anymore. So he says, how will you manage? He says, there will be a way. And he hop, [...] and he goes to sleep. And then he wakes up the next morning and he crawls out of his hole. And this is very important. It's a quiet part, but it's a very important part of the journey. So he crawls out and he says, he can't, no, he can't. I feel the earth underneath my paws. I hear the leaves rustling in the wind. I feel the sun warming my bones.

[11:24]

All is not lost, but I'll never be as I was. How will I ever manage? And Jumping Mouse began to cry. Jumping Mouse, he heard a gravelly voice say, Magic Frog, is that you? Jumping Mouse asked, swallowing his tears. Jumping, there's the frog. And he says, yes, says magic frog. Don't cry, jumping mouse. Your unselfish spirit has brought you great hardship, but it is the same spirit of hope and compassion that has brought you to the far off land. You have nothing to fear, jumping mouse. You see the frog in jumping mouse? And then he says, jump high, jumping mouse. commanded the frog, and he jumps really high with his high jumping legs.

[12:27]

Jumping Mouse did as he was told and jumped as high as he could. Then he felt the air lifting him higher still into the sky. He stretched out his paws in the sun and felt strangely powerful. To his joy, he began to see the wondrous beauty of the world above and below and to smell, he gets his eyes and nose back, the scent of earth and sky and living beings. Jumpy Mouse, he heard the magic frog call. I give you a new name. You are now called Eagle. you will live in the far-off land forever. So, I think you all are going to get a chance to go and maybe be still and feel, maybe feel where you're sitting, feel what it feels like inside.

[13:33]

And do you know what I think? I think you all are small, but I think you can do great things. And I also think that each and every one of you has an eagle inside. So when you go and you sit quietly, see if you can feel the eagle inside of you. Okay. Thank you. Oh, I was asked to say one thing, which is, before all the parents leave, October 16th, there's a family day. It's your happy birthday. Oh, good. Happy birthday. Maybe you can come celebrate. And I think they need a few more sign-ups to make it happen. So if you're on the fence or you didn't know about it, sign up soon. I think Nancy knows about it or it's in the office or on the website. Okay. Thank you. Thank you.

[14:41]

Thank you. You're welcome. Bye-bye. Have a good time. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. How do you talk like that? I would make it loud and a special little magic. I see it. It's right there. It's very cool. There are a few more seats open in the front if anyone wants to come up. Did you all like that story?

[15:48]

I like that story. Yeah, I like that story. And as with most children's stories, I think we often have the suspicion that they're not just for children. I think this is a very important question, this hearing, this voice. that calls us to respond, to move outside of what's known and comfortable and what everybody else is doing. What is it hearing that voice? And you could ask yourselves also something, perhaps not easy to name, brought Everybody here, out of their comfortable homes, situations, driving down a windy road for a wet day by the beach, what brought you here?

[16:59]

What was that, what was it that you heard sometime this morning or last week that said, okay, yeah, I'm actually gonna get in the car and go? You might not even know that something In another version of this story that I found, the young mouse is with the other mice, and they're all very busy, as many people are very busy, nose to the ground, taking care of things. And the young mouse, he hears this noise somewhere in the background, and he says, what's that? And they're like, what are you talking about? We don't hear anything. He's like, no, no, no, there's something back there. What is it? No, no, no, just get busy. Keep doing what you were doing. But he hears something, and what he hears is the river, the sound of the river back there. And the other mice have never been to the river, so they don't know what he's talking about. But there's something compelling enough for the young mouse to go check it out.

[18:03]

And in this other version of the story, he meets a guy, a raccoon, who helps him and says, this is a river. And then he falls in. And when he comes back to the other mice, he goes, there's a river, there's a river, there's a river. And they're, what are you talking about? And he's all wet. And they get really scared of him because they think he's been swallowed by an animal and spat out again. And he's all wet. There's something instructive in this too. Are we a little afraid that if we listen to this call of the river that something will change or our friends won't quite know how to deal with us anymore. So maybe we want to just keep doing what we're doing. One way to think about this sense of calling, there's a word called bodhicitta, kind of awakening or the rising of the mind of enlightenment.

[19:09]

And in A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, it says, Just as lightning illuminates the darkness of a cloudy night for an instant, by the power of the Buddha, occasionally people's minds are momentarily inclined towards merit. So we hear it for a second. Sometimes it's not very loud. And then do we listen? No, no, no, I've got to get back to what I'm doing. Just for a minute, like a flash of lightning. Where they say, vaguely, like the moon through ivy, So you see something. What is it? It's through the ivy, and it says a crescent at that, so it's not even a full moon. It's just like a little sliver of a moon, and it's kind of behind the ivy somewhere. But what is it? That feeling of what is it? Can we listen to it? The thing else I like about this story is that at a key moment, he follows, and in a key moment, he meets a guide, the magic frog.

[20:15]

I have a suspicion about magic frog, actually. I think magic frog might actually be an eagle in disguise. It's quite possible. That magic frog gives him a name, gives him a new name. This is an ancient tradition. This at the moment of stepping forth into listening to that call to find a guide and to be given a new name. And we can try to name ourselves. That can have a certain power. But there's some part of us that yearns to be seen by another, to have our potential seen, recognized, called out, named you. I see this in you. Here is your new name. Me, really? I know also in the Christian tradition, I need someone here who was named Emmanuel.

[21:20]

And I never asked him, but I always thought that that was actually a name given to him when he was in the monastery as a Christian. Emmanuel. It opens up our potential. Something is being left behind. Something is opening. And as a little research experiment, this morning I went around and started asking people about their Dharma names. We have a wonderful ritual ceremony here, process, passage, called Receiving the Precepts, or Jukai. And as part of that, you say, yes, this is how I want to live. I want to take refuge in Buddha. I want to be good. I want to live in a way that's ethical and helpful. I want to live this true potential that I myself can only barely see at this point, perhaps. And you do this publicly. And you have a guide, you have a teacher. So in every stitch you say, I take refuge in Buddha, I take refuge in Buddha, I take refuge in Buddha.

[22:26]

And then in this public ceremony, you are given a new name and you don't know what it's going to be ahead of time. So it's a gift. It's someone saying, I see this in you. So in my breakfast research this morning, Sometimes people use their Japanese names, but not very often do we use the English equivalent. So we hear it once in the ceremony, and we think, oh yeah, that's just right. And then we forget. So what are people called? What is that potential there that someone saw? So here are just a few, given by Sun-centered teachers to their students. One is courageous word, liberating heart. Jade Bridge, Complete Tranquility. Sacred River Valley, Endless Compassion. And usually it has two parts, so they'll go together.

[23:27]

Autumn Hearth, Pure Devotion. Blue Phoenix, Accord Vow. Meadow Dawn, Unfold Wholeness. Jewel Stillness, Fearless Heart. oceanic sound, deep compassion. People amongst you have these names, that someone saw in them these potentials. And I was talking this morning with, and I asked if I could say this, and she said this, I was talking with Meadow Dawn Unfold Wholeness this morning, and I asked her if there was a part of the name that resonated with her particularly. And she said, unfold wholeness. But I'm not ready for that one yet. So sometimes the first one's a little bit more particular to the personality.

[24:30]

There's one way to think of it. And then the second part is this potential that opens up, that someone sees. So to be named unfold wholeness, unfolding without limit in wholeness. Oh, me? You know. Can I accept that? Can I live up to that? Not yet. I won't do it, but not yet. Or the name I was given at priest ordination is bright pearl embracing life. Embracing life. Do I embrace life? How many ways am I held back? How many ways do I hesitate? Yet, that lives in me. That was given to me. Can't give it back. I don't want to give it back. Couldn't give it back even if I wanted to. You receive a new name that has potential. So I like that the frog pushes him along on a leaf.

[25:30]

It's like a raft getting across the river. And the Dharma is often talked about like that. That it's a raft getting to the other shore. All of this is our raft. There's this amazing teaching that survived in various forms over millennia. There's this zendo, we come together. It's amazingly helpful, and we're amazingly lucky that it's here. Sometimes I teach awareness, presence, mindfulness, in other kinds of settings that aren't Buddhist settings, that aren't particularly practiced settings. So I'll go into a corporation, for example. And I'm trying to bring these various practices. And suddenly, this often happens when you're immersed in something and then you step outside it, you can see it more clearly. That's never happened to you. Things you didn't notice when you were in the middle. So suddenly I realized, oh, a place like this, a place like Tassajara, it's all set up to help you remember, right?

[26:32]

There are little Buddhas everywhere. There are bells. There's a Han going pop, pop. Pop, pop, pop, pop. Wake up, wake up, wake up. Come to the Zendo now, please. All these things, the schedule, other people, teachers, teaching. So when I'm working with someone in a different setting, like a corporate office building, it's much harder. We have to come up with things. Like, put a little post-it on your computer. Breathe. You know, say hello to someone in the hall who's also doing this. Walk slowly when you go to the bathroom, or at least a little bit more slowly so people don't think you're too weird. How do we get very creative to start bringing this awareness? But it's a kind of a sterile environment in that sense, that it's not all set up to support, which is perhaps one reason people go to a lot of trouble to extricate themselves from whatever life they're in to actually come to a place like this to have.

[27:34]

that support of a raft. And then there's the buried bush. So he sets out, a lot like Shakyamuni Buddha, if you remember the story of Shakyamuni Buddha, who had wealth, had luxury, was very, very comfortable. Everybody wanted him to stay there, become the next prince, ruler. said, it's too hard what you want to do. And just like the mouse, and these stories are from very different traditions, this is something human, this is some universal impulse, some calling, some hearing. He also sets out in the middle of the night before everyone's awake, because no one's going to support him to do this. He has to listen to it himself. I have to, I have to, I have to do this. And then the mouse gets to a berry bush and is very comfortable there.

[28:38]

So there's a danger point that he's set out, he's done all this effort, and then he could just sort of stay there and hang out and be very comfortable. And we may have our own version of the berry bush that we're hanging out under. What's our berry bush? The problem with the berry bush and this was the problem that Siddhartha Shakyamuni Buddha saw, was basically the snake always gets across the river. Always. You can sit there saying, oh, no, no, no, no. He's afraid of water. I'm safe. But you know, you know the snake always gets across the river, however many nice berries you have. however much nice shade, however comfortable it is, there's always underneath it that what if.

[29:39]

Not only what if, but it will. This is the basic thing that Shakyamuni Buddha saw and said, all right, I give this lifetime to get to the bottom of this. No excuses. No hanging out under the berry bush. Get to the bottom of it. People think Buddhism is about suffering. You know, first noble truth, suffering. Although, as you may have heard it often, there's discomfort, unsatisfactoriness, even if it's not outright suffering, just like, it's not that unease, that dis-ease, that like... But you hear it's about suffering, but it's really about happiness, right? That's the whole problem. The whole point isn't just to deal with suffering. It's so that, well, what's on the other side of suffering? Or what's under suffering? Or what's right in the middle of this unsatisfactoriness?

[30:42]

What happens if you get to the bottom of it? Ease. Joy. Happiness. Freedom. What are those things really? There's a song that's been going through my head, which I'm afraid I have to sing. You may have heard it. Enjoy yourself. It's lighter than you think. Enjoy yourself. You could be on the brink. Enjoy yourself. It's lighter than you think. Enjoy yourself. Enjoy yourself while you're still in the pink. And you might think, okay, this sounds like a song for an Epicurean rather than a Zen Buddhist, right? Those are philosophy. And maybe that's the philosophy of the old mouse who's kind of lost his dream. Well, Madison will enjoy the berries, right? We're here, enjoy the sunshine, enjoy the berries.

[31:44]

No problem. No problem. Except maybe the young mouse has a different sense of enjoyment. Something way back there when the old mice were telling him about the fall-off land, he thinks, that sounds so beautiful. It sounds so wonderful to be there. What's that deeper enjoyment? And also Dogen, 13th century founder of Soto-Josen in Japan, talks about the Dharma gate. The Dharma gate of repose and bliss. So sitting here in this quiet room, finding the Dharma gate of repose and bliss, he says it's like a dragon gaining the water.

[32:45]

You can imagine a dragon maybe lumbering around on land and suddenly plunging into the ocean. A sense of freedom, of movement. Or like a tiger taking to the mountains. Back to your true element. our true element. also in the story, that sense of generosity. What does it take for him to get to the far-off land, really? And is it so far off?

[33:47]

Where is our far-off land? Did you come here to find it, the far-off land? So in his quest, and this also is a universal story, the sense of venturing forth, leaving home, the hero's journey, going forth. In his quest, he does meet hardships. He meets a lot of scary situations, big beasts, a lot bigger than his. He could trample or eat mice. But he overcomes his fear. He lets his compassion carry him through his fear. And I was struck also in the story The creatures don't ask him for these things. They don't even know he's capable of bestowing them. Would you please give me your sight so I can see? They don't say that. He feels it in his own heart. I give this to you.

[34:53]

Whatever the cost. I'm not going to worry about the balance sheet of the cost to myself. This is my true heart's desire to give this to you. And then the perfections of the bodhisattva, the very first one that's recommended for someone starting to turn on this path is generosity. Yes, of course. Since he's not even trying to cultivate this, like, oh, I'm going to try really hard to be generous. It's just in the setting out, it naturally, in his true following of this quest, this calling, this seeing the moon, hearing the river, It arises. And he responds. Twice. And then in that wonderful moment, when he's pretty much given up, you know, all is not lost, but what's going to happen? And it's so wonderful for someone doing this practice to hear this being really present.

[36:02]

I'm just, I'm here. I feel the earth. I feel the sun. I'm present. And in that moment, somehow, the frog can come and say, you're in the promised land. You know, maybe it was like Dorothy all along, clicking her heels three times. It was possible, but she didn't know it. There are steps that have to be taken. It's always there. It's not actually like the eagle, the far off land is so far off. It's here. And. poem I found by Wendell Berry about fear.

[37:09]

Magic Frog says, you have nothing to fear, jumping mouse. Isn't that what we all want to hear? Have a wise person say, you have nothing to fear. Wendell Berry says, I go among trees and sit still. All my stirrings become quiet around me like circles on water. My tasks lie in their places where I left them, asleep like cattle. Then what is afraid of me, afraid of me, comes and lives with a while in my sight. What it fears in me leaves me, and the fear of me leaves it. It sings and I hear its song. Then what I am afraid of comes.

[38:13]

I live for a while in its sight. What I fear in it leaves it. And the fear of it leaves me. It sings and I hear its song. After days of labor, Mute in my consternation, I hear my song at last, and I sing it. As we sing, the day turns, the trees move. What I am afraid of comes. I live for a while in its sight.

[39:18]

What I fear in it leaves it, and the fear of it leaves me. It sings, and I hear its song. That's actually what we're all here for, is to learn that we don't have to be afraid and to help each other know that we don't have to be afraid. There's a wish to be a seeker, a call to be a seeker, to listen, and a call also, like Magic Frog, to be a helper. I got it. We're actually part and parcel. We go together. Being helped along the path and then turning to help someone.

[40:21]

All of us together. Thank you. Thank you for listening to this podcast offered by the San Francisco Zen Center. Our programs are made possible by the donations we receive. Please help us to continue to realize and actualize the practice of giving by offering your financial support. For more information, visit sfzc.org and click Giving. May we fully enjoy the Dharma.

[40:56]

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