This is Dakota.
She is a dog,
always moving,
constantly changing.
She is soooo beautiful,
like all of us,
fundamentally.
Dakota is in Whitefish, Montana,
and I don’t care what anyone says!
Appearing is constantly changing.
Thanks to Dakota’s people for strawberries an’ ice cream and charming company, as always.
A woman of my acquaintance had been given a compilation of writings by Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett. There wasn’t time to look at it that evening so the tome was left beside her bed, on a chair. That night, in her dreams, she was joined by Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett who spoke wise words about meditation. Later she found the exact words in Rev. Master’s writings.
Such dreams are just dreams, nothing more. If they bring about a change of heart for the good or a sense of peace and resolution, that is good! However if they become another story to tell, then that’s what they become. A story, a beautiful dream.
However, sometimes it is good to speak (take Refuge) with a trusted friend, a senior religious, your spiritual director or wise-one of your aquaintence. To thus speak in confidence can allow the dream to fade, along with the teaching or comfort it might have brought. This is a wise way to help oneself.
Why? Because anything, even good stuff, can become a burden.
Illusions have no substance, however they can become weighty. Dreams come, dreams go.
BTW. I always ask before publishing emails, letters or snippets from conversations. In order to preserve privacy I do not publish full names, or in some cases omit them all together.
The posting titled Animals and End of Life Issues, has stimulated quite a bit of feedback. The following letter is from a former congregation member in Edmonton and I know just how hard it was for her during and after the family dog Sandy died. So I was especially pleased to receive this letter. I believe it is not uncommon for this kind of resolution to come via a dream. Some dreams have a particular quality to them and can convey a teaching or, as in this case can console and help set grief and loss to rest.
Dear Reverend Master Mugo,
I caught up on your website and enjoyed your recent postings about animals. I especially appreciated the writing about Peter the cat and the kind act that the neighbor performed. I was holding onto a little regret and self-blame with Sandy’s death – it really hurt to think of the suffering she endured near the end. About a week ago, she appeared to me in a dream. I gave her a meal and she stepped up to place her paws in my hands- we were standing face to face. She was completely content and joyful and communicated the utmost gratitude towards me. It really helped me to start to let go of those feelings of regret and guilt.On this note, could you please offer merit to Jasper the dog? When Chris was here last, we happened upon a dog that had just been hit by a car. It was in front of a neighbor’s house and the dog was just a pup. It was really admirable how Jasper’s person handled the unfortunate situation. I could tell that she was upset but she remained calm and was most worried about the woman who hit Jasper who was very shook up. She consoled the woman and tried to assure her that it was not her fault. I ran into my neighbor last night and she informed me that Jasper had been put to sleep. His leg was broken in two places. She thinks that Jasper was chasing a butterfly when he got in the way of the van driving by.
I last saw Lucy in Montana four years ago when this picture was taken with one of her loving companions. The list is long. Leo and Buddy come especially to mind this evening. Perhaps we will all meet in our dreams.
I’m in Whitefish Montana.
The Peace of Wild things
When despair grows in me
and I wake in the middle of the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come to the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting for their light.
For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Wendell Berry
The following is part of a comment left on a previous posting titled Animals and End of Life Issues.
The situation of Peter Cat reminds me that, just as for humans, it’s helpful to have written Last Wishes for one’s animals in case they die while under the care of another person. Continued…
Be it forethought of grief or afterthoughts of grief, rest in the grace of the world. In wild places.
Many thanks to Nic for another great poem.
To-day Fiona Robyn is visiting Jade Mountains on her blog tour. Welcome. Fiona’s new book ‘small stones: a year of moments’ has not reached my hands because we are on different continents however I have visited her blog, a small stone. Before we talk here are a couple of pictures with text to give you an idea of what the stones look like.
The bush’s branches are clotted with red berries. From inside the house three ginger cats eye me as I walk past.
the fur stroked out
of her silver coat
rests on her back
downy dandelion seeds
waiting to be blown away
on a -puff- of breeze
to take root in
the earth, to grow
I’d intended to do a back and forth instant messaging conversation with Fiona but the time difference and prior commitments had me writing down questions instead. They stir dim memories of exam papers, not something I’d want to inflict on anybody. But needs must…
Do you go about your day getting on with things and then at some point sit down and see what comes to mind in terms of a ‘stone’ to post. Or do you find yourself deliberately taking a mental snapshot of something in particular and then translate that into words when you sit down to write?
A mixture – but I think the best small stones come from the latter, when I see or touch or hear something and think ‘ah!’ and make a mental (or physical) note to write it up later. The alternative is trawling back through my day for something that struck me, and I find it quite difficult to capture a kind of ‘freshness’ when I haven’t made a mental note at the time.
Would you say to a certain extent you are looking out for ‘stones’, something to post about?
I do occasionally look for small stones in a conscious way, especially when I’m travelling – being in a car or a train seems to help me to open my eyes. But the ideal would be to live my whole life as if I was noticing a small stone. It doesn’t matter too much if I write them down or not, because the act of noticing them is the whole point. It helps me to engage with the world – to get in close.
The closest I get to what you do is the photographs I seem to be taking currently. I say ‘seem to’ because I can honestly say I’m not looking for anything or to convey anything through them either. Would that be where you are with writing or are you purposefully trying to say something?
Hmm – I’m definitely not thinking about what I want to convey with individual small stones, e.g. ‘ah, a homeless person, I’ll write about him to highlight the issue of homelessness’. In a way I’m trying to say the same thing over and over with every small stone – pay attention! Look at things properly! Wake up!
I know you have an interest in Buddhism. Have you anything you would like to say about that? For example from where you sit now what impact does it, the theory and/or the practice have on you in you day?
I didn’t really know anything about Buddhism when I started writing my small stones. I discovered Pema Chodron first, after finding her quotes scattered across the internet and buying one of her books, and this led me to Suzuki Shunryu, Charlotte Joko Beck, Jakusho Kwong and Natalie Goldberg. Soto Zen as a tradition probably appeals to me the most. I like the idea of non-clinging, as a way of engaging more fully with what is there, and I like the discipline of ‘just sitting’ (I have a modest practice and sit for 20 minutes in the morning). I like the idea of ‘big mind’ and of interconnection. It has become very important to me as something I continue to learn from, and although I don’t know if I’d say ‘I am a Buddhist’ I’d definitely say ‘Buddhist ideas have been hugely important to me’. I dedicated the book to Suzuki Shunryu as I was so moved by his presence through what is written about him, particularly after reading his biography, Crooked Cucumber. I hope he’d approve of my small stones, as my attempt to ‘just notice’ and then ‘just write it down’.
The late head of our Order would often encourage us to take time to smell the roses. I guess that’s what Fiona is encouraging us to do too. Thanks for the reminder.