Hachiko ~A Lesson in Eternal Friendship & Loyalty
Above are actual pictures of the real Hachiko in Japan. Hachiko has been an inspiration to thousands of people teaching them the meaning of unconditional love and loyalty. Such a touching living being this dog is. It is so beautiful how he is remembered and honoured till today in Japan.
Now a movie to further inspire millions around the world. Hachiko, you made me cry and further affirm how love and loyalty is so important in our lives. Thank you Hachiko, may you always take wonderful rebirths again and again. Om Mani Peme Hung. I haven’t met you Hachiko, but you live in my heart…you live in the hearts of all people who want unconditional love.
Image of Hachiko outside of the actual station he stood waiting for his masters daily and devotedly for 9 years!! Honoured with a wreaths..eternal friendship and loyalty is still treasured.
Hachiko’s image is a testament that we all need love in our lives. So we need to give undonditional love also in order to be able to recieve. We need to be firm in our decisions and loyal to those that have benefitted us. Those qualities still have a place in this world. Loyalty, integrity, and love are qualities that make our lives so much better.
Tsem Tulku
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Some facts and interesting information on Hachiko.
Hachikō (November 10, 1923–March 8, 1935), golden brown with cream color on upper face
Hachikō was an Akita dog born on a farm near the city of Ōdate, Akita Prefecture
In 1924, Hachikō was brought to Tokyo by his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo. During his owner’s life Hachikō saw him out from the front door and greeted him at the end of the day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return on the usual train one evening. The professor had suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage at the university that day. He died and never returned to the train station where his friend Hachiko was waiting.
Hachikō was loyal and every day for the NEXT NINE years he waited sitting there amongst the town’s folk at Shibuya Station waiting for his professor. The wife of the professor eventually moved away and didn’t take Hachiko with her. Hachiko lived outside, found scraps of food and kind locals gave him food also. The locals who witnessed this was so overwhelmed and moved by the love and loyalty of Hachiko. Every day without fail Hachiko would wait at the same spot at the same station for the Professor. Amazing!!
Hachikō died on March 8, 1935. He was found on a street in Shibuya. His heart was infected with filarial worms and 3-4 yakitori sticks were found in his stomach. His stuffed and mounted remains are kept at the National Science Museum of Japan in Ueno, Tokyo.
In April 1934, a bronze statue in his likeness was erected at Shibuya Station, and Hachikō himself was present at its unveiling. The locals wanted to honour Hachiko. It reminded them of what was important in their lives. What should be important in everyone’s lives that a simple dog taught them.
The statue was recycled for the war effort during World War II. In 1948 The Society for Recreating the Hachikō Statue commissioned Takeshi Ando, son of the original artist who had since died, to make a second statue. The new statue, which was erected in August 1948, still stands and is an extremely popular meeting spot.
Richard Gere starred in this American version of this true story. Do watch it and prepared to be touched to the point of being speechless. Please see the trailor and go watch the movie please!!!
Watch short clips–click here:
http://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/v20494746J9ZFK78g.flv
Or view the video on the server at: http://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/v20494746J9ZFK78g.flv
and
http://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/v20494744D2BmGdjK.flv
Or view the video on the server at: http://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/v20494744D2BmGdjK.flv
May Hachiko forever take good rebirths without any sufferings. May Hachiko’s story remind us to be kind to animals. As animals can be teachers of good human qualities also that we take for granted sometimes.
Tsem Tulku
What a coincidence! Just arrived at hotel in Paris, switched on telly and it’s showing Hachiko! But it’s dubbed in French. Amazing story!
I love Hachiko!
It’s amazing how a dog can be so faithful and his loyalty simply powerful!
It shows us how much we as humans can be much better with so many better faculties than dogs.
at the same time, these lovely fellas deserve our love as well：）
so let’s give them a little bit of love whenever we can.
cheers,
JJ
Namaste H.E. Tsem Tultku and all,
You can watch the full movie (Japanese version with English sub-titles – supposedly the better version) at http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/family/watch/v171182978bBemafD
or watch the American version (Richard Gere) starting at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3x0JBUJt9I
Much love and blessings,
pat
Hachiko is indeed a great true story that touches everyone’s heart.
In deeper thought, to keep animal as a pet is not only about being companion to oneself.
It is the practical way of giving love and care to them as no animal deserves any ill-treatment from us human.
They deserve love, as much as everyone of us.
With love & blessing,
YF.TAN
I love this story. A great lesson in life for all of us.
It was so happened when i wanted to watch this movie and i read this post. I agree with Guru.
Animal is also life/being that we have to respect.The love is so great between the human and dog. Something we should have between human and human – Peace.
True animal devotion that touches the heart. We have much to learn fom such loyalty.
Hachiko taught me a lesson.
Sometimes, animals demonstrate the most amazing qualities which we, human fail miserably to develop. Reading the story on Hachiko, put me to shame because whenever the Guru gives me a “ difficult” job, the thought of giving up will lurk at the back of my mind even though intellectually I know completion of the job is for my own good.
Rinpoche has recently reiterated on the importance of integrity to his students. In fact ,whenever Rinpoche asks us to do something he knows we have the capacity to do it. We resist because we are lazy to improve and grow.
Thank you Rinpoche for pushing us and never give up on us.
The story of Hachiko truly encompasses the true meaning of devotions & loyalty. In the story of a dog we can learn so much. At the point of reading this it brings my mind to my Guru , if one day Rinpoche passes away will I be as devoted to wait and wait until His returns or if one day Rinpoche gives me a very hard assignment will I go all the way and complete it without fail because the instruction come from my Guru ? Hachiko stories awakens all senses , this is the first time I have read of such devotions and its from an animal. To answer above questions I think from Hachiko I am able to find that strength and be devoted. I hope all students of Rinpoche always have Hachiko at the back of their mind.
Love , Devotions , Loyalty , Commitments , Faith & Sincerity.
Terima Kasih Rinpoche!
This story of Hachiko inspired me to search for the origins of the old adage: “A man’s best friend is his dog” (sorry ye married ladies, it’s not you LOL) and voila! found this link: http://www.almostheaven-golden-retriever-rescue.org/old-drum.html
It reminded me of how and why I should hold all around me with the greatest of regard and care: my family, friends, relations and most of all, my commitment to the Triple Gem and especially in relation to the scenario of a Teacher-Disciple relationship.
Wow! Hachiko is such an extraordinary dog…it’s really amazing! He not only demonstrates to us the importance of being ‘loyal’ and ‘giving unconditional love’ to people who have benefited & love us…what actually touched and moved our hearts is his perseverance, persistence, determination and never give-up hope on someone he loves…not until death do us part.
Hachiko’s unique act puts us all (human) to shame as many of us fail to realize that it is necessary for us to embrace these basic but important qualities in order for us to be truly happy from within, and in return, we will receive the same (treatment) from others whom we treasure and love.
I think this will be even more beneficial for us if we extend these unconditional love, loyalty, perseverance, never-give up, etc attitude towards others as well, apart from our own love ones. This is exactly what our beloved guru, Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, does to all living beings…he is a great “walking role-model” for us to emulate, so as to achieve our happiness and remove our obstacles to pave way for good things to happen, i.e. our wishes and dream come true!
Thank You Rinpoche for the wonderful story of HACHIKO!
I used to hear from people, when someone gets hurt or cheating from the other party, the person who gets HURT will always say ‘ COMPARED YOU TO A DOG, DOG KNOWS HOW TO REPAY THE KINDNESS AND LOYALTY……BUT YOU DONN’T….!!!!
The story of Hachiko is a WAKE UP CALL, to those who always cheat and not loyal to their friends or someone who is closed to them.
A MAN’S BEST FRIEND IS HIS DOG… WHY??? WE AS A HUMAN BEING FULL WITH FEELIND AND INTELLIGENCE, COMPARED TO A DOG. WHY CANN’T WE LEARN FROM HACHIKO?? STOP HURTING, BE LOYAL..!!! WE WILL HAVE WORLD PEACE…
Angel
I have watched the Hachiko DVD which acted by Richard Gere, to be honest, I watch 3 times, and everytime I cry out loud, Hachiko is such a loyal dog, he waited his master everyday without fail at the railway station for 9 years, he didn’t know that his master pass away, yet he continue to wait there till the moment he closed his eyes, he dreamed that his master came out from the station and greet him.
I learn a lot from this movie, 1st is the loyalty, even a dog can understand the meaning loyalty, we as a human should learn from it. 2nd is the Animal Love, if you love and take care your dog, cat or any animal, this is how they repay your kindness. Always remember to be loyal to someone who loves you and always take care animal and LOVE them.
Hachiko is a very special dog and venerated for his qualities of integrity, unconditional love and unstinting loyalty to his master.
Very few of us would be able to maintain loyalty to someone without any rewards, recognition or gratification in one form or another. Hachiko demonstrated such amazing capacity to love and feel for 9 years without getting a pat from his master who had passed away. He never wandered off to greener pastures or to another master as a sign of his deep loyalty to the one who had shown him kindness in the first place. Such loyalty is born from deep sense of gratitude.Something that most of us do not pay much attention to and very short lived.
Lets put our ego aside to learn from a dog to be better humans.
This story of Hachiko is amazing and touching, but what is even more special is that it is NOT UNUSUAL to hear of many other dogs doing the very same thing. My mother told me about her little dog Castro who she had when she was a child. Castro would always be there are the main gate of the house to welcome mom back from school each day. He was super cute and know when it was about 4pm, when mom would usually come home, and he’s go sit outside to wait for her.
When mom finally left home to go to university in England, Castro still never stopped going out every single day at 4pm, rain or shine, to wait for mom to come home. Then, at about dinner time, someone from the family would have to call him to come back into the house, if not he would just sit there all day waiting for her. He did that every single day for the rest of his life until he died.
Isn’t it heart warming to know that we have much to learn from our animal friends. I don’t think even I could have such loyal dedication to sit by the door and wait for a friend every single day until I died! I’d probably just bitch and moan and complain about how they “abandoned me!”
Animals like Hachiko are clear examples to us of how being born in an animal realm still provides the opportunity to do something good and express positive higher qualities. In many instances, when we look at the humans around us, being born a human certainly seems like the result of negative karma: these “perfect” conditions of the human life merely give us the opportunity to do more harm and negativity, and not to improve or express any goodness.
I say, three cheers to Hachiko and may we too find ways to always express these good qualities within ourselves too xxxx
Hachiko was a breed of Akita dog, they have squinty eyes those traits that a lot of Chinese and Japanese have.Their faces do look somewhat like humans. I find it strangely moving just watching the clip of the American movie about Hachiko. Unconditional love, it’s something we all want and need, but how can we experience such a love when we do not even know how to give it to others? As Rinpoche said sometimes animals have a pure spirited love for their owners and they can teach us humans a thing or two about what it means to be loyal and what is friendship all about.
I have watched the movie about this loyal dog. I thought it was a fictional story at first. I later found out it was really real. They even stuffed Hachiko and put him in a museum. Thank you Rinpoche, for giving extra information. I have heard of a story similar to this one. The dog was in Penang. His owner died. The dog waited at his owner’s grave till his own death. They built a statue of the loyal dog of Penang next to his owner’s grave as a symbol of respect for the dog who showed true loyalty for his true friend! All dogs like this one, has gave me an inspiration to never give up on anyone and to always be loyal to my friends and family. His loyalty also reminds me to always have devotion towards my guru and the glorious Dharma. The owner and Hachiko created a bond that was inseparable like a vajra. They had real karmic connections. My dogs are good too. I think they are loyal. They are my fwends! Om Mani Pamde Hung! May your future lives be perfect as your are to be rewarded for showing such care for someone who is not related by species!
Watching this movie seriously puts me into tears. Even breaking up with my partner don’t give me such a down feeling. Hachiko really sets an example of simple loyalty, truth, honesty and true friendship. He is just a simple dog with such pure heart. If only those qualities still exist in us, humans with ability to think and act, wouldn’t this world be more at peace?
Our existing life is full of greed, betrayal, lies, deceits, etc. If only we could think back our young days, where honesty and pure thinking were still in within us, would that make us happier? Many thinks by doing so is naive, but if thinking how to destroy other people’s life is being clever and outstanding, then honestly being pure and naive is a much better choice.
Hachiko is a story of Devotion and Hope, or rather, never giving up on Hope. Even as i am touched by the story i am also reminded that most of us have our own “Hachiko” in our lives. Our own “Hachiko” may not necessarily be a dog or a 4-legged friend but living and breathing people who are still in our lives. Our parents, best friend, teacher, brother or sister…people who are always there for us. People who will never give up on us.
For me its my mother, some of the people i have worked with who have put up with my nonsense and bad decisions over the years, and a lot of new kindred spirits i have met at Kechara who have become my brothers, sisters, teachers and friends.
I am very glad to have become a part of Kechara and to have a Guru who keeps reminding us never to give up.
May i also echo Rinpoche’s words and wish Hachiko worderful rebirths over and over again.
Hachiko reminds me of Mumu Rinpoche’s dog. Rinpoche has him for more than five years. Mumu loves Rinpoche very much and visi versa. Although Mumu cannot speak I can sense the close bonding between them. Whenever I visit Rinpoche and what ever Rinpoche eats Rinpoche will share with Mumu. Mumu will also sleeps next to Rinpoche on Rinpoche’s bed. He is very well trained by Rinpoche. Rinpoche has made Mumu the mascot of Kechara and also represent Animal Sanctuary which will be formed in the near future. Mumu will be the object to represent Animal Sanctuary for raising funds. I hope a monument statue will be constructed in KWPC when it is built to show that Mumu has been very special to Rinpoche and also to Kechara House Organisation. Everybody loves Mumu just like the people in Japan who love Hachiko.
Sometimes it needs an animal to show human beings and to remind them of what is important in their lives. What should be important in everyone’s life is demonstrated by this dog’s devotion, loyally waiting for his dead master daily for 9 years. This shows that everyone in their life, be it an animal or human being needs love in their lives. Sometimes it needs an animal to demonstrate to us the amazing and important quality that we humans commonly fail to develope. We indeed have much to learn from a dog on how to create such loyalty and devotion. May Hachiko be blessed with a good rebirth and never to suffer again.
is that the real picture?
Hachiko waits is a wonderful story! I cried :’( but i loved it anyways!!! How can’t you love such a meaningful story!!!!