My Akita Kensho has his passions. If I had to deduct his priorities from his behavior I would say this is his top 3:

1. Play with bitches, preferably when they are in heat
2. Digging
3. Tracking and hunting

In a dog whisperer workshop I have learned to never ever take away the passion of a dog. You’ll risk ending up with a lethargic animal, unworthy of a dog, without a fire burning inside. So find the passion of your dog, no matter how deep you’ll have to dig, and give him the chance to enjoy that passion (within bounderies ofcourse).

Kensho just loves to dig massive holes.

Until he just disappears…

This is one happy Akita !!!

As of today I have moved ‘digging’ from number 2 to number 1 in the Akita Passion Ranking. A bitch approached Kensho in a playful manner. He just looked up for a split second, slightly worried he was going to have to share his hole. As he ignored her, she moved on and Kensho went back to his important work.

Usually Kensho is pretty good at the ‘letting go’ thing. It’s a Buddhist skill to not get attached to belongings etc. Attachment is where the suffering starts. But today, Kensho wasn’t in a Zen state of mind. He was so preoccupied with ‘his’ hole that he didn’t want to leave. He made it perfectly clear he was determined to get to the other side… or back to Japan or something like that . Finally I had to practically drag him away to get back home. All good things come to an end.
As the Zen Buddhists say: ‘Everything changes’. The doctrine of impermanence says that everything is constantly changing. Impermanence can lead to suffering as one fails to accept the continuously changing nature of the world. This means that as one tries to relive an event or strives to keep things the same, suffering is caused by the discrepancy between impermanence and desire for permanence. As one strives for nirvana, it is essential to accept the impermanent nature of things.

Kensho has a brother ‘Daigo’ and recently that brother has got company. A new Akita joined the family. A female one of course since you would just be asking for trouble when you try to stuff two male Akita’s into one small house (or two females for that matter). His new girlfriend’s name is Rona. They have a lot of fun together.

It’s not all that easy to handle two young Akita’s. When I see these pictures I wish a playmate for Kensho as well, but I can still manage to not take action upon that thought . Though I have several names in mind, haha.

Daigo is, just like Kensho, a name that has it’s origin in the Japanese zen buddhism. It usually denotes a great realization or enlightenment.

A store owner was tacking a sign above his door that read ” Puppies For Sale”. Signs like that have a way of attracting small children, and sure enough, a little boy appeared under the store owner’s sign.

“How much are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked.

The store owner replied, ” Anywhere from $30 to $50.”

The little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. “I have $2.37,” he said. “Can I please look at them?”

The store owner smiled and whistled and out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his store followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur. One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said,

“What’s wrong with that little dog?”

The store owner explained that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn’t have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame. The little boy became excited.

“That is the little puppy that I want to buy.”

The store owner said, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you reallly want him, I’ll give him to you.”

The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner’s eyes, pointing his finger, and said, “I don’t want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay full price. In fact, I’ll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for.”

The store owner countered, “You really don’t want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies.”

To this, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the store owner and softly replied,

“Well, I don’t run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!”

Contribution by Victor and Diane Chew

Kenshō (見性), literally “seeing the nature”, is an experience described in the context of Zen Buddhism. The term is often used to denote an initial awakening experience, seeing one’s True-Nature or Buddha-Nature, that can be enlarged and clarified through further practice in daily life.

The Kensho Experience

In Kensho, one experiences the illusionary nature of the separate self (‘I’). Because of the nature of the mind, any perception seems to involve a perceived object, the process of perception, and a perceiving subject.

For example, ‘I see you’: I – the subject, see – the process of perception, you – the object, that appears to be separate from the perceived objects. Trying to find the ‘I’, the subject, through introspection leads to the realization that this ‘I’, is completely dependent on the process of perception and associated thought/feeling complex and the memories tied to them.

Seeing Kensho

Once the True-Nature has been seen it is customary to use Satori when referring to the enlightenment of the Buddha and the Patriarchs, as their enlightenment was permanent.

The Zen Buddhist experience commonly recognizes enlightenment as a transitory thing in life, almost synonymous with the English term epiphany, and Satori is the realization of a state of epiphanic enlightenment. Because all things are transitory according to Zen philosophy, however, the transitory nature of Satori is not regarded as limiting in the way that a transitory epiphany would be in Western understandings of enlightenment.

The transitory nature of Satori, as opposed to the more enduring Nirvana that is sought in the Buddhist traditions of India, owes much to Taoist influences on Chán Buddhism in China, from which Zen Buddhism of Japan evolved. Taoism is a mystical philosophy that emphasizes the purity of the moment, whereas the Hindu roots of Indian Buddhism lend a longer view toward escaping the Karmic prison of perpetual reincarnation in the material world. From Taoism’s attention to the importance of the moment and Mahayana Buddhism’s almost nihilistic denial of the validity of individual existence, Zen Buddhism with its concept of the transitory state of Satori was born.

When it’s still cold and a bit of sunshine finds it way, then Kensho is the first one to notice. Snowdogs do love sunbathing as long as their temperature is not getting too hot.

At this time of the year (February in Western Europe) there is not much sun and Kensho exactly knows how to seize the day.

He is just great at reminding me just how easy life can be .