I have a cat who thinks sitting on a
meditation cushion is how I offer her my attention. At first I try to ignore
her wailing cries because, "meditation is supposed to be about letting
things be as they are without trying to change them". Eventually she wins,
and my compassion gets the best of me. . . I am petting the cat..
Rini is delighted, and purrs loudly.
She presses her boney shoulders into my hands, digging my fingers more deeply
into her fur. I find myself wondering if this is truly a distraction or if it
might be possible to be present with an animal, like Rini the Cat. Ignoring
her, as she begs for something I normally give freely, seems cruel.
Her desires are so simple. She
talks, begs, all the time but normally only wants one of two things - attention
or food. Rini seems to be very happy when she has a full bowl and my full
attention. She is a simple creature but not dumb. When you look into her eyes
you can tell she is thinking and problem solving.
Who am I to deny her something she
wants so badly? Rini cannot possibly understand why I would sit motionless,
apparently doing nothing, and deny her my available hands.
After giving Rini five minutes of my
sitting time, I decide to bring my hands back to their resting place in my lap.
At first she nuzzles me all over, trying to will my hands back into motion, but
this time Rini does not cry.
I settle my eyes on the wall in
front of me and readjust my posture. Rini settles too. She sits beside me on
the rug, purring loudly, with her head snuggled into my side. We finish my
practice. Everybody wins.
 |
| Rini is a ten year old Manx cat. She has always been very affectionate and talkative. She has been with me since she was a kitten and is definitely a member of our family. |
