Saga Dawa Dog

I call Patch my Saga Dawa Dog because I adopted him on Saga Dawa Duchen in 2003, amidst a stream of miracles.(Saga Dawa Duchen is a Buddhist holy day that marks the Buddha's enlightenment and parinirvana.)

I had connected to KPC through Ani Pema 6 months before, when my dog Laika was struggling with a horrific, undiagnosable condition. By May, it became apparent that Laika was dying. I’d rescued her from the dog-unfriendly streets of Spain 10 years before. She was my heart and joy, and my sorrow grew daily. Because she was unable to support her own wasting body, I kept her with me and carried her everywhere—to work, to prayer shifts, etc….

We were in the early phases of building the Amitabha Stupa in Sedona, Arizona, under the guidance of stupa expert Tulku Sang Ngag Rinpoche. He was giving a public talk on stupas at Sedona Creative Life Center. Though I had mixed feelings about going, the life of the Buddha taught me I would ultimately be of greater benefit to Laika if I accomplished the Path.

So Laika laid limp and blind in the back seat of my car that evening, as I filled my eyes and ears with Dharma, praying it would benefit her. At the end, Ani Pema came running up and said, “Bring your car to the exit right away. Tulku wants to bless Laika!” She had told Tulku about Laika’s desperate condition. We drove up just as Tulku emerged. I opened the back door of the car, and Tulku gave Laika a very long blessing. Through my tears of joy, I could see Laika do what she had not been able to do for weeks—lift her head towards Tulku, as if she were receiving the blessing. “Look, look at Laika!” Pema said with equal delight.

Two weeks later, with “Invocation” playing in the room, Laika died peacefully in my arms as I tapped the crown of her head. I got a message through to Jetsunma right away. I felt surprisingly joyful. Laika had burned up so much negative karma, and she’d had a good death, with so many blessings. That afternoon, I drove to Sedona for a Shower of Blessings tsog to be with sangha and dedicate merit to Laika. I was winding through Oak Creek Canyon, when all of a sudden I “felt” Laika everywhere, in everything. I don’t know how to describe it. I certainly wasn’t expecting it. It was as if I could feel her joyful presence in every living cell around me, buzzing, sparkling.

Within another 2 weeks on Saga Dawa, I adopted Patch in Prescott, got him acquainted with my foster dog Lucy, and we hurried to KPC. As we arrived, I learned that Jetsunma was teaching. I had never seen her in person before! I tied the dogs on the shaded porch. The place was packed. I wedged myself into the little prayer room for the last 10 minutes. I could see Jetsunma’s right arm and was overjoyed to see my Lama for the first time. The dogs waited quietly outside. Jetsunma stopped abruptly and said, “Someone bring those dogs inside. It’s too hot.” There was no way she could have known there were dogs out there!

I marvel at this string of miracles, and at the miracle Jetsunma displayed for me within minutes of seeing her. I rejoice in Patch’s excellent karma—on his first day as a sangha member, he got to hear his Lama speak.