Doggie Dharma...The Teachings of Duffy

It is said that we can't really go out and find a guru, but that one will find us at a time when we need it. I had no idea ten years ago that a guru would come to me in the guise of a little black ball of fur. That ball of fur grew up to become Duffy, a crazy Kerry Blue Terrier, and a wonderful companion for more than nine years. As I think about him  (pretty much a daily occurrence), I realize that he taught me some wonderful lessons about the Dharma, and looking at the world from a Zen perspective.

The first of the lessons he taught me by example was that of expressing loving-kindness in just about every situation. Regardless of whatever was going on in my life, whether I was sad or frustrated or angry, I knew that when I walked through the front door, Duffy would become tearing out of wherever he was in the house to jump up on me and lick my face. Sometimes this went on for a few minutes before he was sure I had gotten the message. The point I realized was that his love toward me had nothing to do with where I was at any given time, but rather had to do with his desire to express the love he was feeling. It occurred to me that our expressions of loving-kindness toward others should emanate from the same place, dependent not on how they are acting, but on our desire and need to show compassion, regardless of the circumstances.  He always wanted to be with me or my wife, Rene, and being in his presence always made us feel loved. Would that we made all others around us feel the same way.

The second lesson was that of truly living in the moment. This occurred to me on one of the hundreds of times he went out to bark like crazy at the garbage truck, as if he had never done so before. Or similarly, if someone was coming to do work at the house, as soon as the doorbell sounded, the Duffster would go into his act. Once the workman came into the house, Duffy would wag his tail, get the pets he was looking for, and lie down to watch him work. If the guy needed to go out to the truck for a tool or a part and then approached the door again, Duffy would commence barking as if this had not happened just a few minutes before. At first I found this frustrating, and a little embarrassing, knowing that it looked as if we had a total whack-job for a dog. At some point it dawned on me that Duffy was in the here and now, over and over. Each moment was lived as if only that moment existed. Buddhist teachings tell us that we truly only possess the present moment, that the past and the future are only stories that have already gone by us or haven't occurred yet and are therefore illusions. It occurred to me that day after day Duffy was teaching me what many of us talk about and try to achieve...how to live in the moment.

Another valuable lesson he taught me, in a very tangible way, was whatever we do, if it is done with mindfulness and good intent, it is right action (one of the parts of The Eightfold Path). At the very same time, I was learning that, despite our inflated sense of ourselves because of status or power or wealth or education, every one of us is no greater or lesser than any other being. How did he teach me this, one might ask? This lesson was learned every day for the nine years I was responsible for picking up his shit! Nothing brings you to awareness more quickly than realizing you are following an animal with the sole purpose of dealing with his most basic (and for some, odious) bodily function. There is a well-known story in which a Zen master is asked, "Do dogs have Buddha nature?" His cryptic reply was, "Even dog shit has Buddha nature!" What I have learned from interpretations of this story is that everything that exists, no matter what, has worth and a place in the universe. It is only our judgments and need to feed our egos that cause us to relegate people, animals, and minerals to be of lesser worth than we are. We share our Buddha nature with all of these things. That Duffy was sentient and possessed Buddha nature could never be in doubt.

The final, most painful, and perhaps the most important lesson Duffy taught me was that of impermanence. One of the core tenets of Buddhism is that, no matter what, everyone and everything that exists is impermanent and will perish. Try though we may, through whatever method, we cannot stave off the reality that at the moment of our birth, we are simultaneously given death. Untold amounts of time, effort, and money are expended trying to outrun this simple truth. For me, having a dog as a companion is a constant reminder of this. Under most circumstances, we outlive the dogs we invite to live with us. I have had two now, Gatsby and Duffy, both of whom breathed their last as I petted them for a final time. In those final moments, Duffy gave me his last lesson...that every moment is fleeting and precious and to be savored while it happens. I think I understand. Carpe Diem.