Dog wants to study

Tonight was a cool and peaceful night for me, but Robert didn’t find it so. Look at him, he was laying on the ground next to my lounge - not only an unhappy face but also an upset face.

“What's the problem, Robert?” I asked.

Robert blew a loud breath before he answered me, “In the afternoon, I got scolded by crow.”

“She scolded you?”

“Yes.” Robert nodded head. “I talked about the Buddha’s precepts and I said that she was bad because she stole food from humans. She asked me about the precepts. After I told her, she said she stole the meat from the humans, but the meat was dead, and that meat was animal’s, the human killed a living animal then took the flesh. She asked me - what about humans who killed that living animal?”

“So which part did she scold you?”

Hearing my question, Robert raised up his head and looked at me. I looked at him, quietly waiting for his answer. Still he could not reply to my question though several seconds passed.

“Well Robert,” I spoke, “I know you are a straight-mouth guy, but a straight mouth doesn’t mean good.”

“Why?”

“Because you just said what you want to say and the things that you want to say are not always right.”

“Do you mean I am wrong?”

“I said you are not always right, but I didn’t say you are wrong.”

“I don’t understand. Complicated!”

“Yes, it is complicated. You are not right, it does not mean you are wrong. You are right, it does not mean you are correct. You say something correct, it does mean what you say is real. And the real thing you are saying does not mean it is true.”

“Oh my,” Robert said, covering his head, “I’ve got a headache.”

I chuckled when I saw his action.

“I really don’t understand what you said,” Robert removed his hands from head, “but I want to understand it. How can I understand it?”

“There is only one way, study.”

“Study! But I am a dog.”

“No matter if you are a dog or even a worm, you are free to study. Like me, I am a pig, but I study.”

“How do you study?”

“At first, my ex-master taught me, then I learned by myself from everyone and everything around me.”

“You are great, I want to. Please teach me.”

“Well, I don’t study associated with teaching methods, I don’t know how to teach you; but if you are willing and committed to study, let’s find out a way. Tell me what you like to hear about.”

“I’m not sure, but I like to hear everything. When I stayed with my ex-master, he usually told me stories and I liked it.”

“I see.” I wagged my head. “I think we can use this method - at night, we will have a meeting here. I will tell you a story. Also if you have any questions or want to know something, you ask me. But I have to tell you in advance that I will answer only the things I know clearly.”

Robert smiled and wagged his head in a row, “Okay.”