A funny thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago that has left me pondering over questions that are out of the norm; (well at least out of my norm). Questions that have left me feeling different about the way I perceive my life, and people I encounter in life. No, this is not one of those papers where the student conjures up a story that he or she thinks will impress the professor with some sort of life altering experience. Frankly, I could not care less if you were impressed. What matters is that I speak the truth.

It all began when I decided to do my research paper on Faith Milnes' exhibit entitled "Iconic Images." I walked around the Koa Gallery looking for that one image that would be the topic of my paper. As I walked around, I came upon three images of "The bleeding feet of Christ," taken from a 17th century Velazquez painting. You would think that I would be sucked in by these interesting monoprints, all of which were the exact mirror images of one another, but with different titles. But as interesting as they were, my eyes were caught by something far more appealing.

It was a single monoprint of a dog defecating on the sands of North Shore. The dog had one leg up, almost smiling, giving one the idea that it was not ashamed to let itself go in public. It was nothing new. Nothing shocking about it. In fact, one could see something like that in living color when walking the streets of Kalihi. Only difference; cement instead of sand. What made this piece interesting though, was the given title: "Does a dog have a Buddha Nature?" Whether Faith Milnes was aware of it or not, it was the very title that has given life to many of my questions.

I stood there for a long while, pondering over this question, carefully observing the dog's facial expression, looking for some sort of "tell-tale sign" that would put my stressed out mind at ease. But after standing in the same spot for a mere ten minutes, I found none and left. Normally I would just put it aside, not giving it a second thought. But there was something about that Picture that made it hard for me to let go. It was not the image of the dog itself but the question that kept haunting me, and even playing a small role in my nightmares. It was then and there that I finallv decided to somehow come up with an answer to the million dollar question. But of course, there was a problem. How does one know exactly how a dog feels, more-or-less know for -tire it has a Buddha nature? It's impossible!

For days I pondered over it, questioning its, importance, and asking my own questions like: What is to have Buddha nature? What is its connection with a dog's way of living? And most importantly, why is it so important for me to find an answer to such a stupid question? By the time I reached that question, I was really stressed out and desperate. So desperate that I even turned to my dog for the answers. Of course, being that Sabu (my seven-year old black miniature dachshund) is a dog, there was that language barrier that kept us from understanding on another. Nothing came of it, but I tried nonetheless.

It was hopeless. I reached my wit's end. I wanted to give up and admit defeat. Then the phone rang and at the same time my pager kept blowing up. The message 1215117171-01991179 "skinny dipping" was displayed. Curious, I picked it up. To my delight, it was what I've been waiting for all day. It was the perfect thing to get my mind off the dreaded question: "Does a dog have a Buddha Nature?!" My friends thought it would be a good idea if we all went skinny dipping at Kailua Beach Park, at night of course! So off we went. It was there that the answers to my questions started to slowly reveal themselves, and even shed some dim light on the importance of the questions itself.

There we were, a group of friends standing on the beach. It was cold and dark. The moon beautifully shone over us, gently reflecting its rays on the ocean. The sky was clear and revealed the beauty of the stars as the water begged us to indulge in its heavenly rough waves. It was a perfect night- a mixture of good company and a couple of shots of vodka and margaritas.

As everyone got ready to "be one with nature," I asked myself whether it was a good idea to be there. Again, the dreaded questions kept echoing in the back of my mind. Determined to put it aside, I got up to make my way towards the water. But just as I was about to strip away, I was stopped by Kiyoshi - the handsome self-proclaimed philosopher of the group.

I should have started by saying that my friends are grouped into castes. There are the Drama Queens, the hyper-sensos (sensitive), the almost Anti-socials, the overly Demandants, the Philosophers, and the Whatever!Go-with-the-Flow caste. (FYI, I would most likely fit in one of each. Call it a sub-caste if you please).

Kiyoshi wanted me to stay back and keep him company He not only fits in the Phili group, but he also holds a seat in the Almost Anti-social group. Being the good friend I was, I agreed. It was from that moment, that simple act of deciding that I was going to stay back that everything began to clear up. That night, I learned a lot from Kiyoshi. He enlightened me with his knowledge of Buddhism, how the universe and all living beings are connected. He told me that we are the Earth, but in a different form. For example, he said: "If you take a Big Mac and put it in a blender and turn it into liquid, it is still a Big Mac, but in a different form. And if you take that liquefied Big Mac and burn it until it turns to gas, it is still a Big Mac, but in a different form." What he was trying to say is

that we all came from the same source. First there was nothing, then water appeared, then rock formed, then living organisms developed; later humans. We are the earth in a different form, and in understanding that one could understand the nature of Buddha.

He then added that a Buddha is someone who blames no one for his troubles but himself. A Buddha knows who he is and where he came from. A Buddha is someone who lives his life stress-free, and who could appreciate simplicity for what it is. Then he said, "Buddhism is easy to understand. Anyone can get it. But if you have one question, no matter how insignificant it is, if you have one question about what it means to be a Buddha, then you can never be one."

In a way, I had a feeling he was trying to tell me that I needed to lighten up, to understand that stressing myself out won't get me anywhere, and that I should try not to read more into that simple question, because there was nothing complex about it. In other words, "Relax Lissa! You have no one to blame for the origins of your stress but yourself." And I know that.

The answer was clear as daylight. The importance of that picture was not the dog, maybe not even the question. But the importance was what it symbolized to me. It symbolized a certain freedom I lacked in my own life. In a way I was envious of that dog. It could care less if someone was watching it defecating on the sand. It was his nature to do that, and he understands that nature, and he understands that others will too. He knows who he is. He is a dog and that is all he needed to know. He lives his life stress-free. No worries about anything because he understands that nature will take its course no matter how hard one tries to change things. He understands all of this. Thus, he has a Buddha Nature (well, at least that is what I found in Kiyoshi's definition).

There. I finally found an answer that satisfies me. Whether it is a true answer or not, it really doesn't matter. What matters is that I finally understand why it bothered me so much. It bothered me because I let it bother me. Faith Milnes' monoprint of "Does a dog have Buddha Nature?" was nothing more than a mirror image of my inner self, telling me that it was about time that I ease up, and let nature decide which direction to follow. just like the three images of the 'bleeding feet of Christ.' They are the same prints, but with different titles. The dog in the picture is me, but in a different form.

So the last question that remains is, how have these things changed me? The answer? It doesn't matter! As I said in the beginning. A funny thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago that has left me feeling different, about the way I perceive my life, and those I encounter in life. It was an experience that is indescribable by words. Nonetheless, it was an experience that has helped me to live my life with ease. Because of it, I am a calmer, cooler, stress-free, go with the flow, happy person. A person that I found by looking at a picture of a dog, defecating on the sands of North Shore. And that's a true story.