Monks Of New Skete Quotes

Dogs make us believe we can actually be as they see us.

Learning the value of silence is learning to listen to, instead of screaming at, reality

To a significant degree, the commitments we make in life define us. They reveal our interests, passions and goals, and give important clues in discerning meaning and finding happiness in life. While many seem to struggle with the archetypal human question, "who am I?" one simple look at who and what you're devoted to, what takes up your time and fires your imagination can clarify your life direction. It can help you to make authentic decisions that are rooted in your deepest convictions. We are happiest when we are in harmony with our passion.

Learning the value of silence is learning to listen to, instead of screaming at, reality: opening your mind enough to find what the end of someone else’s sentence sounds like, or listening to a dog until you discover what is needed instead of imposing yourself in the name of training.

Life never seems to prepare us sufficiently for epiphanies. ... they are not magical intrusions from another world, but reality, naked, and without shame.

Sample House-training Schedule for a Young Puppy 6:30 a.m. Rise. Walk pup briefly. 7:00 a.m. Feed pup and offer a drink of water. Walk puppy. Return home and play briefly with pup. Pup stays in crate. Midmorning Walk pup. After walk, pup stays with owner fifteen minutes. Pup returns to crate. Noon–1:00 p.m Feed pup second meal and offer water. Walk puppy. Return home and play with pup. Pup returns to crate. Midafternoon Offer pup water. Walk puppy. Pup returns to crate. 5:00 p.m. Feed pup third meal and offer water. Walk puppy. Allow pup to play in kitchen while dinner is being prepared. 7:00 p.m. Walk pup briefly. Return home and play with puppy. Pup returns to create Before bed Walk pup. Puppy sleeps in crate or on a tether (preferably with metal chain) in your bedroom.

This seems to be what the nature writer Henry Beston was getting at when he wrote in The Outermost House: We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals. Remote from universal nature, and living by complicated artifice, man in civilization surveys the creature through the glass of his knowledge and sees thereby a feather magnified and the whole image in distortion. We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. 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. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth.

If we look honestly at the way many people manage their dogs today, we are faced with a staggering reflection of irresponsibility and lack of compassion. It is difficult to refer to a dog as “man’s best friend” when more than six million unwanted adult dogs and puppies are euthanized every year. We are not speaking here of the humane killing of animals done out of a sense of responsible stewardship but of the massive human negligence that leads to euthanasia. For those who doubt the serious implications of this situation, a trip to the local animal shelter can be a real eye-opener. We recall one client who dismissed our advice about spaying her female shepherd, explaining she felt it was important for her children to have the experience of seeing puppies born. When we asked her how she intended to care for and give homes to the puppies, she responded that she really had not thought about it at all and that she would probably leave them at the local humane society when it was time for them to be weaned. We then asked her what value such an experience would have if the principal lesson her children would learn is that puppies are cute little playthings who, when sufficiently used, may then be conveniently disposed of. Fortunately, our questioning convinced her of her faulty thinking, and she left with a new respect for the implications of bringing puppies into the world.

Avoidance

Beginning at thirteen weeks, a pup will show more pronounced expressions of independence: the dog who only last week was your shadow, who seemed well on his way to being trained, now begins to ignore you when you call, and during training and play sessions you have to work extra hard to keep his attention. His rapid growth produces a corresponding increase in activity that makes him highly excitable and difficult to manage. While he does need plenty of exercise, for most owners this translates into walks with lots of pulling and lunging. Bad habits develop quickly. When guests come to the house, the juvenile pup turns into a juvenile delinquent, jumping up and making himself a pest, continually demanding attention. It is also common for pups of this age to become very mouthy, so that by the teething period (four to six months), they are chewing on everything, people included. To top things off, your puppy will probably go through a second fear period, when his behavior will swing from being independent and bratty (twelve to fourteen weeks) to periodically cautious and fearful (sixteen to twenty-four weeks), even of things with which he had formerly been comfortable.

She is vulnerable in a new way.

way.

Therefore, we can conclude that good training involves not only the precision of a dog’s performance but the attitude she displays in working.

Here’s a suggestion that might alleviate the problem: Instead of making a fuss over your dog when you come home, or taking your frustration out on him, try to be calm each time you enter the house (this might contribute to your well-being, too). If you want to greet your dog, make sure the greeting is subdued: no high-pitched squeals or baby talk.

tend to side with the Monks of New Skete on the question of the canine desire to please: dogs, they say, care a lot less about pleasing humans than they care about pleasing themselves; if acting in a way that pleases you means something good will happen to them—they’ll get a biscuit, a reward, a pat on the back—they’re likely to be motivated to carry out the task, but their agenda is not necessarily driven by the pure and selfless wish to make you happy.

: Learning the value of silence is learning to listen to, instead of screaming at, reality: opening your mind enough to find what the end of someone else’s sentence sounds like, or listening to a dog until you discover what is needed instead of imposing yourself in the name of training

Old tires and large clay conduit pipes make excellent, safe obstacles and tunnels for the pups to explore. They will play for hours with big cardboard boxes; clean, used, large gallon plastic bottles; old tennis balls; and squeak toys.

Learning the value of silence is learning to listen to, instead of screaming at, reality: opening your mind enough to find what the end of someone else's sentence sounds like, or listening to a dog until you discover what is needed instead of imposing yourself in the name of training. — THOMAS DOBUSH, Monk of New Skete (October 9, 1941–November 7, 1973), in Gleanings, the Journal of New Skete, Winter 1973   I

Cynicism leads to despair, while fixating on the efforts that seemed to work in the past makes an idol out of spiritual states.

...spiritual dryness is not a problem. It only seems a problem because it's such a contrast with the good feelings of the honeymoon stage. ...this night will continue to go on, often getting worse, throughout our life. But if we persevere in our spiritual journey, we will be able to perceive in it positive meaning and learn to understand it. Then we can move beyond it to the freedom that places our feelings in proper perspective.

{God's] presence is not contingent upon our feeling it. It simply is. We must learn to remember this and calm ourselves. By His apparent 'absence', He is leading us to a more mature level of consciousness, self-offering, and love. He is leading us from the love of God for the sake of His gifts to love of God for His own sake.

Now is the time to recall the enthusiasm of our first fervor, the determination to offer ourselves unreservedly, and at the same time to let go of the craving for emotional consolation,

here's a very worthwhile question to meditate on: How are we, in our own way, going to express and live out the meaning contained in the prayer? Simply by rote recitation? It'll be nothing more than an exercise in futility and hypocrisy unless we seek to understand it and make it real in our lives." To

Ultimately, we must leave room for mystery.

What of ourselves? In actuality the monk’s journey is everyone’s journey, though in our frenetic world of activity and distraction we often miss the fact that we are also desert wanderers. Who or what leads us? In this day and age, we are dangerously out of touch with the nonhuman world around us, leaving our hearts dulled and our vision blurred. Nothing impresses us anymore, and we travel farther into a disharmonious cavern of individualism, with ourselves as guides. We arrogantly “process” reality through preconceived notions that are sterile and cold. Our world is stripped of a profound and compelling mystery.

Throughout the spiritual journey we are required to let go of our preoccupation with "what we can get out of it." To do this courageously is one of the principal efforts and effects of authentic and wholesome spiritual practice. Paradoxical as it may seem, this weaning away from the craving for consolations is an essential spiritual process, one that develops in us an inner freedom allowing us to live and love ever more authentically.

To embrace this path is to go from first fervor to true fervor, from sentimental, romantic love to self-giving love, from the fire of emotions to the fire of dedication, moving in a continuously upward spiral into the fullness of what we are meant to be.

Being a teacher does not mean being authoritarian, dominating, intimidating, or possessing all the answers. In fact, an authentic teacher tells no one what to do. He or she simply points out realities the learner must consider, and helps the learner to overcome obstacles; it is the latter who must decide, or learn how to decide, what to do. This is why the teacher defies stereotypes. Actually, we cannot imagine that there are not many people who could be teachers, whose education, training, personal growth, and insights make them capable of leading others into more abundant life.

or phrase (such as “Do it” or “Hurry up” or “Go potty”) to coincide with the act. Repeat it several times; once you begin the command, do not stop until she actually begins to eliminate. When she does, quietly change from the command word to soft praise until she finishes. The key is to keep your voice calm and quiet. Some owners make the mistake of being overly enthusiastic when the pup is eliminating, which results in the dog interrupting what she’s doing and not completely finishing. Also, puppies often have to eliminate several times when they first wake up,

Dogs can help themselves: By simply being who they are they cast a spell on our attention that lets them find a place in the center of our universe. As they spontaneously draw different dimensions of ourselves – some that may be hidden from us – they become doorways to deeper self-knowledge and wholeness that renew and refresh us. Being alive to this puts the ordinary responsibilities associated with caring for a dog in a new perspective, one less of inconvenience than of privilege.

Dogs possess an indomitable spirit for life that teaches right up to their last day.

However, there is much more to be gained through your relationship with your dog, if you but open yourself to the possibilities. Your dog can provide you with a unique access to the natural world, helping you to expand your capacity for aesthetic appreciation, warmth, and enjoyment, thus rooting you in deeper realities.

As soon as she appears ready to eliminate, softly repeat a simple word or phrase (such as “Do it” or “Hurry up” or “Go potty”) to coincide with the act. Repeat it several times; once you begin the command, do not stop until she actually begins to eliminate. When she does, quietly change from the command word to soft praise until she finishes.

The key is to keep your voice calm and quiet. Some owners make the mistake of being overly enthusiastic when the pup is eliminating, which results in the dog interrupting what she’s doing and not completely finishing.

Another technique that discourages mouthing is similar to the first suggestion, in that it lets your pup experience an unpleasant result from the behavior. Begin as in the first example by petting your pup around her neck and chest. As she begins to mouth, squeeze lemon concentrate from a plastic lemon into her mouth. A quick squirt will create an interruption that is harmless, albeit unpleasant. Then simply put some of the lemon juice on your hand and resume petting your pup. The scent will project the concept of undesirable, and the puppy will quickly learn to leave your hands alone.