Friday, April 20, 2012

Spirituality, connecting mankind and animals

In Northern India, the three Rivers, River Ganga, Yumuna and Swaraswati meet in a desolate, calming, peaceful place, on a shoreline that appears to have no beginning or end. People gather here to "bathe" in the river, know to cleanse one of negativity. Here is where the intelligent street dogs have found home. They have learned that here, people gather, and their intuition tells them so should they, why??? Its' A Special Place for Dogs and People. Many Hindus are very spiritual, and one of the chore cultural values and ingrained beliefs of this culture is the act of kindness towards not just mankind, but all life. For years, Hindus have practiced different traditions that constantly ingrain whether one beliefs it to be through guilt, or through spirituality.... the notion of respect, equality, kindness and no harm. My in-laws visited here last month, and made sure to that they took these wonderful photos to share with me how these dogs co-existed and lived in such large groups with one another, where resources were scarce, and one would think that would facilitate in aggression. Yet, these dogs lived happily together, exhibiting kindness, patience, respect and communication... they shared the biscuits that people bought from the vendors on the shoreline to give out to the dogs... why? I don't know, because its part of living life and being kind. Look closely you will not see a single dog that appears to be emaciated, or in poor health. Certainly they have to be finding their food elsewhere. But what brings them back to the rivers is the people, and the dogs have figured this out. They know what times people show up, and they also know what times the vendors show up. Until then, the scavenge - practice of survival through play, hunt and rest, and then they come to get some treats and socialize amongst people who are in the best of spirits. These dogs know! The intelligence of survival.

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