Beginner’s Mind is a special project collecting insightful essays written by US college students who have attended experiential-learning courses related to Buddhism. Some of the authors identify as Buddhists, for others it is their first encounter with the Buddhadharma. All are sharing reflections and impressions on what they’ve learned, how it has impacted their lives, and how they might continue to engage with the teaching.
Loupgarou Whitesides wrote this essay for his spring 2024 Buddhist Economics class at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Loupgarou is a student of anthropology and religion. He is a life-long Quixote.
Three Dogs
I happened, on this occasion, to be at my mother-in-law’s house, a small Cape Cod-style home with circularly connected rooms on the first floor, where I was accompanied by three dogs. There was Anthony, the Wise Dog—a trained therapy dog who may in fact be a bodhisattva having a laugh for a go-round. There was Rose, the Wanton Dog—hopelessly stuck in duhkha; ever seeking, loudly, for someone to throw her ball. Day or night, Rose demands this, at times ostracizing herself from others seeking to get her ball thrown. Lastly there was Qui-Gon, my young corgi, a service-dog in training. Qui-Gon, being very young, looks to Rose as a mother figure, and excitedly emulates her vocalizations for play. He is very much the Naïve Dog.
As it happened, on this occasion it was just me and them, the Wise Dog, the Wanton Dog, and the Naïve Dog, alone together in the house. Whereas normally they could go out into the backyard and run, a damaged fence made this unsafe. The Wanton Dog, mad with desire for someone to throw her ball, barked incessantly. The Naïve Dog excitedly barked with her, sharing a desire to play. The sound in this small, acoustically resonant house, was intolerable.
“What can I do to resolve this?” I thought. If I conduct them in an obedience training session, they will expect treats, and then more treats, and the cycle of Cruel Optimism is perpetuated until I run out of treats. (Berlant 2011) And then, of course, there are the inherent acts of economic violence in buying ever more treats—with each click of Apple Pay I am ending the life of a cow, or a chicken, or a pig so that the dogs can indulge in little delights.
And as it happened on this occasion, the question occurred to me: are we like Shinnyokai for our dogs? Shinnyokai, who sacrificed himself in a period of great suffering by entombing himself and preparing his body to mummify. Shinnyokai the living buddha, who chose to take on this suffering that it might elevate others suffering karmically for the world in which he was familiar. (Dahl and Watanabe, 2017) Do we not do this for our dogs? Do we not take on the bad karma for our dogs and guide them to lead moral lives in harmony with the world? They eat meat, yet we take breath for them. It’s our karma, not theirs.
As we guide them to not chase small animals and dig up ant hills, do we not guide them in their ignorance to follow the Dharma in the little ways in which they are able? Do we not lead them, in our behavioral training of them, to better live with their sangha? It is not all done at once as Shinnyokai did it, but do we not take on the entire lifetime of another creature in which we assume their bad karma, while trying to guide them to be better citizens of the world? And then, do many of us not do it again and again, as we invite other dogs to share their lifetimes with us?
Can we be living buddhas to our dogs?
And so it was on this occasion that I felt an econo-existential solution was required. Feeding treats to these animals would lock them in a further spiral of samsara, and ever-increasing duhkha as they sought more and more material rewards—thus also forcing me into a further cycle of purchase and consumption. Meanwhile, empty treat packages and extra poop-bags pile up in landfills.
Instead, I would seek a different solution, turning to the Buddha for guidance. Knowing the Wise Dog held sway over and would, in his own way, communicate what I directed him to do to the Wanton Dog, who would serve as example to the Naïve Dog, I began walking slowly and deliberately, circumambulating the first floor. The Wise Dog followed, mirroring my movements. Soon the Wanton Dog began to follow, and began to walk in step with us. Soon, she was followed by the Naïve Dog, who toddled behind, quietly trying to get his lurching and uncoordinated limbs to move with the intentionality and grace of the adults.
Together we were engaged in walking meditation.
Walking meditation is hard on me physically. It aggravates my bilateral plantar fasciitis and feels like stepping on a hot knife as I deliberately roll my steps from the round of my heels to the ends of my toes. But on this occasion, I was committed to guiding my furry sangha in meditation. It was to last longer than I expected, but would yield the results I had ultimately desired. After a while of walking, the Wanton Dog got bored and lumbered off to her bed. The Naïve Dog continued for a while longer, trying to understand what the Wise Dog knew. But soon his little head would slump below his shoulders, his muzzle swinging heavily back and forth like an elephant’s trunk at rest, and he toddled off to sleep with Rose. The Wise Dog stayed with me and, recognizing that I was in pain, encouraged me toward a chair in the kitchen.
It was on this occasion, and only this occasion, that I have gotten this to work completely. Subsequent attempts have been less successful, garnering only the attention of Anthony and intermittently Qui-Gon, who is still very young. Rose will only stand by, ever wantonly barking for her ball to be thrown. She is not interested in calming her mind again; she is hopelessly stuck in samsara. I like to think that when it is his time, Anthony will choose to come back as a crab fisherman and bring the Dharma to the Bering Sea. The future is still unset for Qui-Gon, and at the moment treats still reign supreme. Whether he will quiet his mind permanently, only time will tell.
As for me, I will keep trying to send the Dharma to the dogs.
References
Berlant, Lauren. 2011. Cruel Optimism. Durham, NC, Duke University Press.
Dahl, Shayne and Satoshi Watanabe. 2017. The Buddha Mummies of North Japan. Watertown, MA: Documentary Educational Resources.
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