Last September 9th, we participated in the 2023 annual Animal Blessing ceremony at Do Ngak Kunphen Ling Tibetan Buddhist Center for Universal Peace (DNKL) in Redding, CT. Despite the hot weather, the event was full of animal lovers with their dogs, rescuers, and the unique presence of two beautiful Icelandic ponies and goats friends from Jibe-it Farm.
Bringing cats to any outdoor event is an endeavor, and more so if it is full of dogs, so we opted to get our Titunes kittens’ photo for this occasion. The power of the intention counts at the end, right?
The ceremony started with some intro from rescuers’ representatives, then recitations and chants by the monks, and at the end, a long line of beautiful dogs with their humans, majestic horses, and funny goats.
Everybody waits quietly until its turn to be blessed by Venerable Ani Lobsang Tendrol, who uses a holy object that represents the Compassion Sutra over the heads of the animals (Titunes’ photo in our case). After that, Venerable Lobsang Nyima, with the help of a peacock feather, scattered blessed water delicately.
Some people sometimes confuse the animal blessing ceremony with the Buddhist animal liberation in which animals are free, like fish in the sea or birds from their cages. Still, the essence is always the same: expressing compassion for other living beings with mantras and prayers for good rebirth and happiness.
Kimberly Greenwell Hannan from beCause 4 Paws offered an excellent talk about the animal rescue work that several organizations do daily and about the event. They are a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to saving homeless, abused, and neglected dogs and cast across Connecticut.
Happily Furever After Rescue also participated in the event with the adorable company of this cute dog.
They are a no-kill foster-based organization that works to help cats and dogs locally and from shelters. They specialize in bully breeds and abandoned, abused, or neglected animals.
Farm Jibe-iT Animals got all the eyes with their amazing goats and extrordinary horses. They are home to 4 beautiful Icelandic Horses, a herd of about 20 goats, one cow, and some chickens, among other animals.
Danbury Animal Welfare Society and PETA were in the location, among other organizations.
Additionally, visitors could buy DNKL Tibetan Crafts like bracelets and books, among other lovely products.
We had a truly commemorative and joyous experience, as our hearts swelled with happiness at the sight of our cats receiving blessings full of love, compassion, and kindness from the monks at the temple. At your right, the photo that the Venerable monks blessed with Milka, Toffee and Merengue (@tituneskittens)
DNKL organizes the animal blessing yearly, sometimes between the month of July and September. Consider visiting they website at https://dnkldharma.org/ for more information.
