Skip to main content

5 July 2021 – Forest-Bathing Dogs

And Now, for Something Completely Different: Forest-Bathing Dogs


To appreciate today’s poem by yours truly, it’s necessary to understand Forest Bathing – Shinrin – a practice originally from Japan, and now enjoyed worldwide, even if it’s known by another name like “a walk in the woods.” But Forest Bathing is a lot more than a saunter under the trees. It is close to sacred – a walking meditation. But how would Shinrin be different for dogs?

For any of you interested in more details about Shinrin-yoku, here's a link to an excellent blog post essay by Luke Heikkila.



Forest-Bathing Dogs

One cannot believe in nothing and thus

avoid belief altogether – Iain McGilchrist


Forest-Bathing Dogs

or Simple Wisdom

Setting: In a Forest, the rising sun perks up two pair of ears. Noses shift and shimmer up and down, left and right – left and right – sniff and snarf at glowing sparks of light. Arf! Arf! This feels so good, they want to bite!

Characters: Pick your breed(s) – must walk, talk, pee, and poo

Plot: Two pups enjoying Shinrin-yoku, Forest Bathing, and intermittently contemplating the meaning of it all 

Mood: Joyous and Contemplative with a wob of curiosity – mix well and enjoy

Theme: Sheer existence; vigilant attention 


Act – the only one

 

                                                         Shinrin

                                                                        Shinrin

                                                            Rin Tin

                                                                        Rin Tin

                                                                                    Rin Tin Tin Tin

                                                            We love to run through the Forest just like him him

 

                                                            Hai!

                                                                        Hai!1

                                                            We don’t wonder why why

 

                                    We snort and sneeze as the rising sun finds no meaning in the dark

                                    We scare away any beejeebies. We stay together – never apart

                                    To any creepy heebies, we stand our ground and bark –  Arf! Arf

 

                                    We duck out our swinging, creaky doggie door

                                                across the grass and gravel soundlessly 

                                    Our lifting paws pad with sniffling dreams and reveries

                                                as we give each trunk and needle a thorough sniffing

                                                and here and there we commence gravely digging

                                                The familiar becomes new for us two

                                                All that’s missing is a bone to chew

                                    Finding only dirt in the hole we’ve excavated

                                    No grubs, rotten carcasses, or sticks located

 

                                    The price of empty headedness

                                                is the loss of all self-references

                                    We are reduced to being unastonished 

                                                to find no mouse that will let us pounce upon it

                                    No suicidal vermin today

                                    Existence’s face the same has its say

                                    

                                    Now we trot along the Tranquil River of Heaven2                             

                                                weaving through tree trunks like silky threads

                                    Suddenly we dive deep into five-foot ferns to doo-doo our mess

                                    We are supposed to stop and smell the pine trees’ needles

                                                but our prime directive is to first do our peedles

                                    The pine trees’ wisdom told us to leave collars and leashes home

                                    How wise these long-time trees that cannot roam

 

 

                                                            This is Shinrin

                                                                                    Shinrin

                                                            About which we have no opinion

 

                                    Inexhaustible treasure

                                                beyond two canines’ skills to measure

                                                which doesn’t bother either one of us

                                    We’re too busy with the primal summoning us

 

                                    Sometimes trotting under these primordial trees

                                                fires sacred fears – makes us ill at ease

                                    But never mind. Doesn’t matter

                                    Our deegish minds hold only woof and chatter

 

                                    Back to contemplating each flower’s splendid bonnet

                                    Each so enchants us that we can’t help but to pee upon it

                                    They don’t seem to mind or pay us any matter

                                    as we whimper let go, trickling from our Old Yeller bladder

 

                                    Yes, we walk and inhale our sacred Shinrin

                                                keeping to minimum conversation

                                    Still, we can’t help three A-roos in celebratory oration

                                    This Shinrin-yoku3 so wonderful we want to share it

                                                but who would be worthy to walk with us

                                                someone who would join our small pack with no fuss

 

                                                            Wouldn’t be Lassie

                                                            She’s too classy

 

                                                            Wouldn’t be that Dog of Flanders

                                                            He just can’t mind his manners

 

                                                            No not Scooby-Doo

                                                            He doesn’t care where he poos

 

                                                            Same with Snoopy

                                                            He’s just a clingy groupie

 

                                                            101 Dalmatians is too many

                                                            Maybe one? Hmmm… no, not any

 

                                                            Fer shirly can’t be Todo

                                                            He’s not in Kansas or Minnesota

 

                                                            The Baskerville Hound’s too scary

                                                            She’d dig a hole and each of us bury

 

                                                            Never certain. Always right

                                                            Selection? Has little to do with choice

 

                                    Panting, drooling as we go

                                    All asudden we both know

                                                            It must be – can only be

                                                                        Hachiko!4

                                    Being from Nihon

                                    He would know all about Shinrin

                                    He might even have a shinken!5

 

                        Now emerges meaning from the dark

                        Enlightenment arises from the blades of our hearts

                        Imperfectly perfect known     

                        Experience more because we already know

                        That less is more than least

                        This is the wisdom from the East

                        Beyond enlightenment comes the laundry6

                        leaves us without any quandary

 

                        Gratitude and deep elation

                        puts forearms down, butt up, half a full prostration

                        Yoga calls this puppy butt

                        Emaho!7 Finally, I can say whaz’ up

Exeunt    


Notes:

  1. Yes (Japanese)
  2. Part of the landscape in Japan’s creation myth
  3. Yoku means bathing; shinrin means Forest (Japanese)
  4. Hachikō was a Japanese Akita dog remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, for whom he continued to wait at the train station following Ueno's death.  Hachikō was born on November 10, 1923, at a farm near the city of Ōdate, Akita Prefecture. He died March 8, 1935
  5. Live blade of the katana/sword
  6. Nod to the title of Jack Kornfield’s book of the almost same name
  7. How wonderful! (Tibetan) 

Background
I’ve done a lot of Forest Bathing in my time. Even before I began my full-time residence in Beltrami Island Forest, I took advantage of every opportunity to Forest Bathe, even though at the time I didn’t know was Forest Bathing, but golly, it certainly qualified. In my opinion there’s no better place to connect with the grounded, primal, naked and natural planet than in a Forest.



In addition, I have a fair bit of exposure to things Japanese. I have studied Aikido, a Japanese martial art for over 20 years, and Iaido, the way of the long sword, for almost as many. Currently, I am nearly finished with my Japanese teacher, ranked 7th dan in Aikido, a Buddhist priest, and descended from his family’s samurai lineage.

Exploration 1: Have you ever experienced Forest Bathing? If so, please comment on your experience. If not, do you think you might give it a go now?
Exploration 2: Do you find it disrespectful that this poem is not from a human point of view?
Exploration 3: If you do try Forest bathing, please comment on this post.







Comments

  1. "Gravely digging" Good one.

    We all need to get out in the wilderness, even if it's just that scrap of woods between the hotel and the road.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment