The Dao Of My Dog

This week, I was divinely inspired by something small. And cute. And furry. No, not Winnie-The-Pooh! Been there, done that. I'm talking about Conan the Chihuahua.

This little guy meditates with more dedication than I do. And though he may not recognize what he does as spiritual, I'm pretty sure what he's doing is closer to -- if not the definition of -- meditation than anything most humans could even aspire to. And so, that little guy got me thinking about dogs in general, and the entirely underrated zen-ness that they possess.

Lets start with my dog, Dumbo. (Or Dumbledore, for long). First off, my dog is awesome. And adorable. And, I'm pretty sure that he is the happiest creature alive. And that's not just because I'm the most awesome "mom" alive.

He's a simple thing. He likes his food, but he's not particular about what it is. He likes to sleep. He likes to be petted and cuddled. And he really likes his pink toy pig because it's a good size, and it makes oinking noises not so often that they're annoying, and not so often that they don't still pleasantly surprise him. Overall, he's got a good life. (That's him in the front page photo. If that's not pure, unadulterated happiness, then I don't know what is. The dog is more zen than the Dalai-Lama.)

And it's this sort of unflappable contentment that reminds me of Pooh and his Tao, and the patient understanding that though the world around him maybe going topsy-turvy and more or less insane, he just waits it out. Or maybe he's just remarkably lazy. (Which he most definitely is.)

But this brings me to my next point. Dogs have an entirely underrated capacity for forgiveness. There's not much you can do to a dog that he (or she) won't forgive you for. It takes years of consistent abuse and neglect for a dog to be actively aggressive towards humans. Fearful is a more common reaction, and even then, you can usually get a pretty immediate tail wag. Take, for example, the soulless-ness that is Michael Vick. Of the 53 dogs rescued from his dog-fighting ring, only six had to be euthanized. Six. Six dogs out of fifty-three who knew nothing other than a life of misery and abuse. Twenty-five dogs have already been adopted, and of the remaining twenty-two, only two dogs are un-adoptable.

I'm pretty sure that there is nothing more human, no scratch that, more humane than the ability to forgive. It means removing yourself from the equation, denying your ego, your reality, your pain, and allowing that person another chance, whether it's with you, with themselves, or just with life in general. And dogs do it all the time, without question and without expectation.

I know this post might seem a bit silly and a bit pointless, but it's not and it is something that is close to my heart. I think that we can all learn something from dogs. For me, from my dog, it's patience (he's really gotta go pee and I've been taking forever to write this post), unconditional love (it's the best kind there is, and he gives it to me daily), and while I want to say loyalty, it's actually something more along the lines of independence and adaptability (because I'm pretty sure that if one day I left him on a street corner, as long as someone picked him up, took him home, fed him, and gave him a minimal dose of love, he'd be happy as a clam.)

People say that they want a dog who is utterly loyal and who misses them more than anything and who's life wouldn't be complete without them, but I think this is unfair. I think these are human definitions of loyalty that we put on dogs, when really, the happiest -- and most zen -- a dog is, is when they are happy just being.

And so, if I could learn to be even remotely so simple, so remarkably resilient, and so entirely independent from the material world, I'd most definitely be at the end of this journey. (And probably gnawing on the ear of a small, pink, stuffed pig, but that's neither here nor there.)

I know I'm not the only dog lover out there. What have you learned from your dogs? Do you think I'm out of my mind and well on my way to being the canine version of the crazy cat lady? Or do you (and your dog) agree completely? Let me know. I'm curious.

[Author's Note: To all you cat-lovers out there who think that this post is an exercise in feline discrimination, you're wrong. I thought about titling it "The Zen of Pets" and making it a little more all-inclusive, but then I realized that cats are not zen, and they're not happy or content. They are cunning and devilish creatures who are plotting your demise at every turn. This is fact.]

Comments

[drblack]

Your dog is cute but you obviously have never owned a cat.
They are not pack animals like dogs and are more individualists, but they are happy, cute and wonderful companions.
I like dogs as well but cats are easier to care for, so for now that is what I have.

[stevesrant]

Actually (as I tried to tell you once before Verena) we all came from the Dog Star millions of years ago- dogs flew spaceships!

[DrLegacy]

totally disagree with your assessment of cats.

there's a bit more of a language barrier and without good communication they are easy to misread. but once that barrier is surmounted, you'll find cats are remarkably similar to the way you describe dogs: loyal, happy and, yes, eager to please.

[QueenCeleste]

(I wrote a reply which seems to have poofed, so sorry if this is a duplicate post.)

Dumbledore is adorable, one of the sweetest little dogs I have ever seen. Your post is not silly! Anyone who loves dogs (or any animals) is okay in my book. And your post was especially welcome today as I have been haunted by something I read in the publication Animal People about a dog wagging its tail as it was lead off for cruel lab experiments. No doubt, had he survived, he would have licked the hand of the bastard who was responsible for his misery. (To me vivisectors are almost worse than Michael Vick type monsters, because they are so-called civilized people who torture in the name of science.)

Bless you and dear little pooch. And please, more canine posts in the future. (And I am a cat mother!)

[marignymitch]

I am totally down with your caveat on cats (I am owned by three or them) but I wanted you to know that they do add a certain zing to life. There's nothing like settling into sleep knowing that I might be smothered in the night by one of the masters.

[NoSillyName]

This is not silly, nor is it a surprise. Sometime in the distant past, when wolves were first domesticating themselves, someone recognized the amazing qualities of these animals and named them "GOD". Over the years, some other people thought there was a god, but that he was up in the sky. So after some dispute, the domesticated wolves were renamed "DOG". Just think about it.

[JimReed]

I don't have a pet, but there was a TV program about chimps that revealed interesting things about humans. I think that is the point, what can animals teach us about ourselves. They had a magic box that could dispense treats, and they taught chimps and children to work it by performing a series of manipulations of the box to get the treat. Chimps and children were equally adept at following the sequence and getting the treat. Then they exposed the fact that the manipulations didn't really do anyting, all you had to do was open the little door and take the treat. After this was revealed, chimps tended to skip all the meaningless manipulations and just open the door and take it. The human children continued to follow the meaningless parts of the sequence. The moral of the story is humans can be more locked into following the teachings of the group, even following random and worthless groupthink, than some of the other species. This can give us the illusion that our human religions are more advanced than animal religions, but as you point out as in the case of your dog, this is not necessarily true.

Is there a misspelling in the title of your blog, or is that a subtle Dog thing?

[EspritDeVoltaire]

I wouldn't say that this is "silly and a bit pointless". It's actually your best work which I've seen here.

[mi]

cat ( animal) lover thoroughly enjoyed your post..

[marysandra]

Thank you for a wonderful post from another dog lover. While I don't believe that we can transfer human emotions onto dog's psyche's, it would be wrong,I think, to believe that they don't feel affection, and loyalty. I know that they mourn, since my husband passed away, my dog, Sophie, gets into bed with me at night, cuddles for a few minutes, and then immediately goes to the other side of the bed and sleeps curled up next to my husband's pillows. She sometimes moans a bit when she does this. The other day I was across the room from her, {I was on the floor, she on the sofa,go figure} and I was going through old photos. She was, ostensibly, asleep, I let out a long sigh, and she was off that sofa and kissing me, like she had been shot from a cannon. What can I say? Whatever she is feeling, I see a difference in her, even if it is only a reflection of my current behavior, but she and I try to comfort each other, and that is all that matters.

[anastasiabeaverhousen]

The post is not silly or frivolous. Dogs are true companions and love without reservation or condition. My four dogs bring out the best in me when I don't really think it's there. They depend on me for their every meal and drop of water. They love me even when I'm a shit. They bring my blood pressure down like no drug could ever do. I really do wish I were the person my dogs think I am.

[IreneL]

I think, except for the way he looks, your dog is really a cat. Did you check with the vet?

[Pandu]

Verena's mock-spiritual quest has taken a ominous turn. Apparently having completely forgotten God, she's glorifying Dog. If that's your idea of perfection, it's not hard to reach.

"Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship the ancestors go to the ancestors; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; and those who worship Me will live with Me." http://bhagavadgitaasitis.com/9/25/en

Keep meditating on dogs and you'll undoubtedly be born from one in due course of time. Don't think that's just Hare Krishna philosophy. I recall many years ago reading same principle clearly stated in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

[mongo53]

...and those who judge will be judged. does the shoe fit?

[acty]

I believe all Verena is doing is looking for spiritual qualities in one of God's creatures! Are we not all born of God and is God not in everything on this earth. If so then, her realizing that dogs have a zen like spiritual quality of living in the moment that sometimes we humans forget about, then i do believe her inspiration IS COMING FROM GOD. Stop judging,,,,, pandu your way is not the only way.

[Pandu]

I hear what you're saying but if it's really what her article was about, then she might have expressed it at least a little. It looks to me more like she's more inclined to atheism. There is no mention of God in her article. It's about dogs and Buddhism, which is atheism; and atheism is not spiritual. Spiritual means for God's pleasure.

[Necron99]

No, no, no...you're completely wrong. It's *clear* that his invisible sky fairy is *real* & all other invisible sky fairies are nefarious lies made up by charlatans...it's so simple. Why can't you see it? & he has a link--nobody with a link would ever be mistaken.

[wildflowermaven]

I totally disagree. If you think it would be easy for a human to be content with the bare essentials most dogs have I would submit that you haven't been around many people. Dogs just are who they are, don't have to work to drop all the masks and artificial constructions we walk around with. Personally I think dogs (and cats! sorry Verena) are naturally spiritually superior, we could do much worse than to follow their example.

[Pandu]

A human is a human, and a dog a dog. A dog's needs are not the same as a human's. Each gets its own needs, as nature designates under God's authority.

If you think dogs and cats are better situated for spiritual life than human beings, then I'm not sure what to say to you. The first thing is that "I think" or "I believe" really have no place in discussions of spiritual life. There is knowledge and ignorance; one knows or does not know. Mental speculation cannot penetrate the material covering to experience either the soul or God. Spiritual knowledge begins by hearing from someone who knows and continues by following the instructions. That certainly does not mean accepting a cat or dog as spiritual master. It just proves you have no idea; but if you want to chase rabbits and eat stool like a dog, or hunt mice and sleep half the day like cats, go right ahead. However, such nonsense is not spiritual life.

One consolation I have to make in this is that in general, people today are so spiritually ignorant that they are headed for becoming cats and dogs, whereas dogs and cats are on their way to human birth. Yet although the animals are spiritually evolving and most people devolving, perfection can only be acheived in human life. We would do well to take advantage it with a serious pursuit of spiritual knowledge and engagement in devotional service, rather than uninformed mental speculation.

[payforthepizza]

Yeah Verena
Find something charming about your dog's serenity and lack of want, "and you'll undoubtedly be born from one in due course of time (read in your best ominous voice;)" That"s what you"ll get! lol
I can"t wait for Pandu's next post where they admonish you for holding up Dumbo as a false idol ;)
If only you would cut out this "mock-spiritual" crap and experience the invisible intangibles exactly the way Pandu does¦.BAM! enlightenment ;)

[Pandu]

I'm sorry if you don't like it, but there really is no spiritual life apart from devotional service. That truth does not change to suit you or anyone else.

[cre8vekaos]

I've always known that I want to comeback as my dog in my next life with me as my owner. Dogs are truly amazing creatures. They know when you need comfort and know when you need a walk in the rain. My dog is one of my greatest source of simple joy.

Now, as for cats, I have a cat that is brainwashed in to thinking it is a dog. Of course his entire loyalty is dependant on bribery. I am the perveyor of chicken. And he will do anything for chicken, including not plot my demise.

[payforthepizza]

EXCERPTS FROM A DOG'S DIARY
800 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
930 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
940 am - OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE!
1030 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
1130 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
1200 noon - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
100 pm - OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE!
400 pm - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
500 PM - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
530 PM - OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE!

EXCERPTS FROM A CAT'S DIARY
Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around
their feet while they were walking almost succeeded, must try
this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and
repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to
vomit on their favorite chair...must try this on their bed.

www.zts.com/node/967

[NoSillyName]

LOL, pay, very well said!! Love 'em both, but they are sooo different.