The Dharma of Dogs: Our Best Friends as Spiritual Teachers

by Tami Simon

We spend countless hours training our dogs, but how often do we consider what they have to teach us? "Our canine companions aren’t just our best friends," explains Tami Simon. "Sometimes they can also be carriers of a special medicine and the wisdom lessons we most need." The Dharma of Dogs shares the reflections of spiritual teachers and writers who have found a source of deep truth and practical wisdom beneath the furry surface of our four-legged friends.

For anyone who loves dogs―and who has learned and grown through this special relationship―these 31 essays offer humor, solace, inspiration, and insight into the life lessons our dogs make available to us, exploring such themes as unconditional love, connecting with nature, facing our fears, and much more. Don't forget to add this inspirational book to your list of gifts for dog lovers this year.

Edited by Tami Simon, The Dharma of Dogs includes contributions by Alice Walker, Eckhart Tolle, Pam Houston, Mark Nepo, Roshi Joan Halifax, Adyashanti, Julie Barton, angel Kyodo williams, JP Sears, Lama Surya Das, Diane Musho Hamilton, Allan Lokos, Andrew Holecek, Bonnie Myotai Treace, Chris Grosso, Geneen Roth, Jeri Parker, Joan Ranquet, Lama Tsomo, Laura Pritchett, Mirabai Starr, Sarah C. Beasley, Stuart Davis, Susan Martin, Susanna Weiss, and His Eminence the 25th Tsem Rinpoche.

Portion of proceeds donated to the National Mill Dog Rescue. milldogrescue.org.

Genres: Dogs, Spirituality, Buddhism, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2017

Reviews

[Amber Polo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-known spiritual teachers Eckhart Tolle, Alice Walker, Pam Houston, Roshi Joan Halifax, JP Sears, and many more share wisdom lessons and truth they have found with four-legged friends.

Beryl Bender Birch, talking of her dog Hopi, says, "She taught me the essence of my spiritual practice: pay attention, be present, appreciate and be grateful for every moment of life, and celebrate impermanence." Alice Walker teaches "There is a welcome, a joy, a delirium of delight that dogs offer us that makes it impossible for us to believe we are not loved."

As JP Sears (or actually his dog Zephyr) says, "...doG is God spelled forward..."
A portion of the proceeds of sales is donated to National Mill Dog Rescue - milldogrescue.org

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great essays that begged me to contemplate the relationship I have with my beloved dog and to understand the reasons we’re together in this life.

[Renaissance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book since my wife and I are friends with one of the authors and I was involved with an early draft of her essay. Once I received a copy of the published work, after a few weeks I began to read one or two essays most days and found myself very much enjoying the various aspects of people's relationships with their dog.

One aspect which fascinated me was the various perspectives regarding canine "end-of-life" procedures. While all the authors are (fervent?) Buddhists, some felt euthanasia was appropriate and humane, while others declined euthanasia in place of providing a comfortable, loving environment and allowing the animal "to slip away". Because of the shorter life span of dogs, most essays include the author's feelings about the dog's passing. One cannot help reflecting on a dog's death without somehow applying such feelings to the loss of a friend or family member.

A common thread (and thus the title of the book) was that each author grew as a person and found insights because of his/her dog and that they saw more in their canine companions than just being a pet. There were variations in the perception that the dogs were consciously providing such insights, or whether it was just the human interpretation of the interaction's effects.

In my estimation, some essays were better written than others and some essays spoke to me personally better than others. After reading the biographical descriptions of the authors at the end of the book, it was surprising that I found some of the best written pieces, as I evaluated them, were not written by accomplished or renowned authors.

In any regard, I would strongly recommend the book for its content, especially for those who feel an affinity with their dogs. I am not sure this theme would work well with the subject of cats--but I could be surprised.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the theme of dogs as spiritual advisers that ran through the stories in this book. My favorite story, written by JP Sears, was told from the perspective of his dog Zephyr and it had me repeatedly in stitches. Literally laugh out loud funny and ensured the book could get no fewer than 4 stars from me (it was a 6-star story!). Too many of the other stories, however, delved too deeply on the death of the writers' dogs and I found many of them to be tear-jerkingly difficult to read. I wish there had a been a better balance between Zephyr stories and dog passing stories, but that's my only complaint. Many of the stories left me pondering interesting life lessons and I appreciated that aspect of the book. Definitely worth a read if you love dogs and are at all spiritual in nature.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!! I bought it right after losing my wonderful dog Elvis, part German Shepherd and part Bloodhound. He was huge and tender, and letting him go left me wracked with regret ... could I have done more, was it really his time? Elvis stood by me through the illness of my husband and his passing ... we had adopted him as a senior age eleven and a half just three months before my husband was diagnosed with cancer. Three months after that he was gone. I never thought Elvis would outlive my husband, but he stayed with me more than two years after and was an incredible solace to me and a felt connection to my husband.

So these true stories spoke to me ... of loving a dog and enjoying the unconditional love a dog gives back. And of losing a much loved dog. But most importantly each story spoke to the life lessons its author learned from a special dog in his or her life, and each was connected to a Buddhist practice and perspective. So I gained a sense from these stories of the Buddhist lived experience in daily life and in relationship to our canine companions.

It's a truly beautiful book, one I learned from and one that brought tears to my eyes. If you love dogs and are drawn to Buddhism, I think you would enjoy this collection.

[Terri Noftsger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book of essays edited by Tami Simon from Sounds True. Each of the writers explores what a particular dog or even a few dogs have meant to them and how each animal has taught them how to be a better human in some way. I enjoyed reading these essays very much. I liked some more than others. As an animal communicator myself, I know that dogs are truly spiritual beings who love their humans unconditionally. I highly recommend reading this. Purchasing this book also supports a dog rescue. You can read about it at the end of the book.

[Damon Overboe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this a couple months after our second dog passed. It took me a year and a half before I could face even opening it to read it. My reward? Story after story that resonated with me, focusing on how dogs are daily examples of unconditional love and reminders of impermanence and to be present, if we open ourselves to it.

I laughed a lot and cried a lot, and enjoyed every story. I recommend this book with a comforting drink and chair and a box full of Kleenex.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book with the hope that it would somehow help me cope with the loss of my own dog, who I deeply cherish (still) and who helped me learn and grow as a person. The format of the book is that of a collection of essays written by Buddhists. Each essay is, of course, different and touches on various topics. However, there can be found some common themes, inherent to the nature of the way dogs interact with people, the world, etc. I personally liked some essays better than others, either because of the style, adeptness at writing, or because of the nature of the story, or relationship described in the essay. I didn't learn anything new from reading this book. I didn't heal from the loss of my dog from reading this book. But, I was presented some new perspectives through which to view my dog's passing. And that has brought some consolation. This isn't any great literary work, but I liked it. I would read it again.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthology of essays by people who learned profound spiritual lessons from their dogs. This book is full of love.

[KAS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful stories about life, death and the bonds we share with our best friends.

[Annie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

a cute book about dog owners in the context of Buddhist truths

[Sudhanva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book with many essays very touching. Some essays were not that relevant. Worth the read if you are interested in dogs and some spirituality.