A Spiritual Encounter with My cat Sophie

On a lazy afternoon, I decided to delve into the mystical world of my feline companion, Sophie. With my mind in a meditative state, I approached her energy body to connect with her higher self. To my surprise, Sophie revealed her impressive array of virtues and qualities – confidence, self-assurance, authenticity, and self-reliance, to name a few. I asked her where she goes when she sleeps. She agreed to show me after a few requests. Sophie took me to another dimension, a world teeming with cats of every breed, size, color, and quality imaginable. The felines were busy meowing, running, flying, walking, and sliding on rainbow-colored galactic pathways, chasing after butterflies made of light while sporting gowns and crowns that changed colors at their whim. I was sure that I was travelling into another dimension and then Sophie, with her fur glowing in different hues, walked with a princessly gait as she led me to a magnificent gate with her name ‘SOPHIE’ inscribed on it. She said, “if you open this gate, you would enter another dimension where you will meet all the cats who have similar qualities, psychic abilities, physical and spiritual features just like me. “ “But I am interested only in you. Why would I want to enter such another dimension? You and this cat dimension are enough for me as if now.” She said, “Yeah, you are right. It may exhaust your tiny human brain.” Such audacity is acceptable only if coming from a cat. “So every cat can have its own dimension ?” Sophie said, “Everything you can think of is possible. “ “So there are trillions and trillions of dimensions! I would give it a pass then.” I looked at Sophie, who was just enjoying her own higher self, her state full of limitless colours, vibrancy, lights, abilities in its full spectrum. I asked her, “ Don't you ever think who are you, who created you in these different dimensions, where you exist?” She looked puzzled at my question, then she said, “ I guess I want to know, but I am satisfied being who I am.” “Are you aware that every being in the universe evolves and makes progress. If you want, can you remember your own progress?” Sophie looked thoughtful now and closed her eyes as if remembering many of her own past lives. She opened her eyes and said, “I could remember many of my past lives. I could see myself evolving from one species to another species. It is mesmerising to see that I am not only a cat but a consciousness which has been evolving in different forms and perhaps I am still evolving.” “Would you like to know your own pure essence beyond being a cat or any other form?” “Yes!” Her eyes shined. Then she again closed her eyes and took a long breath. To my surprise, I saw a young yogi, descending down from the galaxies clad in white clothes coming towards us as Sophie was still in a meditative state, he put her hand on Sophie‘s head, and then looked at me and smiled. He said to Sophie, “There is every possibility you can get self-realisation “ I could not help myself and interrupted. “But they say that animals cannot get enlightened.” The young Yogi smiled. “It is not true. Even a tree can get enlightenment by the grace of an enlightened guru or whenever anyone decides to turn inwards and becomes one with the eternal light that resides within. When form merges into formless, an animal seizes to exist, a tree seizes to exist, a human being ceases to exist. Then only the truth remains- that is enlightenment and human beings do not have a copyright on it.” Something shook in me and I came back to my three-dimensional reality instantly. I opened my eyes and saw Sophie sitting beneath my laptop table with her closed eyes, in her deep Samadhi state. The great nature writer Henry Beston wrote in 1928 as he contemplated the synergy of animals with the universe said, “We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals. In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear." According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha's horse, named Kanthaka, achieved enlightenment after the Buddha's death. It is said that Kanthaka was so devoted to the Buddha that he died of grief after his passing and was reborn as a human in a future life. Also the story of Hachiko is a well-known and beloved tale in Japan of early 20th century. Hachiko was a Japanese Akita dog who became famous for his loyalty to his owner and his daily routine of waiting for him at the train station, even after his owner had died. Many people believe that Hachiko achieved a level of spiritual enlightenment through his unconditional love and devotion. Seeking is a cosmic breath in every being; without the faculty of self-reflection, self-inquiry and self-knowing, it remains beautifully covered with self-ignorance but sometimes by a rub with a profound experience it can be awakened.

Everyone is a seeker

A dolphin in the ocean, a raven on the tall tree, a child sitting on the doorstep, a mother struggling with life, a father coping with the harshness of this planet, a Sadhu sitting in a cave, a doctor performing a surgery, a soldier marching on the ground, a player honing his skills-all of them breathing at the same time. All of them are searching either for survival or happiness or contentment or the truth. Seeking for something more- is that one thread that connects us all. Research for self discovery is a journey that can take us down many different parts, some of which may ultimately proved to be dead ends. We become consumed with the pursuit of external validation and lose sight of our own true selves. Yet human beings are pretty intelligent creatures. You may find references of people who gave up on the world and turned to the journey of self-discovery. But you may hardly find references of people who gave up on the journey of self-realization and started pursuing the word again. Perhaps once you have glimpsed the vastness of inner landscapes and green Meadows of truth, you may lose interest in pebbles and suffocating streets of illusion. It seems inconceivable-that everything we know, everything we love, every thing that even was and will be, failed to provide us unshakeable peace and unwavering happiness. Down here on earth, the way we have evolved from being various species, managing billions of thoughts and ignoring our own ungratefulness for our miraculous brains- our capacity for seeking arises. Seeking must have fallen on an ancient atom when it was separated from its source. The seeking of atoms swirled, flowed outside and molecules. The molecule could not handle the sharp seeking and burst into liquids, gases or solids. The pain of separation and the quest for returning home must have created our entire universe. Our seeking is evident, eternal, omnipotent , omnipresent and infinitely powerful. hindi translation