Zen Oxherding Pictures - Wiki
Zen Oxherding Pictures
A Zen map.
- In Search of the Bull (aimless searching, only the sound of cicadas)
- Discovery of the Footprints (a path to follow)
- Perceiving the Bull (but only its rear, not its head)
- Catching the Bull (a great struggle, the bull repeatedly escapes, discipline required)
- Taming the Bull (less straying, less discipline, bull becomes gentle and obedient)
- Riding the Bull Home (great joy)
- The Bull Transcended (once home, the bull is forgotten, discipline's whip is idle; stillness)
- Both Bull and Self Transcended (all forgotten and empty)
- Reaching the Source (unconcerned with or without; the sound of cicadas)
- Return to Society (crowded marketplace; spreading enlightenment by mingling with humankind)
There's also a Wikipedia page on this subject.
10777 vues