Ten Bulls or Ten Ox Herding Pictures

Spirituality Religion
#1

Ten Ox Herding Pictures

Ten Bulls or Ten Ox Herding Pictures is, in the tradition of Zen Buddhism, a series of short poems and accompanying pictures that are intended to illustrate the stages of a Mahāyāna Buddhist practitioner's progression towards enlightenment, as well as his or her subsequent perfection of wisdom

Common titles of the pictures in English, and common themes of the prose, include:

  1. In Search of the Bull (aimless searching, only the sound of cicadas)
  2. Discovery of the Footprints (a path to follow)
  3. Perceiving the Bull (but only its rear, not its head)
  4. Catching the Bull (a great struggle, the bull repeatedly escapes, discipline required)
  5. Taming the Bull (less straying, less discipline, bull becomes gentle and obedient)
  6. Riding the Bull Home (great joy)
  7. The Bull Transcended (once home, the bull is forgotten, discipline's whip is idle; stillness)
  8. Both Bull and Self Transcended (all forgotten and empty)
  9. Reaching the Source (unconcerned with or without; the sound of cicadas)
  10. Return to Society (crowded marketplace; spreading enlightenment by mingling with humankind)

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#2

I’m temporarily suspending my ban on the religious forum as I had to comment on these. My husband just a week ago shared these with me for the first time and now you post them on the forum. So there is something I am meant to see. Thank you Yulaw. You are amazing. What a beautiful thing to share with us all! Namaste!

#3

That’s terrific. I could see the whole journey pan out while reading that.

  1. In search: The grasping of things, the futile search for happiness in the sensory world
  2. Path: Finding the right philosophy and practice that teaches where happiness really can be found
  3. Perceiving the bull: Discovering that the mind is the source of your suffering
  4. Discipline: Starting the practice to control the mind, focus, live mindfully
  5. Taming: The mind under your contol
  6. Riding home: Now with mind under control getting to the source of happiness
  7. Transcending 1: Experience the first stage of samadhi with seed
  8. Transcending 2: Experiencing the second stage of samadhi without seed
  9. Reaching: complete liberation - kaivalya - realistion of Self
  10. Return to society: Buddhahood - enlighten others
#4

Lol, SD , nice littel sketch though you make it sound easy & clear. well done.

A thought i had recently relative to the idea of “journey” is the notion i had, my gut-feeling, is [U]there are no stages ,as such, but there are different journeys [/U]evidently(indeed the notion that different folk are at “higher” stages sounds quite naive to me. it’s infantile).I’ve been thinking of that for a long time. It is also appears tied into that thought that the moment you think you’ve arrived somewhere,“home” perhaps then al too often the rug can be pulled right from under your feet. In some ways this makes sense and is often part of the natural order of things, like the “cosmic ordering” principle.In the context laid out here and above in that sense you could traverse all ten at the same time,like an ongoing dynamic.Goal-posts as well as paradigms and perspectives, along with experiences of course, constantly shift. Putting your faith in certainties is not a sensible idea.

Thx yulaw.I like the deep rich comic-strip zen-style narrative.

#5

It’s interesting the way we used to think. I like how the last one says ‘return to society’. As if the person on this path has been separate from society somehow. Interesting.

#6

Lovely Yulaw…I love Zen picture insights!.

#7

More of the same

The Ten Ox Hearding Pictures

#8

On the 8th slide in the second link, I had a suspicion that not placing a picture was the point. But I couldn’t resist refreshing the page. Lol! (That was before I read the description. Lol’d even more at the irony of it all).

Thank you for this. Really meaningful and insightful.

#9

Yulaw, did you ever find different interpretation of 10th picture? How “spreading enlightenment by mingling with humankind” was derived from the poem? I always thought its more about finding perfection of the world as it is. And that at the end of the journey there is no spirituality, magic, visions etc. but rather simple things like shopping at the market and chatting with people became ultimate and divine experiences.

But maybe its my inclination. I try to let go the need and expectation of extraordinary things and I’m trying to open myself to wonder of every day little things. E.g. the comb lying on the desk next to me contains all the mysteries of existence - I’m just not able to realize them.

#10

I remember a Buddhist story It was in picture form and an explanation as well…a Buddhist Monk asks his Master…
“How do I know I am walking the Buddhist path”.?..the answer is…A woman is in a room,spinning cotton. Her 3 year old is playing at her feet and an elderly grandmother is sitting in the room. There’s a knock at the door, the woman says come in. Its a friend with a problem. The woman invites the friend to sit down and talk whilst she carries on spinning, watching the 3 year old and listening out for the elderly grandmothers needs…The end.