Day after day we can witness around us acts of callousness and cruelty of which most people are not even aware, because they simply do not acknowledge that other life forms are sentient and therefore feel and respond to energy, moods and pain. This is an extremely crucial point to understand if we are ever to come into greater harmony with all other life forms with whom we share this world.
Lotus Animal Sanctuary, raising awareness, awakening hearts and saving lives. The sanctuary is the life mission of Lynn, a vegan animal rights activist. When I met her, she tells me she is following a Buddhist path and was inspired by her teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh to become vegan and to get off the meditation mat and put compassion into action in everyday life, and she is.
We almost never think to question our story or to investigate the nature and origins of our inmost sense of self. As a result, our attention remains locked onto the drama of our unfolding life and we remain none the wiser right up until the time it is about to end. Most of us are not even aware that we are fixating on a drama which is neither true nor real and we are accustomed to living almost all of our lives this way. For us, what is nearest and true, as our inmost nature, has become but a distant dream and what is dreamlike and passing is the obsessive focus of our day to day attention.
I hold all life sacred. From Mother Earth and her life-giving bounty, to all creatures great and small. However cows, like dogs, have had a symbiotic relationship with mankind as long as both have been in contact with each other. After all, dogs are known as mans best friend and for good reason. Yet cows hold a special place alongside humanity.
You see, in my work with animals and Reiki over the years, I began to notice something interesting; when I would meditate and my animals would happen to be with me, I found myself able to quiet my mind and be present with an open heart much more easily.
His coat was very dull, his eyes stared blankly into space and he barked continuously. The shelter staff asked me to please try to help calm him because he had been hysterically barking since he had arrived.
There is nothing like setting the stage for self work like having the Rocky Mountains in the background, a bold stormy sky above, a large expansive field, and a horse that wants nothing to do with you.