Bad Cull

Yesterday’s UB Post brings word of an annual effort that I tend to blank out of my mind during the course of the year. A small item announced that “Ulaanbaatar’s Municipal Administration began a campaign to eliminate street dogs.” The “culling program” (don’t you just love the euphemisms?) expects to round up and slaughter about 3000 dogs citywide. There’s nothing to be done about the program itself, at least this year, but for those DODR readers who are so inclined, do please pray and dedicate merit to this situation. And as Buddhists, we would not just pray for the dogs and their more fortunate rebirths, but we would also consider with compassion the karma being incurred by those who ordered the slaughter, and those whose rotten job it is to carry it out.

This Sunday, our UB Buddhist Study and Practice Group will gather again at 3pm (in the permanent ger structure instead of the main temple) and I will teach how to perform the simple Amitabha and Chenresig sadhanas. These are ideal to dedicate to those passing out of this life, so I’ll also talk about one of my teacher’s favorite subjects, the equality of all life, and the corollary virtue of kindness to animals. All are welcome, as they say.

I’m also going to propose a compassion project to the group. Today I learned that the shy, yellow mommy-type dog that hangs out in the temple courtyard (and who aaaalmost let me pet her today), is really a mommy-type. She’s quite pregnant (I thought she was just a little lopsided). Now this presents a dilemma. It’s bloody freezing and she doesn’t have anywhere warm to give birth. It’s highly likely that most if not all of the puppies would freeze to death. So. I’m going to see if we can rally the troops to petition the head lama to let us find or create some place for her to safely deliver her brood, commit to trying to find homes for the pups, and once it’s safe, get mommy spayed. I’m hoping this will balance out the “culling” karma a bit.

Now, on a lighter note, it seems Brother Don has fired a shot across the bow of the SS DODR, with a highly insinuating post about the moral character of coffee and those who worship enjoy it. He even goes so far as to approvingly link to ‘evidence’ purporting to show that elevated caffeine intake makes one more prone to hearing voices and other hallucinatory experiences (what? who’s there?!). But instead of going mano a mano with him on this, since I am after all a man of peace and he's quite a bit taller than me, let’s take this occasion to experiment with DODR’s first readers’ poll, and let the vox populi decide:

Comments

[Northmoon]

Your poll wouldn't let me vote, and I was going for the "true awakening" option, although I do admit to having an addictive personallity! So be aware that the results are being skewed toward the disreputable, perhaps by some hacker? (how computer savy is Don?)

On a more serious note, how sad about the "culling program". I hope you are able to work some sort of rescue for the pregnant temple dog and her future pups.

[Christian]

I don't think that the city of Thimphu will ever do such a thing, in spite of stray dogs being a serious nuisance there too. This is a case where Buddhist ethics is really put to test, because killing dogs is cheap, and the Bhutanese pass with flying colours. But it doesn't mean that they are sympathetic to the dogs...

Recently, a French woman living in Thimphu for many years has been decorated by the king because she has been taking care of many animals for many years, and not just dogs. The article mentionned that she used to search thrash in order to feed more convalescent animals and neighbours used to think that she had gone mad. She recounted that, once, she found a snake which had a cut. She was afraid but she took it and stitched the wound and let it rest by a heater. A couple of days later the snake was feeling better and she released it, while shaking at the idea of being bitten at any time. The most amazing is that she has been criticised because she had no medical training... Her husband is a medical doctor, but she learnt by herself most of all she does, even from the internet.

[Sangye]

Don's article made me wonder if the converse is true-- ie, does being only a rare coffee drinker mean both my oars are in the water? Because you know, I don't think they are.

I sure hope you can find Miss Preggy excellent shelter. She's in my prayers.

[Carol of Seattle]

Oh Brother Konchog,
You have totally busted me. I was just last evening getting ready to capitulate to my daughter's pleas to get some poison to deal with the ant problem we have in our house. When I read this post. I thought... hmm, I bet I have 3,000 ants in my house. Are they any less worth of consideration than these dogs? And how bad is it of me to take the lazy way out (killing them off) rather than the ethical route of cleaning up my own act, or in this case my kitchen...

Much thought for meditation there to be sure!

So I will hold off on the ant bait, and work on keeping my house as clean as my thoughts and actions should be... and we'll see where the ants go.

Good luck with your dogs, and let us know if we can help with the temple puppy project!

Carol

[Konchog]

Carol -- Yes, eliminating food sources is one step. Get your daughter to help clean! Also, if you can find their entry points, try to seal them up. And at those points, sometimes if you put down cinnamon, this acts as a natural deterrent.

[minnie]

i voted for the moral caculator, but can i add that i think don's nuts?

[Konchog]

Yes, minnie, you may.