# Can a mousetrap kill a cow?

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-mousetrap-killed-the-cow
- Themes: interdependence, neglect, teaching story, kids
- Life situations: ignoring small problems, family systems

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Farm mice befriend chicken, pig and cow; ignoring the mousetrap leads to chain of deaths — Brahm asks kids: can a mousetrap kill a cow? Yes, through interdependence of ignoring danger.

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

Can a mouse trap kill a cow? Of course it can. I said, "Yes, it can." And this is how it happened. In a farmhouse somewhere in Australia, there were five mice who befriended the chicken, the pig, and the cow. And the five mice were very helpful, you know, to those three animals cuz they actually lived in the house and they heard everything the farmer and his wife were discussing. So if they ever heard the farmer say to his wife, "Darling, I really would like some roast chicken tonight." The mice having heard that would go to the chicken and warn it. chicken, they're looking for you. Lay low, hide. They want roast chicken today. And that way, the chicken was always safe. Whenever they heard, you know, the the wife say, "Oh, I really some fancy some pork sausages tonight." They would go and tell the pig, "Hey, hide, lay low. They want pork today." Or whenever they wanted a steak, hey cow, hide in the forest, they're looking for you. And that way they always saved their three friends, the animals. And the animals because they were mice and there were five of them and they were very intelligent, they called them mouse intelligent five, MI5. And everything was going well because they're supposed to be friends and looking after each other. But what happened one day? One of the mice was looking through a crack in the wall and they saw the farmer's wife open up a package from the post. Only a small package. But when she opened it and the mouse saw what was inside, the mouse almost screamed and fainted because it was a mouse trap. Oh my god, she's got a mouse trap. They're trying to kill us. It's only a matter of time because the mice knew, they're very intelligent, that that mousetrap will be set in the middle of the night when it's dark. And mice doing what mice do, run this way, run that way. It's only probability, a matter of time. One of the mice will be running somewhere and get caught in that mouse trap. So all the mice, they came together, what should we do? What should we do? How can we escape with our lives? And so they thought, let's ask our friends. So first of all, they went to Mrs. Chicken. Mrs. Chicken, you always promise, you know, that to repay us for our kindness. Now we really need your help. Farmer's wife has got a mousetrap. She's going to kill us. What should we do? You know what the chicken said? He said, "None of my business. Look after yourself. Mousetrap can't kill a chicken." This is what hypocrites are like. They promise you everything when you really need it. They're not there for you. So they went to the pig. Pig, help us. We're so scared. Farmer's wife has got mousetrap. We're dead. We're toast. And the pig said, "None of my business. Look after yourselves. Mousetrap can't kill a pig." So then they went to the cow. cow, please help us. We're going to be killed. We're finished. We're dead. Moo, said the cow. None of my business. Look after yourself. And that's the problem with some people. They promise you everything. They're hypocrites. They really let you down. And that was just so disappointing for those mice. Not just disappointing, it was bad karma for those animals cuz look what happened next. Couple of nights later, one of the mice was scattering around the floor and tro trod in the mouse trap. That hurt, but I need to do that for special effects. The mouse trap broke that poor mouse's neck and all the other mouse they heard the sound and they all came to look and they saw their friend was killed would instantly go to mouse heaven. Do mice go to heaven? Well, why not if they're good mice? At least they but they won't go to the same heaven as the cats go to. Otherwise, there could be a lot of trouble. But anyway, so the four mice looked at their friend. Now, what would it be like for you if you saw, you know, your best friend or your brother or your sister just killed in the road accident? You'd be shocked and so tragically sad. And that's what happened to these mice. They started crying. They putting their little arms around each other to console each other. Crying and weeping. They lost their best friend. And of course, the farmer's wife heard the sound of the mouse trap going off. She came down to investigate with her flashlight. And what do you think she saw? Four mice crying, holding each other with their arms. Have you ever seen that before? She never seen that before. So she fainted. And after she fainted, she hit her head. And she was just so concussed the farmer put her into bed and called the doctor. And the doctor said, "Oh, she'll get over it." But the farmer said, "Well, my wife is very sick. What's good for people who are sick?" And he thought, "Yeah, you got it. Chicken soup." So the mice weren't very helpful now. They were just so taken up with grief. They didn't know what was going on. And so the farmer got the chicken, cut its head off, and put it in a pot with some some garlic, some onions, potatoes, and carrots to make chicken soup for his wife. So that was how the mousetrap killed the chicken. And once the friends heard that the farmer's wife was sick, they all came to visit. And of course, when you have visitors, you know, you got to be hospitable to them. You can't just give them a glass of water. He needed to give them some sandwiches. So, you know what sandwiches he gave them? Pork sandwiches. And that's he went to find the pig and killed the pig too to make sandwiches for the people visiting to to you know to look after the sick wife. But no matter how many pork sandwiches and how many chicken soup they gave the poor farmer's wife, she died. And of course at the funeral ceremony he needed to feed the guests and relations roast beef and and that's how the chicken that's how the cow made it said. So that is how a mousetrap killed a chicken, a pig and a cow

## Teaching point

Small ignored dangers can escalate through a whole household.

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

A mouse warned the chicken, pig and cow about the farmer's new mousetrap; none cared. Then it caught a snake, the snake bit the farmer's wife, and all three ended up as soup, sandwiches and a funeral roast. Never say it's not my problem. Our world is interconnected. Another's trouble soon becomes ours.

## Source

- [Hypocrisy | Ajahn Brahm | 07-06-2013](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=semFlYAaBko) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 29:41 to 37:21: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=semFlYAaBko&t=1781s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Building Hearts Not Halls | Ajahn Brahm | 01-01-2010](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpJLYVTqnUY) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 38:01 to 43:16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpJLYVTqnUY&t=2281s
- [70% not 100% | Ajahn Brahm | 1 Apr 2012](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6k6DMp1TxQ) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 18:47 to 24:00: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6k6DMp1TxQ&t=1127s
- [Virtue and Kindness | Ajahn Brahm | 30 May 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y529kJC6opI) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 17:37 to 25:51: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y529kJC6opI&t=1057s