On the gloomy afternoon of April 8, 2023, in New Delhi, India, a teacher and student bade farewell to each other and went our separate ways. As I parted ways with Āloka and got on the road amidst the busy flow of people and traffic jams, I watched Āloka nervously bouncing around in the back seat and anxiously looking at me through the rear windshield. I couldn’t help but feel a heavy heart of sadness. The car slowly rolled away and merged into the crowded stream of vehicles, and at that moment, Āloka officially left me.
Emirates flight 0517 brought Āloka to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York, USA, marking a new journey for him to the land of the free. As for me, I followed flight Qatar 731 back to my hometown, leaving behind my days of wandering in the sacred Buddhist land of India and Nepal.
The iron bird spread its wings in the vast sky and flew through storms, dark clouds, and heavy turbulence over immense oceans. Inside the aircraft, a diverse group of people from different nationalities and ethnicities were either deeply sleeping or engrossed in reading, watching movies, and enjoying the food and drinks provided by the flight attendants. Meanwhile, Āloka was all by himself in the dark cargo compartment, crouched in a cage for the long journey from New Delhi, India to New York, USA.
Prone to crying and fearful of being abandoned, Āloka must have endured a lot of pain that none of us could understand. But finally, Āloka arrived and was taken by a company called The Ark (Oasis) of JFK from Emirates Airlines to a 28-day quarantine facility. During the quarantine period, Āloka was cared for, received vaccinations to ensure good health, and was monitored to prevent the transmission of any potentially dangerous diseases to animals in the United States.
Ms. Sara, the facility manager, said that Āloka brought a lot of joy and peace to the team at The Ark upon his arrival. She added that she and her staff were very touched and impressed after reading all the articles on Ālokas’s biography. She emphasized that The Ark was very honored and proud to receive Āloka, who they considered the most special dog ever at the facility. As arranged, the facility provided me with weekly updates and pictures of Āloka’s activities, reassuring me by showing his progress towards good health.
Day after day passed, and I wondered whether Āloka longed for the moment I would appear for him to tell me, “I missed you so much. I’ve been worried that you abandoned me. This is a whole new world for me, and everything, from the people to every branch of the tree, every blade of grass, is unfamiliar. Why did you leave me here alone? Don’t you need me anymore? Little did you know there wasn’t a moment when I didn’t think of you, dear Master.”
At noon on May 8, 2023, I, along with my teacher Venerable Ratanaguṇa Bửu Đức and layman Minh, arrived at LaGuardia airport in New York and headed straight to The Ark Of JFK. We sat in the waiting room and answered the facility’s questions about Āloka. At the same time, Ms. Sara and her staff prepared for my reunion with Āloka.
We had not finished answering all the questions when Āloka appeared with a proud bearing, emerging through three layers of glass doors. I called out to him. Upon seeing me, he quickly ran over, jumping up and down with joy. He moaned as if to say, “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, anxious and longing; I thought you abandoned me.” And with that, Āloka kept leaping at me with unceasing happiness. Then he ran over to greet Grand Master Venerable Ratanaguṇa Bửu Đức and said goodbye to everyone who had taken care of him during the past month.
While Āloka was preoccupied, I stepped outside to put his cage in the car. When he turned around and did not see me, he started crying and restlessly looking for me through the glass wall. He tried to run to me, not stopping until I returned inside. Āloka’s fear of abandonment made others worry and feel a great sense of compassion for him.
After saying goodbye to everyone at The Ark Of JFK, we embarked on a car journey to Texas. The long road took us through vast green forests, rolling hills, and grand mountains that stood proudly amidst the immense landscape. Thanks to Āloka, I was able to see cities like Chambersburg (Pennsylvania), Roanoke (Virginia), Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis (Tennessee), and Little Rock (Arkansas). After more than twenty-six hours of travel under the bright sun and dark night, we finally entered Texas. We arrived at Huong Dao Temple at 7:30 p.m. on May 9, 2023.
Āloka jumped out of the car and ran all over the temple grounds, sniffing and marking his new territory. However, when he reached Tranquility Lake, he saw the fish swimming and reflexively stepped back. It was strikingly similar to when he ran into the stone deer in Deer Park, he dodged and ran away. Even the fake owl made Āloka jump and duck. Everything was very strange and new to Āloka, who had spent countless days in the wild and nearly four months Following the Buddha’s Footsteps in India. His living environment now had changed entirely, with new places and people surrounding him.
I took Āloka to meet his “four-legged” big sisters, Metta and Adosa. As was his habit, Āloka immediately growled to protect himself. The two sisters yielded to the brother, standing still and watching. Typically, Adosa, being a Husky, would have attacked, but not this time. However, I still couldn’t let Āloka get too close because his growling would anger the sisters. The first night at my residence passed peacefully, and Āloka slept soundly until morning.
Day 2
When leaving for work, I left Āloka in the room, but upon returning, I found everything in disarray. Āloka had torn down all the window blinds except for one and had also bitten and torn apart any bag within his reach. I was speechless when I saw the state of the room and could only shake my head as Āloka lay among the wreckage.
Day 3
Āloka continued his destructive behavior by biting the remaining window blind and even the new mattress that layman Minh had just bought for him. He tore apart the mattress, leaving a mess behind. Anyone who visited was shocked at the sight of this mischievous dog.
The presence of Āloka at this temple is only possible thanks to the efforts of many people, including layman Rohan in India and the Buddhist devotees of Huong Dao Temple, who contributed towards the expenses for Āloka’s immigration to American soil. The entire arduous process took a long time and was quite costly to bring to the final point of completion. I took Āloka to greet and thank the Buddhist devotees who lovingly supported and created the conditions to allow Āloka to have a new life.
The next few months will be a long road ahead as we train Āloka to know what to do and what not to do.
Finally, Āloka would like to say goodbye to his eldest brother Sổ, younger brother Karuna, and the late younger brother Sukho. Āloka looks forward to the day when he and his brothers will meet again on the path of cultivation.
#chuahuongdao #chuahuongdaotemple #sbsstupas
#buddha #buddhism #Dhutanga #dhammajourney
Source: Dhammacetiya
