dive into mark

John Suler: What is This Thing Called Self?

As I was recovering, my dog Griffin - a border terrier - walked into the room. I suddenly remembered an old Zen koan. Does a dog have a Buddha nature? Which I guess is similar to asking if a dog has a self. “Griffin!” I called to him. He came and sat down in front of me.

“Griffin, do you have a self?” He looked interested, and stared right back at me.

“Griffin!” I said a bit more earnestly, “Do you have a self?” Now he was really staring at me intently, and I knew I was onto something.

“Griffin!!”, I said, with excitement clearly showing in my voice, “Show me your self!” He barked, licked his lips, and ran to his bowl in the kitchen. Self… lunch… it’s all the same to Griffin. So I followed him into the kitchen and poured him a bowl of kibble.

John also maintains a site of other Zen stories, affectionately called Zen Stories to Tell Your Neighbors. Highly recommended.

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