David Michie - Buddhism for Pet Lovers: Supporting our Closest Companions through Life and Death

Buddhism for Pet Lovers is a wonderful book full of compassion for our animal companions. Pets give us the opportunity to practise the essence of six perfections of Buddhismgenerosity, ethics, patience, perseverance, meditation and wisdomfor the benefit of beings that have taken non-human form in this lifetime. Our cherished pets are our Dharma friends and teachers.

THE VENERABLE ACHARYA ZASEP TULKU RINPOCHE, SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR OF GADEN FOR THE WEST, AND AUTHOR OF A TULKUS JOURNEY FROM TIBET TO CANADA

In this riveting book, masterful storyteller David Michie explores Buddhist philosophy interweaving it with his deep love for animals and a profound understanding of holistic healing and energy work. You may have no knowledge of Buddhism, meditation, Reiki, holistic healing or hospice care. But if you have ever deeply loved an animal, this is, without doubt, the book for you.

GAIL POPE, BRIGHTHAVEN CENTER FOR ANIMAL RESCUE, HOSPICE AND HOLISTIC EDUCATION

A refreshing and insightful guide to finding ways to honour and cherish our animal friends each and every day. This gem of a book inspires us to find a deeper level of being to support the animals in our lives and in the world. Compassion and mindful presence in all stages of our animals lives: there is no greater gift we can bring to the ones we love!

KATHLEEN PRASAD, AUTHOR OF HEART TO HEART WITH HORSES, EVERYTHING ANIMAL REIKI AND REIKI FOR DOGS

For animal lovers, pets are often our dearest and most sensitive friends and we love them with all our heart. Davids book will help you to deeply strengthen your heart to heart bond with the pets in your life. At no time is this connection more important, than as the end of their precious life approaches.

CAROLYN TRETHEWEY, ANIMAL REIKI PRACTITIONER AND FOUNDER OF PAUSE HQ

David Michie is an internationally published writer, meditation coach and Mindful Safari guide. He is author of the bestselling Hurry Up and Meditate, Buddhism for Busy People, Why Mindfulness Is Better Than Chocolate, and the popular Dalai Lamas Cat series of novels.

www.davidmichie.com

ALSO BY DAVID MICHIE

NON-FICTION

Buddhism For Busy People

Hurry Up and Meditate

Enlightenment To Go

Why Mindfulness Is Better Than Chocolate

FICTION

The Dalai Lamas Cat

The Dalai Lamas Cat and The Art of Purring

The Dalai Lamas Cat and The Power of Meow

The Queens Corgi: On Purpose

The Magician of Lhasa

First published in 2017

Copyright Mosaic Reputation Management (Pty) Ltd 2017

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to the Copyright Agency (Australia) under the Act.

Allen & Unwin

83 Alexander Street

Crows Nest NSW 2065

Australia

Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100

Email:

Web: www.allenandunwin.com

Cataloguing-in-Publication details are available from the National Library of Australia

www.trove.nla.gov.au

ISBN 9781760294496

eISBN 9781760638610

Set by Bookhouse, Sydney

Cover design: Christabella Designs

Cover photographs: Ilkal Franz / Getty Images (dog); Life On White / Getty Images (cat); cynoclub / Shutterstock (bird)

Not to hurt our humble brethren (the animals) is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher missionto be of service to them whenever they require it. If you have men who will exclude any of Gods creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.

SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI

A human being experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the resta kind of optical illusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of understanding and compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

ALBERT EINSTEIN

True happiness comes not from a limited concern for ones own wellbeing, or that of those one feels close to, but from developing love and compassion for all sentient beings.

THE DALAI LAMA

DEDICATION

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED with heartfelt gratitude to my Dharma teachers: Geshe Acharya Thubten Loden, founder of the Tibetan Buddhist Society in Australia; Les Sheehy, director of the Tibetan Buddhist Society in Perth, Western Australia; and the Venerable Acharya Zasep Tulku Rinpoche, founder of Gaden for the West. I can never repay their kindness, and without them this book could never have been written.

This book is also dedicated to the many animals who have made my own journey through life immeasurably more fulfilling, fascinating and fun. Among my closest companions have been those possessing feathers or fur, our differences in no way lessening the deep bonds of affection we have shared. In writing this book, may I be creating the causes for them to quickly reach enlightenment. And may this book be a direct cause for more people to become interested in the consciousness of our fellow beings, and a motivation to us all to extend to all living creaturesespecially those within our carethe time-honoured courtesy of treating others the way we ourselves wish to be treated.

May all beings have happiness

and the true cause of happiness;

May all beings be free from suffering

and the true cause of suffering;

May all beings never be parted

from the happiness that is without suffering;

May all beings abide in peace and equanimity,

their minds free from attachment, aversion and indifference.

CONTENTS

HOW DO ANIMALS MINDS compare to our own? Do pets have any purpose besides offering us companionship, cute social media photos and, perhaps, the motivation to exercise more regularly? And what happens to animals consciousness when they diedoes it continue in some way, and if so, how and where?

These are big questions for animal lovers because, for many of us, pets are among our most cherished family members. A constant presence in our homes, they are an important focus of our daily routine, active participants in our lives and silent witnesses to us in our most intimate and vulnerable moments. We share our valuable recreation time with them, our furniture, our belongings. Many of us even sleep in contorted postures so that they can share our beds!

We develop functioning, non-verbal communication with our animal companions covering not only domestic rules and rituals, but extending well beyond that to include a wide range of feelings, including playfulness, fear, anger and love. Over time, many of us bond very deeply with our pets, knowing that we share a mutual understanding and a profound connection on a level beyond words. Its a connection with a quality we may not feel in relation to any other beings. What happens to our pets really matters.