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When our dogs need us - A reflection in the
Year of the Dog For thousands of years dogs have lived side by side humans. Dogs have developed an ability to read human actions and even predict human behavior. With no special training they are capable of saving the life of a loved one with such a dedication as to even risk their own life. Dogs associate people with the love they have felt for them. Once a dog loves you he loves you always where as humans can love or hate someone almost at the same time. With such a degree of love and dedication it is incomprehensible to those of us who have shared a family like closeness with these loving companions how anyone could have such a degree of dishonor as to betray their trust and kill them for food. As a Buddhist and a vegan I do have an overall ethical view relating to all exploitation of the animal kingdom (they are here for their own reasons and not here to serve humankind in my humble opinion) however this still seems blatantly different to me. They give their all and ask very little in return. From a Buddhist perspective who really is the most developed on a spiritual level here. Tibetan Buddhist have been known to be against the consumption of dog meat as they believe dogs can be the reincarnation of human souls ( more so than the rest of the animal kingdom because of their intelligence and also their closeness to and understanding of humankind). Obviously not an easy thing to prove but then again, what if? In this world in crisis people in every country live in fear. Fear of holocaust, disaster, poverty, sickness, the list goes on. Even those of us who are trying to do what we can, by our own small examples ( big things are done by a series of small things), to change the pattern of human behavior on this planet can be overcome with doubt of a better tomorrow or even any tomorrow. In this world of uncertainty our companions are always there for us to give us courage, love and the hope for and the faith in a better tomorrow. They are a link to the rest of the animal kingdom and through their love and closeness to us they provide us an opportunity to realize that the world is not just for humans. They also give us what in these uncertain times what is desperately needed, trust and understanding. "For the day of judgment is coming, the time when the wheat must be sorted from the chaff if this planetary system is to move upward on the evolutionary spiral. Now that does not mean that |
We are all part of this Creation Treetop reaching high Winter's 'round the corner Giving honor to the trees Soon the gates of terror will open Although guided by tradition We are all part of this creation Those with no honor for Gods creation And the drifts of winter snow |
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those who are not chosen are faced with extermination. It merely means
that they will return to what could be called a Group Energy and will
allow those who have earned the right to individuality, who have recognized
the divinity of their being, to progress further along their evolutionary
paths and so fulfil their potential." My dogs have been my best friends and the closest companions which I have had. We have lived together in cities where they have protected our shelter from robbers, gangs, drug dealers etc. and we have lived together in the middle of the northern USA woods where have protected our territory keeping black bear, coyote and even timber wolves at a safe distance. Even still, challenging times for our little so called family as even in this country we do seem to go against the grain and seemingly encounter the same type of blind followers as trophy hunters and/or image and status seekers, the list goes on. At a time where the very fabric of human society appears to be disintegrating there must be an outcry for peace by all and a vision for an end to greed, self centeredness, hatred and violence. A world is dying because its children are dying. There is more than enough food in the world to feed the entire human population but still close to 1 in 6 go hungry. The meat-based diet is partly to blame as land, water, and other resources that could be used to grow food for human beings is being used to grow crops for farmed animals instead. It is estimated that it takes up to 22 pounds of grain to produce just 1 pound of edible animal flesh. Dogs are arguably not part of the same animal spiritual collective (main point being their closeness to and understanding of their human counterparts) so bringing this up from the standpoint of being vegan and also from a human rights standpoint. In this the year of the dog our Asian brothers and sisters stand at a crossroads. No one likes outsiders trying to tell them how to run their lives. I've heard estimates that loving companion owners in China have increased from 5 million to 15 million in a fairly short time. I believe the best chance of change will come from within brought about by people who belong to and are part of their system. Western animal lovers will always be there to help in any way we can for those who seek changes in Asia and desperately want to end the atrocity committed against man's best friends. With its Buddhist roots and great philosophy of Confucius and others China is on the verge of being a stand up country in the world community. What if many start to see that this barbarism committed against these loving and faithful companions is just plain wrong? What if our entire global community were to create not only a massive but a basic transformation in our entire approach to our relationships with other human beings? In my humble opinion I do believe we all stand at that same crossroads in this the year of the dog. Our dogs have always been there for us and we must not look the other way when they need us most. Notes to editors, The article is subject to copyright protection of Friends Of Dogs site,
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