Dharma Message from Rev. Seigen Yamaoka

“Another Vegas story ”

 

Since this is the year of the Dog, I would like to tell a dog story. This is about a dog that lives at our house. Her name is Vegas and she came to our house some seven years ago for us to dog sit. However, she is still with us. We are permanent sitters for this dog. She is light brown with big eyes that look side ways, a face that is smashed in, snores up a storm when she sleeps and is not a good watchdog. When I first met her I thought she was ugly. But over time she is getting to look better.

She is a Pug. She loves to eat so she is round like a big baloney. She has one bad habit. She loves to knock over the garbage container and make a big mess.

Vegas has the run of the house. Once I was upstairs and I heard a crash. I didn’t think anything of it and continued to do what I was doing. I went downstairs and saw the mess the she made. The garbage container was tipped over and the contents were all over the floor. I yelled, “Vegas, where are you!” I couldn’t find her because she was under the table. I was so mad I called her a garbage dog. From under the table she looked at me, but didn’t move except her ears slightly went downwards. I said, “Outside!” She headed for the sliding door and I let her out yelling, “Garbage dog!”

What a mess! That garbage bag was in shreds and wrapping all over the place. I cleaned it up. She was scratching on the wanting to come inside. I let her in but she knew she did something wrong. She didn’t come close to me. When I sat down on the floor to watch T.V. she came on to my lap and fell asleep and started to snore as if nothing happened

She wasn’t mad at me but I was mad at her, but I couldn’t push her off my lap.

Then, I started to think, “why am I mad at her? I knew she loved to knock over the garbage container. All I have to do is put the container on the counter out of her reach.”

With the encounter with the garbage, Vegas taught me that if I took care of things I wouldn’t have to get mad and pick up garbage. I felt Vegas’s love for me was much greater than the love that I had for her. I learned a great lesson of life.

In life, are always taught by those around us such as our parents, brothers, sisters, friends, animals, plants and many other things. We need to have the right view to see what they are teaching us so that we can learn about ourselves and grow. As we learn about what we receive from all those things around us (interrelations) we will find meaning for our lives.

(Lesson): Living with Vegas I encounter many moments, but it comes to garbage time that encounter causes me to become angry. As the encounter continues on I encounter other things about Vegas that makes me reflect on the whole of that relationship and I find meaning in our relationships. From the standpoint of the Dharma, I am expanded to self-reflection within the great compassion, which helps me to understand the deeper means of our interrelationship so that I can find joy and gratitude and greater meaning for my life. Not only to Vegas but also to the Dharma known to us as Amida.

Seigen Yamaoka

Rev. Yamaoka is the head Minister of the Buddhist Church of Oakland

 

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