Dogs and Buddha Nature

Observing my dog this morning I was reminded about the Zen koan “does a dog have Buddha nature?”

Several months ago we picked a dog out at the town shelter.  From what the vet told us, she’s probably a little shy of two years old now.  My dog is a mix, with a bit of Schnauzer in her— which makes her a “rat” dog.  Since day one, my dog believes she exists to keep the house and surrounding property free of any small critters.  Every morning, when I let her out she makes a bee-line to the neighbor’s fence.  My neighbor has a bird feeder and it attracts squirrels as well as birds.  The presence of a walnut tree, on the property line enhances the appeal that this area holds for the squirrels.

On letting her out this morning, my dog spots a squirrel sitting on the branch that hangs over our yard.  Up in the tree a squirrel was pulling apart a walnut.  This action infuriated my Schnauzer mix.  True to her instincts, she desperately tried to rid the area of the squirrel.  Barking, growling, jumping up and down, she tried and tried but the squirrel wasn’t impressed.  The squirrel knew it had the upper hand.  I tried quieting my dog.  I tried distracting her but she was determined to do her duty.  And, as what so often happens with us, the dog became consumed with the task at hand.

The drama played out for about fifteen or twenty minutes.  In spite of all that effort, the dog never got to the squirrel. And as it is the nature of things, eventually, the dog lost interest and the squirrel moved on. The earth kept spinning and the universe kept expanding.