Ever watch a dog that is focusing his attention on an object? The author of an ancient manuscript quoted in Zen Flesh, Zen Bones must have had that image when he wrote: "Look lovingly on some object. / Do not go on to another object. / Here in the middle of this object lies the blessing."

Or how about the dogs you have known who embody the following from the Dhammapada: "The master gives himself to whatever the moment brings. He doesn't think about his actions, they flow from the core of his being."

The black-and-white photographs here give us hints as to what is graceful and playful in life. The dogs featured on these pages are spiritual teachers.