The Fast Path - Shiva's experiences studying with Rama, Dr Frederick Lenz

Chapter 30 - Jumpy

I had a large apartment in Mount Kisco, New York that I shared with my son Lonnie. During this time I met a most strange, yet wonderful person, Chaz.

Chaz was a Rama student, and like so many gifted people, he had a somewhat eccentric side. Whenever the subject of rats came up, Chaz would begin an excited dissertation on how misunderstood they were and what great pets they made. He would speak in disgust at the thought of hamsters.

"Hamsters are so stupid that they could never be good pets. They don't even have enough intelligence to recognize their owners! Rats, on the other hand, are extremely intelligent and loving pets. Why, in India there are temples dedicated to rats! They are thought to be holy expressions of God!" he would exclaim.

When I first met Chaz he had over fifty rats. He loved his pets. Each one had a name, usually a spiritual name. Sometimes he named them after personality traits or physical abilities.

Of all the rats that Chaz had, Jumpy was his favorite.

One evening Chaz approached me during a break at a meditation. I had casually known him for over a year and I always enjoyed talking with him. He was particularly bright.

"Tony, I need a place to stay for a short while. The lease is up on my current apartment and I haven't been able to locate a suitable place yet."

I liked him but I knew that I could not have all those rats and their cages in my place.

"Chaz, I am willing to let you come and stay with Lonnie and me, but I cannot have a whole menagerie in my building. A cat or small dog perhaps, but not a zoo."

He said he understood.

Two nights later he approached me again.

"I am desperate. As much as I hate to do it, I will find a home for my little friends, if your offer is still good."

"Sure," I said, "Lonnie and I will make room for you right away."

Over the next few days Chaz became a supreme salesman for rats. Rama students were high pressured into taking a rat home as a pet. It was great watching him overcome all objections as to why they wouldn't be able to have a rat. Chaz would even provide the cage and be a free twenty-four hour consultant on the care and upkeep of these animals. He was highly successful!

As the day arrived for him to move in with Lonnie and me, Chaz pitched his very last rat sale. On me!

"I simply cannot bear to give up Jumpy," he said.

I looked at him. It might have been the look in his eyes that told me of the great sacrifice he had just made and that this pet meant more to him than I could ever fathom. After the way he had found homes for all of the rest of his pets, I felt that I too, could do my share. I relented and gave in.

So it came to pass that Chaz and Jumpy became a part of Lonnie's life and mine.

I must say that at first I was really apprehensive about having a pet rat in the apartment. However it did not take long for Jumpy to win my heart.

Jumpy was an extraordinary animal. It took some getting used to, watching Chaz and Jumpy together. Each day Chaz would come home from work and pick Jumpy out of her cage and stroke and kiss and pet this strange looking animal. He would even open his mouth and stick Jumpy's head inside. They both seem to especially enjoy this strange ritual. He clearly loved Jumpy.

Chaz would sit Jumpy on the table a feed her from his plate. She had impeccable manners. She would watch him in complete adoration as he worked on the PC. She would sometimes climb up his arm and sit on his shoulder and watch the screen. Occasionally, she would gently lick his ear. It became clear that Jumpy looked at Chaz not as just this great big friend; she considered him her god.

It was a cold Wednesday evening when I arrived at the apartment. I wandered up the stairs, feeling tired. The train ride from Manhattan had not been very restful and I had put in a hard day's work.

The apartment was dark except for a single light over the kitchen table. Chaz was hunched over the table looking at something.

"Hi, Chaz! How's it going?" I exclaimed.

Chaz just sat there. He then looked up at me and I knew something was drastically wrong.

"Jumpy," he choked out.

I walked over to the table and there was Jumpy, or rather it was her body.

"Jumpy got out of her cage and wandered into the apartment upstairs. They didn't know she was a pet. They thought that she was just a huge rat. It was only after they killed her with a butcher knife that they started questioning why she didn't try to run away. They didn't know!" he sobbed.

I placed my hand on his shoulder and we shed a few quiet tears together. I could only be with my friend during this time. My estimation of him grew even more as I saw that he did not hold any hard feelings against the ones who murdered his pet. He understood and forgave. Still he mourned. After a while of grieving, I wiped away a tear and said, "Chaz, we have to start considering what to do with the body."

Chaz let out a big sigh and said that he just couldn't bear to do anything until this weekend.

We wrapped up Jumpy in some tin foil and placed her in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. This became a temporary morgue for our friend until the weekend.

The next morning as I rode the Metro North train into Manhattan, I thought about Jumpy and Chaz. I wished that there was something I could do or say that would help Chaz through this difficult time. For the life of me, I could not come up with anything.

As I exited Grand Central Station, Steve came up and greeted me. Steve was another Rama student who lived in the City.

"Fancy meeting you here!" he said. "I usually don't walk this way but today I wanted to do things differently. By the way, how is Chaz?"

Before I could answer him and tell him about Jumpy he said, "I had a Rama dream last night! It was the strangest thing. In the dream I was sitting in my apartment and the door creaked open a bit and in walked Jumpy! I wondered how Jumpy had gotten out of her cage and had found her way into Manhattan to visit me. Just as I was about to get up and get her, Rama entered the door. He looked down and saw Jumpy and his expression was like that of someone who just found a lost object. He bent over and Jumpy leaped into his hands. Rama stroked the animal, then looked at me, smiled and waved good-bye. It was an incredible feeling!"

The look on my face must have been something. I felt as though my mouth had dropped a foot! I then told Steve about Jumpy's sudden demise and we talked briefly about Chaz. Finally Steve said he had to run or be late for work.

"Be sure to tell Chaz about my dream!" he said as he turned to walk away.

"You can bet on it!" I exclaimed.

As I headed out for my job, my heart was singing! Now I had something that would provide comfort for Chaz.

How lucky I was to have a Teacher who cared so much. If he cared that way about our pets, how much more for us!

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