Thought Salad: SHIRO THE ZEN MASTER

Our two-year-old Labrador Shiro is my Zen master. She is my Zen Guru since we are learning lots of spiritual lessons from this little angel. Shiro is one of the key reasons today I am able to see the world with cataracts cleared. Today I am going to tell you about only the present Shiro’s Zen qualities. Because as a child she was an unadulterated nightmare J.

The most wonderful attribute about Shiro is she is too friendly to all the living things she finds on this earth. Her love is universal. She greets everyone with warmth and affection. She welcomes us happily as if she is welcoming her long lost friends, though the separation is just for a few minutes. Either we come home with empty hands or hands full of treats; her fervor for us is the same. She has special motherly affection for puppies and human kids. She is the best friend with whom we can sit all day long and not have to swap a single word. She never misreads our silence. Regardless of where she is, the moment she sniffs a conversation, she enters, takes her well-situated position and heads the board.

Shiro is my healer. She is my motivator. She compassionately swallowed the tears from my dispirited days and never talked or laughed at my back later. She never judges me or pinpoints my low days. She is my inspiration to let go and move forward. She teaches us not to hold grudges on anyone. For Shiro, we are her only family though she makes out our unfairness towards her at times. She has no ego. She accepts what cannot be changed. Shiro is a peacemaker who never entertains quarrels and arguments.

Shiro lives in NOW. She has no worry about the past or future. She seems so contented when she is playing with herself. Shiro is a super ‘napper’. She takes too many briefs out of her day to relax. She sits with her forelegs stretched ahead - sometimes crossed, her head and chest held straight and elevated; her neck rises a bit as she focuses on something; her honey dipped eyes both intense and composed; her face so serene and calm. I am still trying many meditation techniques to attain a state that Shiro resides in all the time. If I sit for meditation and start chanting OM, she licks my face as if she is blessing me for all the bliss. Though we take sunlight for granted Shiro always looks for a patch of sunlight, she gets there, closes her eyes and shows her gratitude to the SUN by taking a sunbath.

Shiro knows no crafty games; her motives are fair and simple. A gentle rub on her belly is her only luxury. She is the very minimalist and is happy to the fullest. During her routine hours, she patiently sits and waits for the magical sound ‘leash’. Once her leash is grabbed she is happily ready for a ‘get set walk’. And she leads her walker like a personal physical trainer. Just being with the family makes Shiro’s life meaningful.

I started calling her Zen master just for a laugh but then I realized she is a Zen master on her own.

SHIRO IS THE SILENT WITNESS TO ALL OUR DEEDS