Hi, I’m Dr. Lauren! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my two adventurous cats, Pancake and Tiller.
I lived with several Zen masters—all of them cats.
Apocryphal stories about cats in myth, religion, and history abound. But one thing they all agree on: cats are masters of the art of zen and meditation. With a mix of zoomies, thrown in for good measure. And try to your own detriment to ignore a cat, because even monks aren’t immune to their charms, though they can try… as shown in this adorable video of a cat trying to get the attention of a monk.
As a lighthearted look this week at the different ways cats help us reflect, meditate, and reflect on ourselves, let’s look at meditation and cats, from different perspectives of culture and society.
Meditation refers to a variety of practices that focus on integrating the mind and body for various purposes. Meditations can be calming, improve general well-being, or improve focus, to name a few goals. Both religious and non-religious exist.
The practice is believed to have originated in the ancient Vedic period of India. Meditation encompasses one of the modalities of Ayurveda (Science of Life), which is a comprehensive guide to health care. But modern meditation is now accepted in many Western countries, in various forms like true meditation, with modern twists including meditation, cold water swimming, -yoga retreats, and gong baths, to name a few.
Historically, before it became popular, most meditation was associated with religion, or holistic practices. Different religions embrace meditation, and many of them have interesting stories about cats.
Islam is one such religion. A story, with many variations, about the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He said his favorite cat, Muezza, fell asleep in the sleeve of his prayer robe. When Muhammad awoke to attend the prayer, he found Muezza sleeping in the sleeve of his garment. He cut off the sleeve, rather than disturb his beloved sleeping cat. Anecdotally, even today it is said that if you like cats, you must be a believer, in some form.
Buddhism is another religion known for its traditional style of meditation. And there’s no greater place to experience Buddhism than in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, where cats certainly take center stage.
In Thailand, there are many mysteries and religions. In many homes, prominently displayed in the yard, are ornate, lovely, spirit houses. Also popular are roadside shrines, decorated with offerings, usually red, to the gods. A favorite is red Fanta, but other foods and drinks will not go out of style. Wild cats are well tolerated and are often found in temples (watch) and shrines. The temple grounds are often decorated with cats in various stages of their own meditative forms: sleeping, eating, meditating. Golden Buddha statues are often decorated with red drinks, garlands, candles… and cats.
Cats and Modern Meditation
Meditation is often a way for people to reduce stress. The science of pet ownership, while an emerging area of research, has been shown in several studies to do many of the same things: potentially lower blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease, and improve mental health, among others. In a sense, cats are their own form of meditation, as being around them offers many of the same benefits.
If nothing else, cats are, as the quote at the beginning of this article says, zen masters, they eat, sleep, or switch between the two. They don’t eat while on a smartphone in a fancy restaurant; they don’t watch TV while doing homework, and they certainly don’t bless food while sitting at their desk. So, what better way to practice mindfulness, than to simply turn off the TV, and spend some time playing with your cat. Or even napping- I promise, they won’t mind!
