Cats in the Buddhist Perspective
Cats are important animals in the Buddhist doctrine.
Cats in Buddhism & Zen Stories
I have lived with several Zen masters — all of them cats.
~ Eckhart Tolle
For Buddhism, cats represent spirituality. According to the Buddhist Order of Fo Guang Shan, they are enlightened beings that convey to us their sense of calm and harmony. Since these animals are very much associated with positive feelings and high consciousness, especially in Asia, it is very common to see them in shrines, temples, and sacred places, even resting in statues dedicated to the Buddha.
Healing Power of Cats
The deep and genuine connection we can make with cats had inspired many Buddhist monks to share knowledge about the healing power of this animal.
They are frequently associated with wisdom and the pursuit of self-Knowledge. Hence, it is often said that those who do not relate well to their unconscious will never fully connect with a cat, nor will they understand its mysteries.
The truth is that no one is surprised to learn that the figure of these animals is closely linked to Buddhism.
Cats and Buddhism
It is important to clarify beforehand that Buddhism is a very flexible philosophy in its approaches, although religious authority is based on sacred texts. Buddhism is not organized in a vertical hierarchy like many other faiths, and their religious authority rests on their sacred texts, but there is great flexibility in its own approaches and interpretations.
The cat’s lore we are going to show you has its roots in a specific school: in Theravada Buddhism, or in the ancestral lineage, the oldest Buddhist school from Tibet.
Cats as Unique Sentient Beings
It is difficult to obtain the friendship of a cat. It is a philosophical animal… one that does not place its affections thoughtlessly.
~Theophile Gautier
Cats are said to be like little meditative monks who can bring harmony to a home. The Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order, for example, they are like people who have already attained enlightenment. Cats are free beings. They drink when they are thirsty, eat when they are hungry, sleep when they feel drowsy, and do what must be done at every moment, without the need to please anyone.
Cats do not get carried away by the ego. And something special about these animals, according to this branch of Buddhism, is that they have learned to feel man from far away in time; however, people have not yet learned to feel the cat at present. They are loyal, faithful and affectionate. But their displays of affection are intimate and subtle yet tremendously deep. Only those who know how to deepen their interior with respect and dedication will enjoy their unbreakable love. People who are uneven or who often raise their voices to scream will never be pleased.
In Thailand, there is a beautiful legend that transcended the sands of time, and that converted cats into beings of peace and intimate unity in many temples of Asian countries.
That’s why it’s so common to see them dozing in shrines, curled up in the lap of the multiple Buddha figures surrounding the gardens, and temples’ sacred grounds.
A Ritual Cat in Zen Monastery
When they are among us, cats are angels
~ George Sand
In one of the many Buddhist stories about cats, there is this one about a Zen cat, and how its presence was vital to the meditational practice on the Monastery.
When the spiritual teacher and his disciples began their evening meditation, the cat who lived in the monastery made such noise that it distracted them. So, the teacher ordered that the cat be tied up during the evening practice. Years later, when the teacher died, the cat continued to be tied up during the meditation session. And when the cat eventually died, another cat was brought to the monastery and tied up. Centuries later, the learned descendants of the spiritual teacher wrote scholarly treatises about the religious significance of tying up a cat for meditation practice. (*)
What is Buddha? The cat is climbing up the post.
~ Zen Master Pa-Chaio Hui-Ch’ing
In the book “Poems of the Cat” or “Tamra Maew,” In his old papyri, a charming story could be read telling us that when a person who had reached the highest levels of spirituality died, their soul would join the body of a cat. In this way, people’s souls knew that in the end, they would enter a more enlightened plane of existence. The Tamra Maew was preserved today in the National Library of Bangkok as a treasure.
Motivated by this belief, the Thai people of that time had another tradition, burying their deceased relatives in a crypt next to a living cat. The tomb had a kind of “hole” through which the cat could exit. When the cat finally did, people believed that their loved one’s soul was already connected to the animal and was being prepared for a spiritual ascent.
They believed that because these animals are completely free, do what they want when they feel like it and don’t bother to please anyone but themselves. They are not dominated by feelings of ego either; They are very loyal or companions.
As much as they don’t show their feelings in such open ways as the dogs do, cats’ feelings are incredibly profound. Only people who allow themselves to deepen with respect and dedication can enjoy their unconditional display of love.
We don’t need many reasons to love our cats, this feeling builds naturally, they become great friends and mates. They often refer us to great kings, as the Buddhist legends show us, and we rejoice in being able to live with such evolved and wise animals.
Cats and Spirituality
Like those great sphinxes lounging through eternity in noble attitudes upon the desert sand, they gaze incuriously at nothing, calm and wise.
~Charles Baudelaire
To conclude, we know that there is no need to resort to Buddhist texts to understand how cats are extraordinary beings. Their presence transports us to introspective universes, their strange postures invite us to practice yoga, they are an example of elegance and balance…
We love and even worship them, and although they create authentic gods, perhaps remembering their days in Ancient Egypt, it is something we proudly allow them to do.
“Time spent with cats is never a waste of time.” ~Sigmund Freud
Moments with our cats are unforgettable and will always be present in our hearts, regardless of the path’s life leads us.
Adapted from the original article written at La Mente es Maravillosa
The Zen Ritual cat story was originally found http://users.rider.edu/~suler/zenstory/ritualcat.html
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Ministry Earth is a collective Awareness-Raising, Perception-Building Initiative from Humanity Healing International, Cathedral of the Soul Educational outreaches created to introduce the perspective of Ethical Consciousness and Nonhuman Personhood to its Animal & Eco Ministries. Ministry Earth is a Service-Oriented Initiative and its Magazine is a Copyrighted Publication of OMTimes Media, Inc. Broadcasting and Publishing House. https://ministryearth.com/
