March 31, 2008 Holy God! It's Conan the praying dog by Gulliver
Conan the dog joins
the Buddhist priests for worship at the Jigenin temple
in Japan.
It is an amazing sight that is giving religious worshippers
paws for thought and has led to a surge in the numbers that
attend services.
At a Zen Buddhist temple in Japan, Conan the pet Chihuahua
joins in the daily prayers.
When the monks get into their positions for the service, Conan
is not one to be left out.
The dog takes his position alongside priest Joei Yoshikuni,
when he starts chanting and raising his clasped hands.
He sits on his hind legs, raises up his paws and joins them
together at the tip of his nose.
Conan looks right up at the statue of a Buddhist deity during
the services.
He has become a star attraction at the Jigenin temple on the
southern island of Okinawa.
Mr Yoshinuni estimates the number of visitors, especially
young tourists, has increased by 30 per cent as a result.
Conan has made headlines across the world and has become a
popular tourist attraction.
The priest believes the one-and-a-half-year old dog learned
to imitate the praying position by watching him.
The black and white pooch started to pose in prayer like the
monks whenever he was looking for treats.
Clasping hands is a basic action of Buddhist prayer to show
appreciation, says Mr Yoshikuni.
Conan may be showing his thanks for treats and walks, he explained.
Regular temple worshippers say it's so funny that he does
this. Conan even gets angry when somebody else tries to sit
on his favorite spot, they say. He regards it as his special
place.
So what's the next step for Conan? Maybe learning to meditate?
"I am just trying to get him to sit still while I meditate,"
Mr Yoshikuni explained. "It's not like we can make him
cross his legs."
As it says in the movies, all good dogs go to heaven. And
this praying pooch is certainly on the right path.
