"Compassion is a Verb" by Thich Nhat Hhan

The other day, I was driving out of my neighborhood when I saw a black and white boxer dog on the street. As I passed by him, I could see he had a collar on.  He looked at me as if he was checking to see if I was his person. He didn’t run from the car. He looked confused. Maybe he was not from my area.

The eye-to-eye look was unsettling for me. He was asking for help. I was in a hurry to go somewhere, so I thought to myself that he maybe he would be o.k. if I drove on.

That decision bothered me enough to pull off the road. I was frustrated because of my schedule. I knew if I were to bring him home my dog aggressive pup the size of a horse, would eat him. I wasn’t sure what I could do beyond giving him some water and food. This was “monkey mind” trying to take over my thoughts. 

In that moment I recalled the Buddhist lesson that we vow to be compassionate to all beings. How was ignoring this dog compassionate? How incongruent is ignoring the dog for a Buddhist student? AND didn’t I just read that Thich Nhat Hahn said compassion is a verb?

In that moment of clarity, I understood that I had to release my well-planned schedule and give my time to this pup. In that moment, I said a quick little prayer to my higher self and put the car in reverse.  

Having released the monkey mind, “right mind” and its wisdom filtered into my thoughts. I could hear its suggestions. He had a collar on. There might be a tag on it. If not, I could take him to my vet to have him scanned for a microchip. If he had one, I knew they would take him from me, as they are required to do, and find his family. There is also the neighborhood app on my phone where I could send a pic. I might be able to locate his people that way.

You’ll be happy to know that his home was found. He is safe and loved. How did that come about? Shifting from monkey mind to right mind. Allow the wisdom of the Universe in. Any of us can do it. A daily practice of zazen makes it happen faster. 

Know that this sangha welcomes you.  

Gassho my dear friends,

John Karn, D.D.