Koan: While washing the dishes

“While washing the dishes, one should only be washing the dishes, which means that…one should be completely aware of the fact that one is washing the dishes. At first glance, that might seem a little silly; why put so much stress on a simple thing? But that’s precisely the point. The fact that I am standing there and washing these bowls is a wondrous reality. I’m being completely myself, following my breath, conscious of my presence, and conscious of my thoughts and actions. There’s no way I can be tossed around mindlessly like a bottle slapped here and there on the waves.”
Thich Nhat Hanh

Do dogs have “I-ness”?

Dogen said, “What is the way of the Buddha? It is to study the self. What is the study of the self? It is to forget oneself. To forget oneself is to be enlightened by everything in the world.” It poses a paradox, a conundrum. How can you know yourself and not know yourself at the same time? How can you be aware and forget at the same time?

And do dogs know themselves? Do they have a sense of “I-ness” like humans do? We can watch their behavior, but what can we guess about their consciousness? What do you think?