Buddhism for Pet Lovers by David Michie

Author:David Michie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2017-05-23T04:00:00+00:00

The idea that things need to be a certain way for us to be happy is, from a Buddhist perspective, an unfortunate superstition. But our consumerist culture, where advertisers set out to define specific problems which their products can fix, continually reinforces this false premise. If we have any doubt at all that that sleek German luxury car, or a house in a particular suburb, or a partner who is more like our favourite movie star isn’t a true cause of happiness, all we need to do is make an assessment of people who already live with these things and people.

As far as we’re able to gather, are they happier than people who don’t enjoy their circumstances or relationships? Taking in the whole package—that is, the obligations of their lifestyle as well as the pay-offs—are they really to be envied?

It so happens that the suburbs of the city in which I live where antidepressants are most heavily prescribed also happen to be the wealthiest postal codes. I am sure Perth, Australia, is quite typical in that regard.

Money can provide financial solutions, but it can’t deliver a sense of meaning, self-acceptance, equanimity, love or heartfelt connection to others, to name just a few of the qualities from which happiness arises as a delightful by-product.

Buddhism encourages us to cultivate these qualities of mind if we wish to experience profound wellbeing both now and in the future. If we wish for happiness, we should create the causes of happiness. If we wish to avoid suffering, we should avoid creating the causes of suffering. On a conventional level, this explanation is pretty straightforward, even if our own personal conditioning doesn’t always make it easy for us to be as open-hearted or even-tempered as we would like.

How do we help others cultivate these happiness-creating qualities? Whether those others are humans or pets, there are limits on the extent to which we can shift their inner lives. But we do have some influence, even if we’re not always aware of it.

This chapter explores what some of the most important influences are, and offers practical suggestions on how to use them. Our objective in familiarising our pets with specific states, sounds and imagery is not only to encourage a positive experience of reality for them in this particular lifetime. Our purpose is far more panoramic.

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