The Dharma of Dogs


Book Description

We spend countless hours training our dogs, but how often do we consider what they have to teach us? "Our canine companions aren't just our best friends," explains Tami Simon "They naturally embody many of the spiritual principles we ourselves aspire to." The Dharma of Dogs shares the reflections of Buddhist writers and other teachers who have found a source of deep truth and practical wisdom beneath the furry surface of our four-legged friends. For anyone who loves dogs--and who has learned and grown through this special relationship--these essays offer humor, solace, inspiration, and insight into the life lessons our dogs make available to us. Readers join bestselling authors such as Alice Walker, Geneen Roth, Lama Surya Das, Mark Nepo, and others to explore such themes as unconditional love, connecting with nature, facing our fears, and more.




Samsara Dog


Book Description

Traces a dog through various incarnations, including a tough stray, a working dog, and a family pet, as he learns what he must in each life.




Soul Dog


Book Description

An exploration of animal spirituality and the ability of animals to communicate with humans even in the afterlife • 2019 Coalition of Visionary Resources Gold Award and Industry Choice and Peoples Choice Award • Chronicles the author’s profound relationship with her dog, Brio, his ability to read her mind and emotions, and the messages she received from him after his death • Shares the author’s research with animal communicators, psychics, and scientists specializing in animal intelligence such as Rupert Sheldrake • Explores animals’ thoughts and feelings, interspecies communication and telepathy, animal souls and the afterlife, and animal reincarnation • Paper with French flaps Looking for companionship after a near-fatal car crash, Elena Mannes, an award-winning television journalist and producer, decided to get her first dog. But what she found with her dog Brio shook the foundations of her physical and spiritual worlds, sending her on a quest to discover the nature of his spiritual origins and to contemplate and seek out the possibility of interspecies communication--even after death. Soon after bringing her puppy home, Mannes realized that the master-companion relationship would not be possible with Brio, who quickly showed that he had a mind--and a spirit--of his own. A healer Mannes visited immediately focused on Brio, exclaiming that he was an old soul. Mannes’s growing curiosity about the intelligence, emotions, and consciousness of Brio and other dogs led her to contact an animal psychic in California who described, with amazing accuracy, Brio’s favorite walks and the author’s apartment from the dog’s point of view. Motivated by her experience, Mannes produced a filmed segment with Diane Sawyer featuring the same psychic, who described Sawyer’s country house and her dog’s favorite spots in the yard. Mannes’s skeptical journalist background compelled her to investigate further. She delved into the world of animal communicators, psychics, and scientists studying animal intelligence, including Rupert Sheldrake, to find answers to her multiplying questions: Do animals have thoughts and feelings? Consciousness? Souls? Is interspecies communication possible? Can animals reincarnate? Spanning the entire life and afterlife of Brio, including his last days and his messages to the author after he passed on, this book also explores Mannes’ investigations into the spiritual life of animals, offering a new understanding of the unbreakable bond between humans and animals. Mannes invites readers to move beyond the owner-pet relationship and shows us how to see animals as thinking, feeling, spiritual beings whose connections with us extend far beyond life and death.




Sarama and Her Children


Book Description

The Most Recognized Dog In Indian Myth Is The Dog In The Mahabharata That Accompanied The Pandavas Not Actually A Dog But Dharma In Disguise. There Are, However, Several More References To Dogs In The Classical Texts. Mentioned For The First Time In The Rg Veda, The Eponymous Sarama Is The Dog Of The Gods And The Ancestor Of All Dogs. In Sarama And Her Children, The Evolution Of The Indian Attitude Towards Dogs Is Traced Through The Vedas, Epics, Puranas, Dharmashastras And Niti Shastras. The Widespread Assumption Is That Dogs Have Always Been Looked Down Upon In Hinduism And A Legacy Of That Attitude Persists Even Now. Tracing The Indian Attitude Towards Dogs In A Chronological Fashion, Beginning With The Pre-Vedic Indus Valley Civilization, Bibek Debroy Discovers That The Truth Is More Complicated. Dogs Had A Utilitarian Role In Pre-Vedic And Vedic Times. There Were Herd Dogs, Watchdogs And Hunting Dogs, And Dogs Were Used As Beasts Of Burden. But By The Time Of The Mahabharata, Negative Associations Had Begun To Creep In. Debroy Argues Convincingly That The Change In The Status Of The Dog In India Has To Do With The Progressive Decline Of The Traditional Vedic Gods Indra, Yama And Rudra (Who Were Associated With Dogs), And The Accompanying Elevation Of Vishnu, Associated With An Increase In Brahmana Influence. Debroy Demonstrates That Outside The Mainstream Caste Hindu Influence, As Reflected In Doctrines Associated With Shiva And In Buddhist Jataka Tales, Dogs Did Not Become Outcasts Or Outcastes. Drawing References From High And Low Literature, Folk Tales And Temple Art, Sarama And Her Children Dispels Some Myths And Ensures That The Indian Dog Also Has Its Day.




The Divinity of Dogs


Book Description

A moving collection of amazing stories that will make you laugh and cry, show just how much dogs bring to our lives.




Everyday Dharma


Book Description

In The Everyday Dharma, Willa Miller, an authorized lama in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition, reworks ancient Buddhist techniques and adapts them for western readers seeking personal transformation. Becoming a Buddha, Lama Miller explains, means observing the mind and actions and then doing the physical, psychological, and spiritual work to move closer to one’s wisdom nature. Dharma is spiritual practice; it’s what one does every day to make one’s mind and world a better place to live. Each chapter includes a passage to read, an exercise of the day that relates to each week’s topic, a quote from a sage, and tips on how to make daily practice a little easier. The book shows that it’s not necessary to subscribe to a particular — or any — belief system to benefit from this program. "It’s only necessary," says Lama Miller, "to believe one deserves to live a more fulfilling and meaningful life."




A Plea for the Animals


Book Description

Every cow just wants to be happy. Every chicken just wants to be free. Every bear, dog, or mouse experiences sorrow and feels pain as intensely as any of us humans do. In a compelling appeal to reason and human kindness, Matthieu Ricard here takes the arguments from his best-sellers Altruism and Happiness to their logical conclusion: that compassion toward all beings, including our fellow animals, is a moral obligation and the direction toward which any enlightened society must aspire. He chronicles the appalling sufferings of the animals we eat, wear, and use for adornment or "entertainment," and submits every traditional justification for their exploitation to scientific evidence and moral scrutiny. What arises is an unambiguous and powerful ethical imperative for treating all of the animals with whom we share this planet with respect and compassion.




Zen Dogs


Book Description

A treasury of Buddhist wisdom from the great teachers . . . plus cute doggie photos. Join some cuddly dogs for encouragement from Buddhist teachers like Thích Nhất Hanh and the Buddha himself in Zen Dogs. Don’t let the adorable canines fool you—they have plenty of mindfulness wisdom to share in the form of quotes and verses. Meditate along with these verses daily. Learn from the dutiful dog to be true in body and mind. And let your inner Zen Dog guide you to enlightenment.




Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth


Book Description

The author of The Healing Power of Mind draws on Buddhist scripture, firsthand accounts, and other sources to present an overview of Tibetan Buddhist teachings on facing death with openness and insight Buddhism teaches that death can be a springboard to enlightenment—yet for all but the most advanced meditators, it will be the gateway to countless future lives of suffering in samsara. Tulku Thondup wrote this guide to help us heal our fear and confusion about death and strengthen our practice in anticipation of this transition, and to help us realize the enlightened goal of ultimate peace and joy—not only for death and rebirth, but for this very lifetime. In simple language, he distills a vast range of sources, including scriptures, classic commentaries, oral teachings, and firsthand accounts. The book includes: • A downloadable audio program of guided meditations (URL provided in the book) • An overview of the dying process, the after-death bardo states, and teachings on why, where, and how we take rebirth • Accounts by Tibetan "near-death experiencers" (delogs), who returned from death with amazing reports of their visions • Ways to train our minds during life, so that at death, all the phenomena before us will arise as a world of peace, joy, and enlightenment • Simple meditations, prayers, and rituals to benefit the dead and dying • Advice for caregivers, helpers, and survivors of the dying The paperback edition links to a downloadable audio program providing guided instructions by the author on how to visualize Amitabha Buddha in the Pure Realm; how to receive his blessings; how to visualize transforming your body into light and sound at the time of death; how to share the blessings with compassion for all sentient beings; and how to rest in oneness. By becoming intimate with this practice while we're alive, we can alleviate our fear of death, improve our appreciation of this life, and prepare for death in a very practical way, while planting the seeds for rebirth in the Pure Land.




The Lion-dog of Buddhist Asia


Book Description

This unique book will appeal to students of Buddhism, art lovers, & dog fanciers alike. The lavishly illustrated text traces the origins of one of the most powerful icons of Buddhism, the lion of Buddha; the exquisite evocations of this mythical beast in the arts of three great Buddhist cultures of Asia; & the fascinating history of flesh-&-fur "lion-dogs" bred to resemble their celestial prototype: chiefly the Shih Tzu, but also such breeds as the Pekingese & the Lhasa Apso. Separate chapters elucidate the place of the "dog of Buddha" in the life, lore, & art of China, Tibet, & Japan. The Buddhist attitude toward dogs & other non-human beings is also compared with that of other religions. "A stunningly beautiful book, don't miss it."--Cleveland Amory. Distributed by Charles E. Tuttle, Vermont.