Yeshe Meets Luba

Wisdom Meeting Love - by Justin Ferko

Our dog Yeshe has a big name that matches her heart. In Tibetan, Yeshe means “Primordial Wisdom,” the wisdom that is beyond book learning and intellectualizing. The wisdom that is Source. She is named after a Tibetan Buddhist Saint Yeshe Tsogyal (Wisdom Lake)- as her dog tag says. Yeshe Tsogyal was a teacher and companion of Padmasambhava who brought Buddhism from India to Tibet. She was the first Tibetan woman to become Enlightened following the Dharma as her spiritual path.

Luba is the mother of our squirrel community in Silver Maple. Her name is Slovak and relates to the term L’ubov or Love. She climbs up the shepherd’s hook that holds our bird feeder full of black oil sunflower seeds. She moves into an upside down position to crack the seeds and eat, then does an abdominal crunch to return for more.

Imagine this photo of Yeshe meeting Luba, of Wisdom Meeting Love as an icon to contemplate. Maybe there is another representation of Wisdom Meeting Love that makes your heart leap as it comes to mind. Yes- go get it and be with that image, feeling, song, poem, being.

As you open to the presence of Wisdom Meeting Love before you, let that meeting take place in your own Heart Center. Maybe light a candle before the icon of your heart as your heart holds this joining of Wisdom and Love.

As the daylight wanes in the Northern Hemisphere, may the candles before our hearts of Wisdom Meeting Love become a festival of lights. May Wisdom joined with Love guide our paths.