Tattva-viveka
Learning from dogs
Margaret Dale - August 12, 2008 8:55 pm
Last week I rescued a 17 year old dog. The owner was going to put her to sleep because she was too hard to take care of (she has a lot of trouble holding her head up and walking in a straight line.) Over the week that I've had her, she has shown me some parallels between her condition and my condition.
She had rotten teeth - covered in a quarter inch of tartar and half of them had abscesses at the roots. They were doing nothing but causing pain and acting to poison her body. I had to anesthetize her and pull all her rotten teeth. She woke up and was like, OMG, my mouth feels weird and it hurts. I'm giving her pain meds and antibiotics, but she still is pretty upset about her mouth. She doesn't want to eat so I'm having to syringe feed her. She doesn't like it, I have to restrain her and she struggles and spits some of the food back at me. I keep telling her that her mouth isn't going to get better unless she takes in some nutrients to support the healing process, and that honestly, her mouth is going to feel better than it has in years in just a week or two. And besides, her other option was dead. It would all be so much better for her if she'd just cooperate....
I just realize this morning that her rotten teeth are like my anarthas and attachments to this world - doing nothing but causing me pain and poisoning my mind. GM is trying to yank the rotten teeth out because he can see the situation clearly. I get all grumpy and sad when he pulls one, constantly bothering the hole where it was and bemoaning the loss of my tooth. GM tells me smaranam kirtanam....knowing that the only way for me to be healed is to take the medicine of sadhana. I keep fighting and spitting the food out of my mouth, but some of it gets down and slowly slowly I start to heal. And I'm sure GM is often shaking his head, thinking that if I'd just cooperate.....
Vrindaranya Dasi - August 12, 2008 9:56 pm
Nice analogy.
Tadiya Dasi - August 14, 2008 12:47 pm
Thanks for sharing, Margaret! 
It requires a certain level of absorption in thoughts of Krishna and Guru to be able to notice these kind of lessons and analogies happening all the time around us - and then take them to heart and apply it in your own life. That's just great!
:Shame On You: Good for you.
I hope your dog is feeling better & healing quickly.
Babhru Das - August 15, 2008 12:51 am
I like this, too, Margaret. Thanks. And I agree with Tadiya. It's evidence of seeing Krishna everywhere--a good lesson for us all.