Love and care exist not only within mankind but are also seen among animals. Regarding this, I would like to share a real story that I came across, between a dog and a cat. It was in the year 2000, when my elder sister brought a puppy home that my mother named Norzang. We used to feed him with cow milk until he grew strong enough to guard our field at night and house when no one was home. And at my uncle’s monastery, located a kilometre from my house, Norbu the cat was raised and he was my pet ever since his birth.
I spent my weekdays in the monastery studying and came home on holidays to help my parents. Once Norzang followed me to the monastery. When I gave food to Norbu, I was astonished to see that he didn’t even try to chase away Norzang who came and ate all his food while he was trying to have it. Instead, he kept just watching Norzang eating his food. He then embraced Norzang with his soft push as a kind of lovely greeting to a new friend on their first meeting. It amazed me since it wasn’t what I expected to happen. This is unusual between different species of animals. From that day on, they became good friends, perhaps more like brothers, and many neighbours saw them walking together along the way from my home to the monastery.
Norbu and Norzang used to share one plate and eat together. I noticed them many times eating and sleeping together and enjoying friendly moments with each other. First Norzang would go to the balcony and curl up in a ball-like position with his paws under his neck. After awhile Norbu would follow and sleep in the middle of the curled body. In one incident, Norzang was badly injured when he got bitten on his left leg by other dogs and couldn’t come to the monastery. At that time Norbu would go to my home to see Norzang and use to show his care for him by licking his wounds. I was tremendously moved to see such love and care in them.
One day when I was cleaning the surroundings of the temple, a group of dogs gathered in the grounds barking and fighting. Hearing this, Norzang rushed into the scene immediately. When Norzang was about to get involved in the group fight, a black dog came running towards Norzang and started fighting. When Norbu saw this, he rushed there to help his friend Norzang who was smaller than the black dog. Norbu lashed out with his sharp claws at the face of the black dog more than four times and together they managed to chase away the black dog.
I felt sad when I went back home for the first time since leaving for Namdroling Monastery three years before. I came to know that not long after Norzang died, Norbu was also lost and was nowhere to be found. My mother said Norbu would sleep at the spot where Norzang used to sleep. Such was the love and affection between two souls even though they were of different kinds. This experience moved me deeply and made me believe in such stories I heard of before and after.
It can be concluded that beings are born in different realms because of their own deluded karma, which is led by afflictive emotions. It’s a fact, however, that every being without exception has the nature of love and affection, and love is the root of compassion, which is ultimately the mind of the Buddha. Hence, every being has the nature of Buddha.
The great Omniscient Jigme Lingpa states:
The Buddha nature pervades every sentient being;
Arouse in the mind the bodhichitta that is so vast and superior.
All sentient beings are the cause of Buddhahood without exception;
Hence, there is no being who is not the vessel [to receive teachings].
Rinchen Wangdi
9th Year, NNI
