LESSONS LEARNED from my Puppy, Benjamin Honey...

Everyone is our Teacher when we approach life with an open mind and a receptive heart, when our eyes are open wide to SEE and our ears are open wide to Hear, when we live in constant prayer, Thy will be done, not mine. 

Puppies are a lot of work, but you get so much joy and love in return. Benji is a great teacher. Here are some lessons learned from my puppy:

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Patient. Loving. Kind

1. Benji says, "What? You didn't want your sock chewed on? Then why did you leave it on the floor, right near my mouth?"

2. Benji says, "It's not my fault. I'm just a puppy. Don't blame me. If you don't want your slippers chewed on, put them away."

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Patient. Loving. Kind.

Yes, the mind likes to go outward and blame someone else for what goes wrong with our life. Especially, when you share a home with someone, that's where the mind often goes, "My pain is someone else's fault. They should change."

3. Benji says, "What? I should change? I'm a puppy. Puppies chew. Puppies pee sometimes in the wrong places, until they are trained. I'm a puppy. Don't blame me for being a puppy. I am a perfect puppy. You change. I will grow up."

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Patient. Loving. Kind.

Yes, we must be patient, loving, and kind to all the puppies in our lives. It is well-known that puppies learn best from loving kindness and positive reinforcement, not from shouts, hits, anger, or cruelty. A dog may obey you because it fears you, but it will not love you. it will not be happy. It will live in fear and pain.

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Patient. Loving. Kind.

Be patient, loving, and kind to the puppy who lives within you. When you are harsh and critical towards yourself, that will be reflected in all aspects of your life. 

Benjamin Honey "Benji"

Benji is a happy joyful little being. He is cuddled next to me now, having had his breakfast, gone outside, and played and run around the house. He feels safe. He loves everyone. He greets everyone with a wide open heart, ready to love and be loved. Benji is a rescue dog who has found his Forever Home. 

If you want a certain breed there is probably a rescue for that breed. Benji happens to be a “Designer Dog” — that is, he is a cross between a Beagle and a Yorkie — a Borkie — a relatively new mix, first bred in the 90’s. But that is not why I chose him. I didn’t even know he was a special “designer” dog.

He was rescued from a breeder in Ohio, along with his brothers and sisters and cousins, and brought to a shelter in NYS. Unethical Breeders do horrible things, like keeping a mom in a cage, using her only to breed puppies. 

So if you use a “breeder” make sure the breeder is responsible and gives a loving family life to all their dogs and puppies. Better yet, rescue a dog or a puppy or a cat or a rabbit who needs a home. There are too many dogs already without homes, languishing in shelters, or "euthanized."

I was a foster mom to Benji, who was 6 months old when he was rescued. I had no intention of getting a dog for keeps, but I fell in love with him. He has brought so much laughter and joy to my life. It takes work, training a puppy, but Benji is very smart. He learns quickly.

Dogs want to please us. They want to fit in. They want to live in harmony with us. They want a forever home. 

When we teach with love, puppies and dogs feel safe. They learn. They grow. And we receive so much. Puppies are great Spiritual Teachers when we are willing to learn. 

A Grandmother Story

This event, which is now a story, really happened. You can decide for yourself if it is true. There are only two characters in this story. One of them happens to be a Wise Woman, although no one ever thought of her in this way when she was alive. 

There was this very old grandmother who was on her deathbed. Before she died, she called one of her granddaughters to her. She had thirteen grandchildren but she only called this one. The grandmother had been an ordinary grandmother, or so the granddaughter thought. The grandmother looked into her granddaughter’s cool green eyes with her own eyes which burned like fire in her shriveled face and whispered to her, “Little girl, I want to tell you three things.” 

The granddaughter, who was around twenty at the time, nodded respectfully, and leaned forward to listen. This is what the grandmother told her, “All there is IS. The will of God is all there is. You do not exist.”

The angels will leave you these words to ponder, the way the wise grandmother left them for her granddaughter to ponder through the years when the grandmother would no longer be walking upon the face of the earth.

The Secret of Life

Life is just a bowl of cherries.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9kAd8Mygpw

This guy was looking for the secret of life. He had been looking for the secret of life for fifteen or twenty years. His search finally led him to India. He traveled all around India, asking everyone he met for the secret of life. 

Finally, he was directed to the Himalayas where he spent another year or so, climbing and searching and asking his question. Everywhere he went, no one knew the answer. Then he began to hear rumblings about an ancient teacher, who was rumored to know the secret of life.

One day, after a grueling climb, he reached the mouth of a small cave and—lo and behold! There sat the very man he had heard about!  

The old sage fixed him with a piercing gaze, and said, “Ah, you have come at last, my son. What can I do for you?”  

The guy felt so elated! He knew he had found the guru who was going to give him the answer he had been seeking for so long. So he asked him the question he had been asking everyone, “What is the secret of life?” 

The wise all-knowing guru squinted his eyes, and the guy was sure he saw a spark of light emanate from them. He waited with bated breath—at last the secret would be his!

The guru stretched, gave a big yawn, and then relaxed with a long sigh. A serene smile danced across his face and his eyes twinkled as he replied, “Life is just a bowl of cherries.” 

The seeker gasped, “What! I’ve been traveling for twenty-five years all over the world, seeking the meaning of life. I climbed all the way up this mountain just to find you, and you tell me life is just a bowl of cherries!” 

The ancient sage blinked his eyes, “You mean, it isn’t?”

Quote by Vernon Howard....

 "THE SLAVE"

Some students asked their teacher to tell them of an experience of his
with inquirers. The teacher began, 'I once met a slave. Though his
slavery was inward, it was just as binding as if he wore actual chains.
When I casually mentioned his plight he reacted as all slaves react.

His response was a combination of disbelief, scorn, bewilderment and
rejection. Had he been receptive, I could have helped him, for awareness
of slavery must precede freedom.'

The teacher continued, 'What awareness could have helped him? I could
have told him he was the slave of everyone he needed to impress, of
everyone he feared, of those he depended upon for psychological
security. He could have seen his enslavement to shame over past follies,
and could have understood how shame prevents understanding and freedom.'

The test of a man's teachability is to tell him about his chains and
watch how he takes it. —Vernon Howard