Day 7- The Practice of Ahisma a Living Example in a Pet Story
Friday, April 17th, 2009I was contemplating how to end of the week in the practice of Ahisma, the first Yama in one of four limbs of yoga. Then this story came across my desk yet another time. I have seen this story in several different formats over the last year and each time it brings a smile to my face and opens my heart:)
Today is the day I move this story forward and share it with you. It is a perfect example of the practice of Ahisma, of non-harming and non-violence.
This is ‘Faith’
This dog was born on Christmas Eve in the year 2002. He was born with 3
legs - 2 healthy hind legs and 1 abnormal front leg which needed
to be amputated. He of course could not walk when he was born. Even his
mother did not want him.
His first owner also did not think that he could survive. Therefore, he
was thinking of ‘putting him to sleep’. By this time, his present owner, Jude Stringfellow, met him and wanted to take care of him.
She was determined to teach and train this dog to walk by himself.
Therefore she named him ‘Faith’.
In the beginning, she put Faith on a surfing board to let him feel the movements.
Later she used peanut butter on a spoon as a lure and reward for him to stand up and jump around.
Even the other dog at home also helped to encourage him to walk. Amazingly, only after 6 months, like a miracle, Faith learned to balance on his 2 hind legs and jumped to move forward.
After further training in the snow, he now can walk like a human being.
Faith loves to walk around now. No matter where he goes, he just attracts all the people around him. He is now becoming famous on the international scene. He has appeared on various newspapers and TV shows. There is even one book entitled ‘With a little faith’ being published about him.
His present owner Jude Stringfellew has given up her teaching post and plans to take him around the world to preach that even without a perfect body, one can have a perfect soul’.
It is a privilege and an honor to live in a place where technology gives us access to the special stories in the world. It is also a privilege to live in a part of the world where we are able to have the time, the resources, and space in our lives to do something so compassionate. Compassion towards this dog has transformed many lives, including no doubt, that of the current owner.
I have often said: It is difficult to imagine the positive aspects of right action over the long haul. Each time we practice Ahisma (non-harming, non-judgement) we acrue energy. It is said that the energy of every thought, action and deed is stored in the universal field. Through right action and right thought, one small piece at a time, your life can become almost unrecognizable. You may look back and and say I couldn’t have imagined the impact of this decision at the time.
For every person whose life has been touched by this story we give thanks to Faith and the one who had Faith and practiced Ahisma.
