Mindful dogs

[JonW]

I'm reading Jed McKenna's most excellent 'Spiritually Incorrect Enlightenment' and came to this paragraph about dogs.
"Dogs are the most advanced beings on the planet," McKenna writes. "They're fully self-realised. They possess unconditional love. They forgive instantly. They're empathetic and sympathetic. They're incapable of guile or dishonesty. They're always in the moment, not carrying the past or fretting about the future. Everything's always new and wonderful. Every place is always the best place to be. If you want to learn from a great spiritual master, get a dog."
Are dogs more mindful than human beings can ever hope to be? I wonder.
Banjo wants a biscuit now. Who am I to deny my spiritual master?
Woof.

[BioSattva]

Hey, what's up, dog?

It seems dogs aren't faced with such existential conundrums as to whether they should spread their seed far and wide without being tied down, or whether they should pair-bond for life and invest in a few offspring they are sure are their own.

Us humans apparently have a potentially more flexible (and existentially elegant) approach when it comes to passing on our DNA depending on the prevailing conditions, and so we often get caught up in dilemmas about who we are. Dogs, beyond humping peoples' legs, cushions, etc., or biting the postman, appear to be pretty 'at one' with who they are and what they want to do and so they can go with the flow more.

Men are often caught up in such questions as "Am I a seed-spreader or a life-long partner?", the answer to which appears to be, as far as evolutionary psychologists are concerned; both and so neither, and potentially one or the other while simultaneously holding the potential to become the other. I wonder if this relates to the 'don't know' mind taught by Zen teachers - a state which brings us in harmony with our True Nature - no true natural inclination to act from, and so we are actually just balanced between various conflicting options built into our DNA, and nudged either way by our ontology and present situation.

I believe we can become as mindful as a dog if we continually live our life aware of our lack of self-nature, and watching carefully and calmly, using our internal tension monitor as a 'ferality' alarm, so that we can alter our position - mentally or physically to remain comfortable. It's a life's work though, eh...

...that is unless we just all revert to our more feral instincts and live like dogs, or monkeys or whatever and practice 'might makes right', 'dog eat dog', 'meat for sex', etc., which is much easier than practicing mindfulness. Just check out ghetto cultures ...

It seems it is the opportunities we have to go beyond a dog's life which become our downfall - I know which lifestyle I would prefer though - behaving like a dog while simultaneously being aware of a potential to be a more enlightened 'nobody', while not making effective steps towards being that 'nobody' makes the necessary pains of life all the more sufferable in my experience.

[JonW]

So long as Banjo gets his pork chop on a Friday he remains as happy as Larry.