Animals in Sedona had a chance to take part in a special moment on Wednesday, April 24. A Tibetan Buddhist monk of the Gaden Shartse Monastic University, performed a pet blessing at the Humane Society of Sedona.
The event was part of the monk’s tour stop in Sedona, which continues through Sunday, April 28.
Geshe Lobsang Wangyal sat in a room at the shelter and helped the pets get rid of bad energy and make their lives better overall. During the first part of the day, owners brought their dogs one by one for the ceremony, which includes a peacock’s feather, blessed water and a chant.
Translator and tour coordinator Lobsang Wangchuk explained that the lama moves into a body, speech and mind form named light for the blessing.
“It is a ritual, he has generated those substances into light and, wherever they touch, they produce bliss and they remove sickness, negativity, things like this,” he said, adding that the blessing aims at improving the health and lives of the pets.
“We’re removing every imprint, maybe they have been abused or something like that, so we’re blessing the dogs and giving them a positive take in life,” Wangchuk said. “It renews their life, you might say. So, that’s what this blessing is about.”
Ma rk Kann and Patricia Ann Bryant, from Cornville, brought their two foster dogs, Pragon, a Tibetan Spaniel, and Khaleesi, a Chihuahua, for the event. It wasn’t their first time participating in a pet blessing, which they see as a way of showing appreciation for the animals.
“I always take my pets to the blessing at the CASA in Phoenix because Saint Francis is the patron saint of animals,” Bryant said. “When I saw that the Tibetan monk was here to bless the animals, I thought that would be very appropriate because we haven’t been able to take them to the CASA.”
“Especially for a Tibetan Spaniel,” Kann added.
“Since he is a Tibetan Spaniel, I thought it was … super important for him to get blessed,” Bryant continued.
There is more, though. Pragon and Khaleesi have been through a lot. They were adopted by Bryant’s daughter’s best friend, with the Chihuahua showing signs of having been abused by a previous owner. However, after being run over by a car in Phoenix and having to go through nine surgeries, the friend felt she wouldn’t be able to take care of the dogs anymore.
“They’re older and we don’t know how long we’re going to have them, we just wanted to bless them,” Bryant said. “Let them know we care and love them.”
For the Humane Society, the event was a chance for people in Sedona to bless their pets, but also for their own rescues to receive special treatment.
HSS Director of Development Felicia Filep said Wangchuk approached the shelter, explaining the monks would be in Sedona and proposing the event. Although the pet blessing is something the monks are used to doing, it was the first time for the Humane Society.
“We really were excited about that, not having done one before, especially for the animals here, too, to be blessed. That’s nice for their owners to know that they have that special addition to their adoption,” Filep said. “We’re just really thrilled — I mean, honored, really — to be asked. I’m glad that’s happening, and we can be a part of the good energy coming to Sedona from Tibet.”
“When animals first come to us, they’re under an extreme amount of stress, you know, they’ve either been lost or surrendered or they’ve had to fend for themselves,” HSS Volunteer Coordinator Sarah Porter said. “Everything that we do for the animals is designed to help them feel safe and feel love, so the stress goes down … it helps them connect better with potential adopters. So, by providing them with this blessing, it’s just another way to help bring them that peace.”
When asked how many blessings had been done during the first hour of the event, Filep first guessed around 20. However, when she stopped to check the guestbook, the number got to 40.
“That’s a lot of special pets,” she said with a laugh.
Natasha Heinz can be reached at 282-7795 ext. 117, or email at nheinz@larsonnewspapers.com
