The fable of KOAN the fox & PRUMT the dog

Write a story about a fox spirit (a gumiho, jiǔwěihú, kitsune, or hồ ly tinh), inspired by, e.g. Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese folklore.

The spirit in the sky recognized my ancestors for their bravery and fair-mindedness. Yes, they hunted the foxes in their burrows. But, unbeknown to the humans, except The Reverend John, we never harmed the foxes, we honored their homes, and their families. Always, making sure the little fox cubs and their parents were never harmed. That code of conduct between my ancestors, and the fox kingdom, became a great fable in the general animal kingdom.

The spirit and character of the fox in the animal kingdom urges them to act swiftly but nonetheless, be guided by their fox’s wisdom and intuition. The fox spirit animal teaches one to be resourceful and flexible if you want to emerge victorious. This is the total opposite of the swan spirit animal, but that’s another story, another time.

However, for all the natural cleverness and resourcefulness of foxes, they granted one dog a very privileged position in their realm, the Jack Russell terrier dog.

Why?

Why would an animal such as a fox, wily, clever, and resourceful, plus generally successful, grant a special place to the Jack Russell terrier, out of all the dogs in that kingdom? Especially, considering that they were bred and trained to hunt foxes, right in the fox domains of tunnels, and dens.

The story starts again a long way from the lush and gentle hills of England. It starts in China.

The great leader of the fox kingdom was KOAN. It was fabled that KOAN the fox was really a spirit of a ZEN monk, who lived as a wild fox for a thousand lifetimes. The fable tells a story of Hunbo, a monk that argued with his mentor the master monk, that even the most enlightened soul would always fall into the realm of “cause and effect”, or completely ignore its consequences. His master Bazighan counselled Hunbo that the human spirit in finding true enlightenment, (one’s true nature in this amazing world) that both “cause and effect” are the same, and true enlightenment rises above both.

One day Hunbo thought he would challenge his master Bazighan during one of their teaching sessions. They were sitting crossed legged opposite each other in deep conversation about enlightenment, and causality.

Suddenly, Hunbo reached out with his right arm, and feinted to hit master Bazighan across the face, stopping inches from his cheek. The master didn’t flitch, his piercing eyes remained steady upon the eyes of Hunbo, and he spoke.

“You don’t learn or understand my teachings on “cause and effect”, you are cunning like a fox Hunbo, you will live a hundred lifetimes as a fox, because of this cunning nature.” Bazighan predicted.

Buddhism expounds the law of cause and effect that operates in life, ranging over past, present, and future existences. This causality underlies the doctrine of karma. From this viewpoint, causes formed in the past are manifested as effects in the present. Causes formed in the present will be manifested as effects in the future. Buddhism emphasizes the causes one creates and accumulates in the present, will determine one’s future.

It is more spiritual theory, than the age of enlightenment in Europe, which appeared as early as the Greeks and Romans, the Middle Ages, and then later in the 17th and 18th centuries.

In Europe the difference of the cause-and-effect theology that originated by the great European thinkers of the 17th and 18th centuries, these theologies started to question authority, science, and religion from an outward perspective. New ideologies, as opposed to focusing on oneself, an inward perspective, and how to forge a pathway through one’s life, or lives.

Bazighan, the grandmaster, had many sessions teaching Hunbo on the true nature of things and the meaning of enlightenment in the spirit of all beings. He quoted the grandmaster's writings, with these words, and then tried to explain the meaning, using simple everyday examples.

Controlled or not controlled? The same die shows two faces.

Not controlled or controlled, both are a grievous error.

Not falling, not darkening: Two colors, one game.

Not darkening, not falling: One thousand mistakes, ten thousand mistakes

He explained these words to the young monk Hunbo many times. "Two colors, one game" refers literally to the "die" used in the Chinese game (like dominos), that have colors instead of numbered dots as in the die as we know in the game - dominos. The image refers to the Zen view that there is an underlying oneness to the two colors of falling or not falling into cause and effect. When one turns the light around and awakens to one's self-nature, "then opens the gate of the oneness of cause and effect." Said Bazighan to Hunbo.

Bazighan continued that if a spirit recklessly ignored causality, his spirit would be placed in a lower realm, maybe for many lifetimes. Such as Hunbo the monk, who later lived as a fox for many lifetimes, whatever body he took, in whichever life cycle. A spirit that is aware of causality but falls into vicious and degenerating control or being controlled, can be forgiven, for a period, if he is aware of the cause, which can affect many other lifetimes spiritually, today and in the future.

There is an old Latin motto “nec sorte nec facto” �" translated means, neither by chance nor fate. A person’s spirit will generate ripples in realms and worlds that have an effect. From that moment in time, and in the future. Causality is real, and it is the will, the responsibility of oneself, to be aware of the consequences. Each soul has its own consciousness, and its own intuition to guide them through the many spirit realms.

Hunbo’s spirit was reborn later into many lifetimes in the body of Koan the fox.

Hunbo as the monk could never grasp the concepts and teachings of Bazighan. Bazighan eventually became weary of their debates, and discussions with Hunbo.

Time and their debates ended in their current life cycles, as monks.

Hunbo, now reborn as Koan the fox did not learn true enlightenment of “cause and effect” for many fox lifetimes, until a life changing incident with the Grand Master of all Jack Russell Terriers, his name was Prumt.

Prumt was out one day with his master Jack Russell on the Devon Moors, hunting for foxes.

Prumt immediately found the scent of foxes, and very quickly found the fox hole. The hole was large enough for Prumt to enter easily, and he found the fox den, full of little young fox cubs, only days old. They were alone, waiting for food to be scavenged by their parents.

On seeing the fox cubs, Prumt was surprised and startled. The pups expected their parents’ arrival with food, were not only startled, but were frightened to see their worst nightmare, a hunting dog. All the five cubs froze in terror.

At about the same time, Koan the fox returned with food for cubs, running down the tunnel, he immediately saw Prumt between him and his beloved cubs. His natural defenses were triggered to protect his family, and anger rose like a volcano in his blood.

Prumt turned in the tunnel, and then faced Koan, now a short distance between fox and dog.

Then, something very strange happened, that changed the fox and Jack Russel terrier worlds and their kingdoms forever.

Koan felt something in his head, it was something like a vision, something like an epiphany. Somewhere in the depths of Koan’s soul, the long-ago teachings of the head monk Bazighan about enlightenment, but somehow it was coming from Prumt. It was an unspoken message. Prumt’s message to Koan was.

“I have no evil towards your family, please don’t have any evil towards me.”

Koan could not conceive where or how this message, or this strange feeling had originated. But, in one instant, his anger, his concern for his family dissolved. The famous Chinese story about die becoming one, and looking inwardly to oneself, resonated with Koan.

At that moment there was a seismic crack in the spirit universe.

But readers, you will say, the true nature of Prumt the dog terrier hunter, and the true nature of the fox, would render this impossible. However, it is said in some of the holy and divine books that in an idealistic and enlightened world the lion and the lambs will sleep together.

The true nature of living creatures, we are told, is the higher and general consciousness beyond one single consciousness. A common, and social consciousness, especially for humankind.

But, Koan was reincarnated from a Zen monk, as a fox for many lifetimes. Prumt was a Jack Russel Terrier that had these telepathic capabilities with other animals. Where or how this happened to this dog named Prumt, is one of the mysteries of this spiritual world. The mystery of the cosmos, and an alternate outcome of a possible cause and effect, in that fox burrow that day, there were ramifications for Prumt and his ancestors, but it changed Koan’s spirit essence, such as no other. It changed Koan’s spirit, where the teachings of the old master Bazighan had failed.

Without this communication between Koan and Prumt, a more violent outcome may have resulted, and perhaps the true nature of both animals might have resulted in more ruinous circumstances for both fox and dog kingdoms.

But, in this instance a new beginning of consciousness in both kingdoms resulted.

Koan the fox let Prumt go on his merry way out of the fox den, and Koan then continued to feed the litter.

Prumt went back to his master Jack Russel, without a bark, without any signs of this encounter. Only the karmic world would know that a seismic event had occurred that day.

One dog in all the dog kingdom. That is the reason when one looks into the eyes of the Jack Russel dog, you will see intelligence. Each of these breeds look alert, attentive, and with karmic awareness in the animal kingdom. But what animals and humans don’t know is that this karmic legacy goes beyond their long lines of forebearers. The dog breed also possesses the ability of telepathy and can speak many languages. They recognize human languages, like most animals and dogs, from their owner’s voice, the timbre of the owner’s voice. But they can also communicate with all the farm animals, as well as the wild animals if needed.

Hunbo the monk that was reborn as Koan the fox, would later be reborn again from a fox to a monk in the monastic world. He was reborn from many lifetimes as Koan the fox, before returning as a monk, only after the encounter with Prumt. The fable tells us when he returned to his human life form again. He took off his robes and burnt them, he had finally, after the incident with Prumt, acknowledged the long ago Bazighan’s teachings. But he could no longer live a life as a monk, instead he lived a life in the mountains, as a normal person, with a humble acknowledgement of the spirit worlds.

Now to the point of the Koan fable is that for the ordinary person with two conflicting views of causality, between falling into cause and effect or not falling into cause and effect. They may consider being free from cause and effect as being separate from cause and effect. Being used or using a person or situations in one’s life. But when a person awakens to their own true nature, he/she sees the oneness of cause and effect, that person does not darken, obscure, or ignore the functioning of cause and effect by imagining cause and effect are two separate things. They understand that causality is separate from one's true nature, the soul. Thus, awakened persons neither "fall into" nor do they "not fall into" cause and effect, they acknowledge its existence. They understand it exists. By acknowledging its existence, they do not darken with that knowledge, nor do they ignore it. The enlightened person aligns with cause and effect, and lives a life of knowing, but instead; shine a light inwardly on their own destiny, and presence in the great world. This is enlightenment.

Koan finally understood. Prumt was bred to help others to find it.

Author's Note

A chapter in a project named "Bella" about a karmic dog with the underlining theme of causality - cause and effect.