Calm Assertive Energy

There is no joy but calm! - Alfred, Lord Tennyson in the Zen Calendar (February 7, 2002).

Every pack needs calm, assertive energy. - Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer.

Day 329. The only thing I feel like doing is eating things doused with whip cream. And I'm not talking Cool Whip, either. I can't seem to put down the Reddi Wip can -- you know, the pressurized kind of hydrogenated oil that squirts in artistic dollops over anything you point it towards, aka the least nutritional concoction on the planet. I suspect this behavior is diagnostic of something significant. Probably something to do with my father, anger, or sex. Most likely all three. Sigh. It isn't easy being a shrink. Rarely is whip cream simply whip cream.

In between garnishing various desserts with frothy white, vein-clogging topping, I have been watching a Dog Whisperer marathon. I color during the commercials. Though I am hesitant to examine this bizarre rejuvenation method very closely, it does seem to be working. On my psyche, at least. Probably not so much on my physical or intellectual prowess. Interestingly, I remain remarkably nonplussed by such flagrant disregard for productivity. This is the one week out of the entire year when I sidestep my Olympic caliber obsessive-compulsive proclivities and bask in sluggish glory. Sluglike lassitude. Slugness personified. Sluggy McSluggness from Slugville.

My torpid frame of mind was mildly jostled as I watched Cesar Millan. Having not previously viewed many Dog Whisperer episodes, I found myself fascinated by his countenance with the canines. Cesar is a mixture of pack leader, trainer, teacher, mentor, social worker, mystic, healer, therapist, group counselor and Zen Master. Skeptic and critic that I am, (recall that the resident Monkeys have still not been evicted) I was hard pressed to find fault with Cesar. I'm a believer. Mostly because, without labeling it as such, Cesar's entire philosophy is grounded on Buddhist principles. Of course I am a fan, albeit a biased one. But a consummate fan nonetheless.

Cesar constantly reminds the dog owners (most of whom ostentatiously created the very behavior they are begging Cesar to rectify) that dogs exist in the here-and-now, not the past or the future. He confronts them with the consequences of imposing their Preferred Version of Reality onto their dogs, (e.g. this dog replaces the absence of affection from my spouse; this dog is my baby; this dog must obey me because my children won't; this dog makes me feel _____ - attractive, successful, popular, powerful, safe), and emphasizes the fact that distorting or denying Reality never successfully eradicates it (just like Zen). In other words, the dog's behavior ultimately communicates the true Reality of the household.

I love to watch Cesar observe pet owners interacting with their dogs. I can tell he quickly gathers all the data he needs to determine the EXACT dynamics underlying the problematic behavior. Then, usually quite diplomatically, he explains what is going on and why, e.g. "You show favoritism towards your Chihuahua over your son, and now your dog and son are engaged in a fierce battle of sibling rivalry. So far, it looks like Pedro here is winning."

Cesar's ultimate answer for everything is to teach the pet owner how to establish calm, assertive energy in the "pack." Assertive, not dominant or aggressive. I adore this phrase. It reminds me of the feeling state from which I often emerge after zazen. The calm part is pretty self explanatory. "Assertive" reminds me that Zen is not a passive, submissive practice. There is vital energy present. Strong, invigorating energy. It is life enhancing and balanced, not combative or overbearing.

It feels like endless good can emanate from calm, assertive energy. I suspect it is applicable everywhere: from the family "pack" to the workplace pack to the classroom pack to the cultural pack. Good stuff. I'm headed to my cushion to generate some right now.

Gassho,
CycleBuddhaDoc