The Death of a Faithful Dog

There was a young couple very much in love. They were expecting a child and they looked forward to having a lovely baby. As the due date approached, they were happy and ready to welcome their baby. However, the wife had a difficult birth. Although the baby survived, the wife passed away. As the young husband had deeply loved his wife, he didn't plan to remarry. His only wish was to take good care of his baby and raise the child with love.

However, with time, he started to feel financially burdened, and had to make a living. But who could take care of his child? He trained a dog to look after his child. The dog was very smart indeed. When it was time to feed the baby, it would take the bottle of milk to the baby. It was very remarkable indeed. The man trusted the dog to take good care of his baby. The dog was like a nanny to his child.

One night, as the man was busy with work, he couldn't make it home. Yet, he had trust in the dog. When he got home the next morning, he opened the door and walked in. The dog was happy to see its master and welcomed him with joy. But the dog's muzzle was covered in blood. The man found this very strange.

He started to look for his son, but the baby was nowhere to be found. He immediately wondered if the dog had bitten his son to death. Seeing blood on the dog's muzzle, he decided that the dog must had killed his son. He was sure of it.

Thinking that the dog had killed his baby, the man gave rise to an evil thought. So, he grabbed a knife and killed the dog. After killing the dog, the man heard the cries of his baby. Following the baby's cries, he found his child underneath his crib. The baby crawled out, both safe and sound.

It was then he saw a wolf by the door. Thus, he realized that it was the wolf that wanted to kill his son. The dog fought with the wolf, which bit and tore off a part of the dog's leg. To protect the baby, the dog bit the wolf on its neck, fatally injuring the dog. Only then did he realize his mistake.

Driven by a sudden impulse, the man gave rise of an evil thought and commited a regrettable mistake. By the time he learned the truth, he had already killed his dog. It is extremely important to be mindful, for if our mind is at peace, we will not give rise to evil thoughts.

From: Stories Told by Dharma Master Cheng Yen