Geof Nanto

Maybe not a lion but here's Tippi Degre with a leopard.

There's also a video of her with the leopard at

To my mind if you're going to use yin and yang in relation to animals it's only meaningful if you specify the characteristic you're referring to. These are relative terms, not absolute qualities. For instance, I'd call the subservience of dogs a yin quality and the independence of cats a yang quality, whereas the flexibility and softness of cats is yin relative to the muscled 'hardness' of active dogs. Yeah, animals sense heaps - but can we know what they're sensing anymore than we can know the happiness of fish? As for domestic animals, I've noticed for instance that dogs seem to react according to the feelings of their human master. In fact, the friendliness or otherwise of a dog can be good indication of how their master feels toward you. Dogs are very sensitive to emotion, as are cows and horses.

I hope you found the full quotation. It's from Chapter 3 of the Zhuangzi. Of course, there are many different translations - here is one of them.... “The Secret of Caring for Life” Your life has a limit but knowledge has none. If
 you use what is limited to pursue what has no limit, you will be in danger. If
 you understand this and still strive for knowledge, you will be in danger for certain! If
 you do good, stay
 away
 from fame. If
 you do evil, stay
 away
 from punishments. Follow the middle; go by 
what is constant, and you can stay 
in one piece, keep yourself alive, look
after your parents, and live out your years.

Gerald, those are excellent photos. For me connection to the natural environment has been my most valuable teacher. I like the idea of meditating in the company of frogs. I came across a red-bellied black snake in the rainforest but it retreated quickly once it saw me; however it wasn't too far away, watching me closely and being very curious about my presence. I wish It was a lot cooler back them (steaming hot, near 35 deg. Celsius and 85% humidity), I would have sat there in meditation waiting for the snake to come close. I've noticed that some species of snakes and lizards (and some other animals too) can feel my awareness directed towards them. Once alerted to my presence they will never move as long as I stay conscious of them. I can sit near them for extended periods even with my eyes closed and they'll stay absolutely still. But once my attention drifts they are gone in a flash. To get such animals to come close I need to be able to pull my awareness in and merge with the inner 'stillness' of my surroundings. It's an interesting practice - one I assume indigenous hunters excelled at.

I live in wilderness and relate to the Daoist worldview, both conceptually and as embodied praxis. I've referenced their texts for many, many years - especially the Daodejing and the Zhuangzi. I've browsed some posts here on several topics and like the co-operative way most discussions proceed. It's a pleasant change from the confrontational approach on many forums.