The Sentient World of Animals
A
Feline Spiritual Seeker Encounters Master
By Sister-initiate Shanna Cheng, Taipei, Formosa
(Originally in Chinese)
One
evening after sharing a meal at the Tang Tang Vegetarian Kitchen in Taipei,
my friend Mr. Jiang, a dentist, and I took a walk to the nearby Sun Yat-sen
Memorial Hall. Upon arriving, we sat on a concrete bench in the square
in front of the Hall, placing the two paper bags we were carrying on either
end of the bench. Inside my bag were some of Master’s books and
videotapes that Mr. Jiang had returned to me, while in his bag were more
of Master’s books that I had just lent him.
Although Mr. Jiang, was still in the process of committing himself to vegetarianism and spiritual practice, he greatly admired Master and Her wisdom and was keen to learn more about Her. Also, being a new initiate, I was eager to share the teachings so our conversation quickly turned to Master. Soon afterwards, a small gray and white cat suddenly jumped onto the bench where we were sitting and gently pawed the paper bags near Mr. Jiang, who quickly snatched the bag away. This reflex action frightened the cat so it jumped off the bench, fled, stopped about five meters away and squatted on the ground with its neck tucked in anticipating our next move.
I sensed that the animal was waiting for a chance to take further action so I told Mr. Jiang, "If the little cat approaches us again, please pretend not to notice it. If it wants to touch the bag, then let it," and he agreed.
Then sure enough, a few minutes later the cat again cautiously ventured onto the bench, gently touched the paper bag, and seeing no response from us, snuggled up to the bag and rubbed its body back and forth against it.
The cat seemed totally contented and mesmerized and thus the three of us spent hours together on the bench that evening. Mr. Jiang and I talked, while the little feline continued to enjoy its rubbing, oblivious to our presence. We were unaware of how much time had passed until we noticed it was late and decided we had to leave. However, I did not have the heart to ask the cat to part with the paper bag, to part with Master!
So we continued sitting there, enjoying the little creature’s elation. It was a pleasure and a blessing, but it was already very late and we thought we should say farewell but did not know what to do.
I then realized that the cat was being separated from Master by the bag and so could not see Her pictures. Since I had a bag of Her videotapes and books next to me, I removed a tape with Master’s photo on its cover and placed it about fifty centimeters in front of the cat. Then, still snuggling against the paper bag, the animal suddenly opened its eyes wide and gazed directly at the photo. So I moved the tape closer until Master’s photo was just fifteen centimeters from it.
The next scene was truly touching. The little cat stood up straight on its hind legs, curled its front paws and rested them by its ears. Its enthralled, tranquil expression was precisely that of a being meditating and enjoying samadhi with its eyes closed! Thus, I felt I was no longer witnessing a mere animal but a divine soul capable of recognizing God’s Light and Sound! Then the cat began to close its eyes for several seconds and open them wide to focus on Master’s photo for a few more seconds before closing them again to enjoy Her blessing. And all during this sequence of actions the cat stood on its hind legs without moving its body.
Finally, we bade farewell to the divine creature, and as we walked toward the square’s exit Mr. Jiang could not help but exclaim, "Incredible! Incredible!" Then, feeling very sorry, I looked back and saw the little feline fellow practitioner directing its transfixed gaze at Master’s books in our hands and wondered if the cat had known Master in a previous life.
This miraculous encounter occurred several months
after Master’s second lecture at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall on
February 28, 1993, and is an experience I still cherish in my heart, with
the scene of the cat immersed in samadhi vividly lingering in my mind
as if it happened yesterday.
