Ten Ox-Herding Pictures

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Ten Ox-herding Pictureswith the Verses Composed by KAKUAN ZenjiTeisho by KUBOTA Ji'un(originally printed in Kysh #245 [1994]-#259 [1996]; the present version is a revised edition)The words in [ ] are the translator's notes; the pictures are works by YOKOO Tatsuhiko (Kuroya 1801-10, Chichibu-shi,368-0001 Japan).

The "Ten Ox-herding Pictures" are one example of "Ox-herding Pictures." Here, ouressential self is compared to an ox. We seek the ox, grasp it, tame it and finally the selfwhich has always been seeking becomes completely one with the ox. But this also is

forgotten so that we now simply carry on our ordinary lives. This is the process describedby the Pictures. They show concretely the progression of our practice and are veryhelpful for a self-examination of our own practice and as encouragement for furtherpractice. I hope then that studying the Ten Ox-herding Pictures will provide anopportunity for all of us to continually examine our practice and also give an indicationfor self-reflection as to what stage we have now arrived.

All that is known about the author of the verses to the Ten Ox-herding Pictures, MasterKAKUAN Shion, is that he was a disciple of DAIZUI Genj [1065-1135], the twelfth in theline of Master Rinzai. His dates of birth and death as well as other information areunclear. To each of the ten pictures of the Ten Ox-herding Pictures Master Kakuan hasfirst put a verse and at the end his disciple, Jion (some say Kakuan himself, others say

the friend of Kakuan) is said to have put a general introduction and a brief introduction toeach one of the verses.In the Ten Ox-herding Pictures a little child and an ox are depicted. The ox is theessential self which we are seeking. The little child represents the self of the phenomenalworld which wants very much to grasp the essential self - not through concepts andthoughts, but as it really is. This little child (the self of the phenomenal world) is, in fact,always seeking something. It wants money, status, and fame. But life is more than justmoney, more than just status, and more than just fame. So, the self goes on seeking,now through this philosophy, now through that religion, and endeavors to grow and tomake as much progress as possible. There are some who are defeated by the struggle,become neurotic, and even go so far as suicide. For them the spirit of seeking something

has operated only as a minus factor; the fact that they are still expending energy andcontinuing to seek something has not changed.


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But why is it that men and women always seek something in this way? According to theteaching of Zen, men and women are essentially perfect and complete, in reality limitlessand absolute (this is called "buddha" [hotoke] or "essential buddha-being" [honrai-

jbutsu]). Nevertheless, though being such, they appear phenomenally as imperfect,limited, relative, passing sinful beings (sometimes this is called "ordinary people"[bompu], and sometimes "living beings" [shuj]). Besides, although human being are

born this way, they cannot know the essence (Buddha nature) of their own perfectionand limitless absoluteness.The Ten Ox-herding Pictures have concretely depicted the process in which the imperfect,limited, and relative self (the little child) awakens to the perfect, unlimited, and absoluteessential self (the ox), grasps it, tames it, forgets it, and completely incorporates it intothe personality. But we must stress that these pictures and verses are merely anindication of the way to practice and not an object for conceptual thought. Thus, thestudy of the Ten Ox-herding Pictures are very useful for those who are actually striving tomake clear the true self in Zen through the actual sitting with aching legs. But for thosewho want only to learn the rationale of Zen I must warn that these pictures and wordswill be only "white elephants" of no use whatsoever.

Accordingly for the present study I will omit an explanation of the general introductionand proceed to explain the spirit of the particular introduction for each stage. After that Iwould like to appreciate each line of the verses composed by Master Kakuan himself.

Ten Ox-herding PicturesStage 1SEEKING THE OX

IntroductionBecause the Ox has intrinsically never been lost, what need is there to go inpursuit?

Since the herd boy has turned his back on his true-nature,he is far away from it;with the dust before his eyes, he loses sight of the Ox.Having left his ancestral home far behind, he gradually becomes lost on


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crisscrossing paths.Thoughts of loss and gain rise up like flames, ideas of right and wrong spring uplike sword points.

VerseIncessantly you brush aside thick grasses in pursuit;The waters are wide, the mountains far, and the path leads on without end.Sapped of strength, exhausted in spirits, knowing no longer where to search,You only hear the sound of the evening cicadas chirping in the maple trees.The first of the Ten Ox-herding Pictures is "Seeking the Ox." It is the stage when thedesire has arisen to seek the essential self, the original self (the ox). It is known as the"first stirring of the heart" [sho-hosshin] and is indeed a precious and beautifulmovement. Although there are billions of people living on this earth, there are only veryfew who know that the essential self is completely perfect and absolutely limitless. Nor isit an exaggeration to say that there are hardly any who have realized this in fact and

made it a part of themselves. How fortunate that we have encountered the authentic andtraditional Buddha Way and taken the first step in its practice! How beautiful andprecious indeed!

On this earth of ours the first to have realized that our essence is completely perfect andabsolutely limitless was Shakyamuni Buddha. So, once you realize it, the completelyperfect self (ox) does not go anywhere. Shakyamuni proclaimed that since we areendowed with it from the start there was no need to seek it out. The saying that "allliving beings are originally Buddhas" is an expression of this reality.

But how is it with us really? No one has any idea of what way we are completely perfector how we are absolutely limitless. No matter what, we can only see ourselves as

imperfect and insufficient, as relative beings that exist for the limited span of 50 or 80years. This is because we turn our backs on pursuing the crucial question "What is thetrue self?" to open our eyes to our real essence, but, instead, go after only the objectiveworld outside us, thus becoming more and more estranged from our true self.

Once we turn to this dust of delusive differentiation, we go from one thing to anotherpursuing delusions and becoming hopelessly lost in that infinite dust, until finally we havecompletely lost sight of our true self. A common mistake into which those doing zazenfall is surely this. Therefore, no matter what is seen, no matter what is heard, no matterwhat comes to mind, not to pay attention to any of it but only become "Mu" itself [cf.Koan "Jshu's Dog" in Mumonkan Case 1]. But rather, thinking Mu is outside ofthemselves, people try to grasp it conceptually and go after whatever comes to mind,

from one thing to the next, without knowing how to stop. Then, Mu (their true self),which is what they should be seeking, goes off somewhere. As a result, no matter howmany years pass, they cannot grasp Mu.

And so the familiar mountains and houses of your native place (true self) becomedistant, and you can no longer know the road over which you originally came. Even if youwant to return, you no longer know the way to go back; rather, you go off on a side roadwhich leads in a direction farther and farther away from the true self. What is that sideroad, you may ask? It is the endlessly critical mind which arises like a sharp dagger,

judging some things good and others bad from the criterion of your own profit-gain.

Not being satisfied with the material world and attempting to achieve a solid spiritualbase, you have reached the level of "seeking the ox." But if you make a mistake in themethod of Zen, immediately you go down a side road with the result that it would have


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been better not to do zazen at all. Therefore, at the point of beginning zazen it isextremely important to choose an authentic master; at the same time you must neverforget to always have a strict spirit of self-reflection when practicing the Way.

Now let's look at the verse of Master Kakuan:

Incessantly you brush aside thick grasses in pursuit.

You make the practice of Mu trying with all your might to overtake the ox by sweepingaway the grass of delusive discrimination appearing continually. The legs become painfuland the knees ache. In the afternoon you become drowsy. At "kinhin" [i.e., walkingmeditation between zazen sessions] you loosen the legs, wash the face and take awaythe drowsiness. You revive your spirit and once again challenge Mu.

The waters are wide, the mountains far,and the path leads on without end.

No matter how far you go, the channel of the river keeps widening, and the mountainranges continue far in the distance; you never reach a place where you can say, "Now itis enough." Day after day, there is only sitting facing the wall. Can a person really solvethe problems of life by just doing this? Thoughts get confused by the thousands and yougo off on an unclear road.

Sapped of strength, exhausted in spirits,knowing no longer where to search.

Bodily strength is gone as well as mental energy. You don't know what to do. "What can Ido? How can I do it?" Only those who have really practiced in a down-to-earth way canunderstand what it means to reach this point. However, here, at the lowest point, the

point of the Great Death, you have reached the very important state that is called "beingclose to the treasure place."

You only hear the sound of the evening cicadaschirping in the maple trees.

It is now evening. The cicadas in the maple trees are singing "miiiin, miiiin" in a frenzy.When you hear their cry you want to cry also. "Oh, today also is finishing in vain." Unlessyou have experienced this kind of thought a number of times, you cannot find your trueself.

Ten Ox-herding PicturesStage 2FINDING THE TRACKS


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IntroductionHe has understood the meaning of the sutras and knows about the tracksthrough the teachings.It is clear to him that all vessels are made of gold, and he knows that themyriad things are himself.But if he cannot distinguish between right and wrong, how can he separate thetrue from the false?As he has not yet entered this gate, he can be said to have merely seen thetracks.VerseAt the waters edge, under the trees - hoofmarks are numerous.Balmy grasses grow abundantly - can you see them or not?Even if you go deeper and deeper into the mountains,How could his nostrils, well compassing the heavens, hide him at all?The stage of "finding the tracks" is the stage of having discovered the hoofmarks of theox. In general, the "hoofmarks" signify the stage in which you read and understand thesutras, or study the various teachings of Shakyamuni and of the patriarchs, and come to

a conceptual understanding of the content of their experience. That is to say, it is thestage in which you have understood "cerebrally" the existence of the ox.

However, in actual practice, when you do the practice of Mu with all your might,at firstwhat were two separate entities - yourself and Mu - gradually become one through yourefforts and a deepening of Mu practice. And the conviction is born: "if I continue at thisrate, I too can certainly make kensho." And then your strength is put into Mu even more.This stage is called that of "finding the tracks."

What does it mean to say that you understand conceptually that the ox exists? It meansto have understood the principle that all beings in heaven and earth are empty ("Form isemptiness" - [a famous quote from the Prajna-Paramita Sutra or Hannya Shingy

Sutra]). Once you understand the nature of this emptiness you also understand theprinciple that all things in heaven and on earth are the self. As Monk J [who lived in the


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4th century China] says: "Heaven and earth and I are of the same root; all things and Iare the same body." Now there is an "I" which understands this principle. Yet, insofar asthis "I" remains, you do not really understand the true emptiness or the inner stateexpressed as "Heaven and earth and I are one body."

Thus it is necessary to personally experience the fact of "Form is emptiness." And to do

that there is only one way: to give your whole self to Mu, to forget the self so that justMu remains. If you continue this practice, you will eventually at some opportunity oranother take hold of the "fact" that you are completely empty and do not exist anywhereand the "fact" that because you are empty everything is yourself. Insofar as you do notactually do this practice nor have this experience, be assured that your Zen is simplyconceptual and theoretical Zen.

Those who are captives to this kind of conceptual and theoretical Zen are also spoken ofas a whole as those in the position of "finding the tracks." Those who do scholarlyresearch in Zen, no matter how fine and detailed the research is, from the standpoint ofthe practice of Zen are taken together as being in the stage of "finding the tracks."

Let's now try to appreciate the verse of Master Kakuan:

At the waters edge, under the trees - hoofmarks are numerous.

Along the water's edge and in the depths of the forest, in every place the hoofmarks ofthe ox can be seen. Theoretically, "form is emptiness, emptiness is form; heaven andearth and I are of the same root; all things and I are you body." But from the aspect ofpractice, each and every Mu is every and all the hoofmarks of the ox.

Balmy grasses grow abundantly - can you see them or not?

There are sweet smelling grasses spreading out abundantly and swayed by the wind. Thepoet challenges us, Can you see them? All things in heaven and on earth, each one byone, are the open and clear and identical expression of this true fact. Do we understandthis or not? The verse seems to insinuate that we might comprehend a little with thehead, but that we aren't able to truly understand the real thing.

Even if you go deeper and deeper into the mountains.

The more you pursues the original ox with your "Muuuuu," the fartherit goes into therecesses of the mountains. If you look at Mu from the outside and try to pursue it, it justkeeps going farther and farther away. This is a very important point: your practice mustnot be one of pursuing and looking at Mu from the outside. It must be one of just

completely becoming Mu itself.

How could his nostrils, well compassing the heavens, hide him at all?

But wait a moment. With each Mu are we not grasping the muzzle of the ox, and is it notthe ox (the real self) itself? Is it not a reality that cannot be hidden anywhere? This is asincere warning for us.

If you are really faithfully practicing, at first you don't know what is what,but graduallythe way of folding the legs,holding the hands, and keeping the position become clear; theway of controlling the breath and the practice of Mu itself becomes understood. If youcontinue for a few months or half a year or a year, gradually the heart becomes calm and

the way of doing Zazen itself begins to deepen. And the conviction arises that if youcontinue this effort, you will without fail attain enlightenment. You begin to sit with


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greater and greater enthusiasm. Even conceptually you become certain and yourconviction of Zen does not waver even with the slightest thing. You have not yet graspedthe ox experientially, but you have fully gotten into gear with the practice of Zen. This isthe stage of the position of "finding the tracks."

Ten Ox-herding PicturesStage 3CATCHING SIGHT OF THE OX

IntroductionIf you attain by way of sounds, you will encounter the source of all seeing.The six sense organs are each no different from this; in all actions, the head isrevealed.

It is like the salty taste of the water, the binder in the paint.Raise your eyebrows, and this is nothing other than THAT itself.VerseThe bush warbler sings on the branch.The sun is warm, the breeze gentle, and the willows on the riverbank are green.There is no place you can escape from him.That majestic head and horns could never be painted in a picture."Catching sight of the ox" is the stage of having seen clearly the real self. What does itmean to see clearly the real self? Up to that time you have been accustomed to thinkthat there was a "substance" (the ego) which was called the self. But to see the real selfclearly is to experience the fact that actually the self is completely devoid of substanceand that the so-called ego was never even there!

For many this experience is initiated through some kind of resonating sound. MasterMumon [1183-1260, author of the Mumonkan] attained a great enlightenment as soon as


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he heard the "boom" of a big drum. Master Kygen [? -898] was raking in the gardenvery earnestly when a stone lodged in his broom flew off and struck a bamboo tree withgreat force. At the sound of the "whack" the delusion that had enveloped him up to thattime was blown away at once and he attained the true self. And so there are manyexamples of such achievements following upon sounds of various kinds.

In this way when you realize the true self, you reach the source, namely, "whatever yousee or hear, each individual thing is, just as it is, the true self." Of course, it is importantthat this be a true experience. If even a little conceptual thought creeps in, it is not atrue experience of "catching sight of the ox."

Let's look at this phenomenon more closely. There are said to be six "roots" [kon] ofperception, that is, six sense organs: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, (tactile) body, and mind.Corresponding to these organs there are six "objects"[ky] of perception: color andshape, sound, smell, taste, tangible objects, and mental objects. And there are six"consciousnesses" [shiki] which occur when the six sense organs correspond to the sixobjects of perception: visual consciousness, auditory consciousness, olfactoryconsciousness, gustatory consciousness, tactile consciousness, mental consciousness.

True enlightenment is understanding that each one of these is true reality, devoid of anysubstance, the true self; among them there exists absolutely no difference.

And it is not only the six sense organs, six objects of perception, and the sixconsciousnesses which are meant here. Standing, sitting, crying, laughing, eating,drinking, slipping, spilling - all such movements are the true self, the true fact, that is,the ox as a whole really appearing in total openness.

The condition of the true ox as devoid of all content is just like the saltiness in sea wateror the glue in the pigment, which cannot be detected from outside. Ordinary people knowonly the superficial forms like the sea water or pigment. But after enlightenment yourealize that there is saltiness in sea water and glue in pigment, and that, in actuality,

these elements have been doing their natural work. When you know clearly saltinesswhich makes sea water what it actually is and glue which makes out pigment, withconfidence you can say that this is the ox (the true self). The result is that the entire wayof looking at things you have used up to now changes completely.

Let's now take a look at the verse of Kakuan Zenji:

The bush warbler sings on the branch.

The term "bush warbler" means nightingale. The nightingale sits on a branch and warblesin a loud voice. "Catching sight of the ox" (enlightenment) must be a clear experiencelike this. It is the "boom" of Master Mumon and the "whack" of Master Kygen. Insofar asyou bring to dokusan some abstraction like, "Each thing in heaven and on earth is itselfan expression of Mu," it is not the real thing. Abstractions, concepts, thoughts are playmodels of Zen and not Zen itself. Both teachers and students of Zen must take this toheart. Accordingly checking this out is very important.

The sun is warm, the breeze gentle,and the willows on the riverbank are green.

When you have experienced really "catching sight of the ox" (enlightenment), you for thefirst time escape from the fetters of the ego and see reality just as it is. It is like whenyou have put down the pack from your shoulders just as the spring sunlight comes

through and a gentle breeze flows; the weeping willows on both banks are putting outgreen leaves and the branches are swaying gently.


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There is no place you can escape from him.

The true ox being expressed in the softness of this spring scene is not just the worldwhich is seen by the eyes or heard by the ear [ninku]. All the environment surroundingus is the true ox itself [hokku]; all the universe is the ox itself. Thus, if this is true, evenshould you want to escape from the ox there would be no way to escape. And:

That majestic head and horns could never be painted in a picture.

No one can express or diagram or foretell when and in what way the ox will appear, forthe movements of the real ox are very lively in the midst of the forest.

But what we must keep in mind here is that, when you have an experience like this, youfeel just like you have gotten hold of the neck of the devil, and before you know it, youare boasting of the experience, neglecting your practice, disregarding the master, suchthat it would have been better never to have done Zen in the first place. "Catching sightof the ox" is still only the third stage. Know that you must walk a road of continualstriving for improvement.

Ten Ox-herding PicturesStage 4SEIZING THE OX

IntroductionFor a long time he has been living in obscurity in the countryside; today youhave met him.Because he enjoys his former situation so much, it is difficult to drive him out.He cannot stop loving the fragrant grasses; his stubborn will is still strong and awild spirit remains.If you wish to make him pure and obedient, you must apply the whip.Verse


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You have exhausted all your faculties to take hold of him.Because his spirit is strong and his strength abundant, it is difficult to rid him ofhis habits.Sometimes he goes to the top of the high plain.Other times he resides in clouds and smoke.The stage of "seizing the ox" is that at which you have firmly laid hold of the ox, which isour essential nature. The essence of the ox has become clear. At the stage of "catchingsight of the ox, " you have only seen the ox. If you slacken your effort, thinking that thisis already the highest attainment, the ox soon disappears from sight again. The resultingstate is one in which all that remains is the memory of having seen the ox (havingreached enlightenment). Thus, if you have reached enlightenment, it is vitally importantto continue your practice more and more vigorously to make that world which has beenglimpsed become even clearer.

However, this ox in our heart for a long time has been set deeply in the outlying fieldsand in the midst of mountains,which is to say, it has been mired in the phenomenal world

of dualism. And because it cannot forget the taste of that world, it has been very difficultto pull it away from it. As the result of long years of practice, for a brief moment today,you have been able to grasp the ox. This is the stage of "seizing the ox."

Well, exactly what does it mean to have seized the ox (real self), you may ask. It meansto see clearly, without the mediation of concepts, that the essence of your self iscompletely empty, and that because the essential self is empty it has the unlimitedability to become anything. The expression in the Prajna-Paramita Sutra, "Form isemptiness," refers to this reality; it is neither a thought nor a concept. When you reachthis point, there is no fear of losing the "ox" anymore.

However, the world of dualism that you have become accustomed to so long is a very

comfortable world in which to live. The true ox that is completely empty of substance,before you are able to come to know it, separates off and becomes the slave of itssurroundings. It becomes buried and is unable to free itself. That part of us which isattached to the old world of dualism is not only very stubborn but also has the tendencyto soon get out of control. So, in one way or another you cannot help but thinking thereis an objective world outside of yourself. If you understand that from the beginning theessence of your self is empty [shinku], you should also be able to see that the objectiveworld is also empty [hokku]. But in reality, things do not go so easily. In order to furthermake the world of hokku(world as empty) clear you must work and practice harder andharder. Once you have taken hold of ninku (self as empty) and hokku (world as empty),then for the first time the world of truly "seizing the ox" becomes apparent: the wholeuniverses is only one person, so that "above and under heaven there is only I, alone and

sublime."

Now we can appreciate the verse of Master Kakuan:

You have exhausted all your faculties to take hold of him.

ecause you found the true ox ("seeing the ox"), you were overjoyed and encouraged ahundredfold. Then, you were further inspired to try to actually grasp the ox with yourhands. As a result of this long and persistent pursuit, you were finally able to seize thenostrils of the ox.

Because his spirit is strong and his strength abundant,it is difficult to rid him of his habits.


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But once you grasp this true ox, you find that its habit of seeking the discrimination ofdualism remains strong. You put yourself forward everywhere, see the other as other,and are taken up in that world of discrimination. There is danger that those very reinsholding the ox, by which you have gone to the trouble to make clear the world ofemptiness, will be severed. The bad habit of opposing self and other, because it hasperjured over such a long period, does not easily change even though you have

understood emptiness. Therefore you must more and more throw yourself into thepractice of Zazen.

Sometimes he goes to the top of the high plain.

Let me elucidate that state of not being able to change. At some time, even though it isjust for a moment, standing at the pinnacle of "seizing the ox," you linger in the world ofemptiness and become attached to the world where - as a famous phrase goes - "thereare no living beings to be saved, even if you should want to save them." You boast that"no one has had as deep an enlightenment as I." When your heart is seized by this state,the freedom of mind and action no longer exists. Surely, it is few that have actuallyexperienced such a thorough emptiness, and certainly the joy of having experienced that

world is without comparison. But to become attached to that world leads to self-complacency; a person afflicted with Zen sickness like this is nothing but a whiteelephant that is completely useless for saving other living beings.

Other times he resides in clouds and smoke.

Another facet which is difficult to eradicate is the tendency to return quickly to the worldof dualism - the maky [delusive fantasy] which spreads so easily like a smoke screen.From there it is very hard to escape again. Because the self-consciousness that "I haveattained an enlightenment which others couldn't" has become so strong, such a personis, on the contrary, more stubborn than those who have not attained enlightenment.Such people put themselves forward more strongly, and reach a state which is beyond

help. Undoubtedly there were some cases like this in the past because there is an ancientterm "arrogant Zen-devil" [zen-tenma] to warn against just such a state. To avoid thatpitfall, you must, after reaching enlightenment, become more and more humble and putyourself more into Zen practice.

Ten Ox-herding PicturesStage 5TAMING THE OX


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IntroductionOnce thoughts rise up even slightly, they are followed by other thoughts.Through enlightenment, they become true; in delusion, they become false.It is not due to our surroundings that they are there; they are only produced byour mind.We must pull the Ox firmly by his tether and not allow any doubts to enter.VerseWhipping does not depart from the body at any moment.Lest he follow his own whim, entering the dust and dirt.

If you devotedly tame him, he will be pure and gentle.Without bridle and chains, he will follow you of his own accord.Once you have reached the point of "seizing" the ox, which is the true self, you must notrest on your laurels but continue to practice with all your strength and go on to the nextstage. It is the stage of taming the ox, a very important process by which you make yourown that which has been realized. As I mentioned previously, seizing the ox is graspingclearly the fact that the essence of your self is completely empty [ninku] and at the sametime all beings in the universe are also completely empty [hokku]. But to have attained

such an enlightenment does not mean that our concepts and delusions automatically alldisappear. With the re-appearance of just a minor conceptualization, the delusiveconcepts come back again one after another without end. In fact, it is the case that theclearer your experience of seizing the ox, the harder it is to escape the delusion of havingunderstood this whole world and to avoid the proud thoughts which ensue one afteranother. You boast of the experience, talk proudly of Zen, and fall prey to the recklessdesire to want to direct and lead others.

Of course, if you should ask what is the essence of these delusive and discriminatorythoughts that arise continually, know that they are in themselves empty and withoutreality. If you can really rest assured in that fact, each of them, one by one, becomes thetrue self as it is. But we humans, unfortunately, always cling to what we have

experienced and have the habit of not letting go. This is especially true in the case of theseizing of the ox, a feat that most people have a difficult time achieving. Once we have


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made it, we boast that no one has had such a wonderful experience. We cling to thedelusive and proud thoughts that arise one after another, such as, "Perhaps evenShakyamuni Buddha himself did not have such an experience as I." And these thoughtsthemselves become a new reason for delusion.

We always can see only the oppositional world of dualism, subject and object, but the

concept that the objective world "is" appears not because the objective world is reallythere. Only because in our hearts we recognize "The objective world is," it is. This meansthat this "is-ness" is, in reality, only in our mind. Therefore, there arises in the mind theidea of "I" which has experienced seizing the ox, so the world corresponding to that "I"also appears, with the result that the objective world is conjured up by the proud "I". Inthe true world of seizing the ox, the objective world as well as the subjective world istotally empty; there is no room for being and non-being to appear at all. To be always atrest securely in such a world, it is necessary by all means to put the halter through thenose of the ox and pull it firmly. If the ox starts to eat the grass of discriminatorydelusion, tell him "No, no!", never neglecting the due training, and continue in hardpractice to the end. The practical means to that end is that single sharp spear, MU. Thisis the practice for post-enlightenment, and you must say that, in a sense, it is endlessly

more difficult than the pre-enlightenment practice.

Let's now look at the verse of Master Kakuan:

Occasional whipping does not depart from the body.

The stage of taming the ox is one in which you must make the utmost effort to bringunder control as far as possible the ox you have seized. For that purpose you must neverlet the whip or the halter get away from your self.

Lest he follow his own whim, entering the dust and dirt.

If you don't take such precautions, without fail the ox will go off on its own and will enterthat world of discrimination full of dust and dirt. It goes without saying that this appliesto the secular world in which it was so much at home before, but it also wants to go intothat world of enlightenment (seizing the ox), and it is not easy for it to come out fromthere again.

If you devotedly tame him, he will be pure and gentle.

To "devotedly tame him" means that if you really become serious and keep taming theox, your heart gradually softens and becomes pure. This is a very important process.Having your experience approved, and coming to the stage of seizing the ox, an

experience which most people have a hard time achieving, you come, by and by, to thinkgreatly of yourself, and without noticing, you become proud of yourself. It is only throughstrenuous sitting and continual training that the heart gradually becomes gentle, and thephysiognomy becomes mellow, and the former harsh way of speaking drops away. If thisdoes not happen, it is not the true effect of Zen.

Without bridle and chains, he will follow you of his own accord.

Once the ox has become tamed, even if you do not attach the bridle or chains, the oxnaturally starts to follow. Therefore, standing, sitting, crying, laughing, the true oxalways remains.


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Ten Ox-herding PicturesStage 6RIDING THE OX HOME

IntroductionThe battle is already over, gain and loss are also empty.

He sings a woodcutter's rustic song and whistles a child's tune.Straddled on the Ox's back, he gazes at the clouds.Though you call him he will not return; though you try to catch and hold him, hewill not stay.VerseYou mount the ox and want to make your way slowly home.A barbarian plays the flute in the red glow of sunset.Each measure, each tune is filled with ineffable tones.Among true intimates, what need is there for words?As the title says, this is the stage in which you get on the ox and ride it home. It is the

fruit of the previous stage of taming the ox, and it is that stage in which at last the oxfollows what it is told.

In the stage of seizing the ox, you were able to grasp your true self. However, as is oftensaid, if thoughts occur even a little, other thoughts are soon to follow; you are thenbothered by thoughts which occur one after another. Especially the thought that youhave achieved a great enlightenment rarely attained by others, gradually without yournoticing it, becomes a source of pride which is difficult to dispel. Therefore, you try totame this ox by fighting strongly against such a thought, saying to yourself: "This is notenough, this is not enough." Now this effort at taming the ox has brought results, andthe struggle is over at last. By that I mean that you have recognized that the substanceof unenlightened/enlightened, ordinary/holy, good/bad, gain/loss is empty and that

accordingly the wall between unenlightened/enlightened, ordinary/holy, good/bad,gain/loss has disappeared.


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And so just as the lumberjack hums a country melody or children innocently play theirchildren's tunes on their flutes, so too does such a person enter a state of true freedomwithout any blocks. From the standpoint of the ordinary person it is indeed an enviablestate. This state in which the ox (your true self) does exactly what it is told,is like beingable to lie down leisurely and watch the clouds in the sky move gently here and there.

Even if you try to call the ox back,it does not look back. Even if you try to grab it and tolock it up, it would not stop. Letting things run their course, day by day, hour by hour,doing what should be done, you go along without any hindrances.

This is truly a wonderful state. However, there is here a big trap. That is because there isan ox which is walking along smoothly on its own and a self which is looking at that ox.And that self is happy, gazing at the ox (the true self) and thinking how gentle it hasbecome. Your state has become so comfortable. You proclaim that you have reached awonderful state. And those who hear that admire it as something worthy. But they alsothink that such a person must be special, and they feel no urge to try zazen. The result isa completely useless Zen, certified by only your self. But once you have come this far,you must urge yourself on further by the motto, "Practice another 30 years," and sit and

sit and polish the self.

Now let's look at Master Kakuan's verse:

You mount the ox and want to make your way slowly home.

The word for "slowly" [iri] in the original text refers to something connected andstretching for some distance. Here you have mounted the ox, which is your true self, andis slowly proceeding to return to your native village with no end yet in sight. "Wanting tomake your way" means that you are trying to return, but it also implies that you are notbeing able to do that. What keeps you from coming back? It is because there is a self,which is looking at the ox.

A barbarian plays the flute in the red glow of sunset.

"A barbarian" [ky] refers to a foreign tribe living in the northwest of China. The sound ofa flute played by someone in this tribe salutes the sunset note by note. It can be heardso clearly. But that flute, like the sound of a foreigner playing in a strange land, brings atinge of melancholy.

Each measure, each tune is filled with ineffable tones.That is true, but, in each song and each note, there is an infinite savoring. That is so

because in every clap of the hands, or every footstep, or in each blade of grass, the trueself is at work. You are able to experience directly these things without logical thinkingand manipulation of concepts.

Among true intimates, what need is there for words?

But what really is that like, you may ask. In ancient China there were two friends,Hakuga and Chshiki. Hakuga was a master of the Chinese lute. When Hakuga playedthe lute, Chshiki would discern the state of his mind and his disposition by listeningcarefully to the sound and the tone. So it is not always necessary to verbalize what iswithin. There is a way of understanding perfectly while being silent.

It is not easy to reach this state. However, this close friend, that is to say, the ox, whichwithout saying or proclaiming anything, is always still there. Because this state is


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pleasant and happy, the sickness of clinging by all means to this experience appears.This is the innate weakness of human nature. And little by little, unawares, you fall intothis way of thinking. This stage is only the sixth stage, and you should know that you arestill "on the way."

Ten Ox-herding PicturesStage 7OX FORGOTTEN,PERSON REMAINING

IntroductionIn the dharma there is no duality; the Ox is the foundation.It may be compared to the rabbit and the snare; it is expressed in the differencebetween fish and weir.Like gold coming from ore, like the moon emerging from behind the clouds.The Single Way of cold light has been shining ever since the time of Ion beyondthe kalpas.VerseYou have mounted the ox and already reached your home in the mountains.The ox is gone and the person has nothing more to do.

Though the morning sun has already risen three bamboo lengths, he dreams on.The whip and the halter, no longer of use, are hung up in the stall.In the stages of the practice of the Buddhist way we have at last reached the seventhstage, "forgetting the ox." It goes without saying that the ox refers to what may becalled the original self or the true self. It is Mu which all of you are looking for. This is thestage of forgetting the ox. But what does it mean to "forget the ox"?


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We began our practice by seeking the ox. We discovered the ox (catching sight of theox), took hold of the ox (seizing the ox), brought the ox under control (taming the ox),and have been training the ox to do, to a certain degree, what it is told (riding the oxhome). In this process you have handled many koans, knowing the joy of passing themas well as the pain and anxiety of not getting through them.

When you seek in such a thorough fashion the true self (the ox), that self which is doingthe seeking disappears, and only the true self remains. More exactly, you enter the worldin which the true self also does not come into consciousness. This is truly that world inwhich you have forgotten the self completely, a world of complete emptiness, "withouteven a wisp of cloud to obstruct your vision" [manako ni sayuru kumonohamo nashi].

Were you to compare this world to something concrete, you might think about extractingpure gold from base ore. It is totally pure and without blemish. The whole universe ispure gold. The ore from which you extracted the gold, the tools you used to extract thegold are all gone. Or again, it is just like the moon moving apart from the clouds andshining in the fullness of the heavens completely white. The whole world is a world inwhich there is only the moon with no clouds at all. The sublimity of a world completely

void is beyond verbal expression. It is a world which can only be savored by actualexperience.

When you arrive at this point, the koans with which you have struggled and laboredbecome completely useless [kankagu: "unnecessary pieces of furniture"]. However thereis always room for greater attainment. At this stage there still remains as a residue[kasu] the self-consciousness that this world is without any substance. That is the aspectof this stage expressed as zainin ("the person remains"). YAMADA Kun Roshi hasexpressed his own experience in the following way:

"In terms of my own experience, for about a week after my enlightenment it seemed asif my whole body was trembling. And like a fish put in to the water to swim, I was able to

live without any hindrance. I felt very free and happy. However, that did not continuelong. After about 10 days or a month, the self appeared again. It was not so much theconsciousness of the egoistic possessive ego, but rather the consciousness of the self.You are conscious of the self. That remains."

In my case I realized that koans were totally "unnecessary furniture," and for a while Ifelt that doing koans was completely foolish; as I remember, the self-consciousness thatthe thinking self was there continued for quite a long time. This is not yet the real thing.

Let's now go on to Master Kakuan's verse:

You have mounted the oxand already reached your home in the mountains.

In the verse on the sixth Picture ("riding the ox home.") it was said, "You mount the oxand want to make your way slowly home." The words "want to" convey the meaning thatyou try to go home but can't. And why is that? I said it was because there is still a selfwhich is looking at the ox. When you do away with this self which is doing the looking,you actually understand that you have already reached home. I want you all to reallygrasp how important it is to have had the experience once of thoroughly forgetting theself.

The ox is gone and the person has nothing more to do.

Both the ox to be sought (the true self) and the seeker also are totally void and empty ofcontent. Once this is understood, the ox and the seeker are totally one. We could say,


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"When you stop seeking, the whole thing appears." The world in which there is no oneand no thing manifests itself clearly and vividly before your eyes. It surely expresses thespirit of "the leisurely person of the Way, who, having finished learning, has nothingmore to do" [zetsugaku mui no kandnin - a quote from the Shdka].

Though the morning sun has already risen three bamboo lengths,

he dreams on.

Absolutely nothing more to do! Even though the bright red sun climbs in the sky as highas "three bamboo lengths," you are still in dreams and sleeping. This attests to the levelof realization at which the entire universe is intrinsically safe and sound.

The whip and the halter, no longer of use, are hung up in the stall.

Accordingly, the whip and halter used to control the ox are not needed any more. Theyare left alone at a corner of the hut where the grass is growing. Formerly, with a greateffort using the whip and binding with the halter you trained the ox. But now that iscompletely unnecessary. Yet there can be no slackening of effort! There is still that self-consciousness of the self that "no longer needs to train the ox."

Ten Ox-herding PicturesStage 8PERSON AND OXBOTH FORGOTTEN

IntroductionOrdinary feelings have fallen away, thoughts of holiness are all empty.We should not linger where there is Buddha; we should pass quickly by where

there is no Buddha.If we do not stick to either, it will be difficult for a thousand eyes to perceive us.

For myriad birds to carry flowers is a shame all around.


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VerseWhip, tether, person and ox - all are empty.

The blue sky spreads out far and wide, it cannot be communicated.On a red-hot oven, how can there be any place for snow?Having come this far, you understand the intention of the patriarchs.At the eighth stage, "person and ox both forgotten"[jingyu gub], we come to realize thefact that this "I" (person), which has been seeking, and the essential self (ox), which hasbeen the object of our search, did not exist at all.

It is the same fact manifested in Dgen Zenji's statement, "My body and mind havefallen away," which he presented to his own master, TEND Nyoj Zenji [1162-1227],after he had come to great realization upon hearing the words of his master, "PracticingZen is the falling away of body and mind." You have forgotten yourself, you haveforgotten all others, you have forgotten everything; there is only one round circle withoutany substance whatsoever. This is what is meant by "person and ox both forgotten."

In order to reach this stage, it is of crucial importance that - as a saying goes - "you donot linger where there are buddhas, and you pass quickly through where there aren't anybuddhas." To "linger where there are buddhas" means to idle your time away with suchbeloved concepts as "buddhas," "enlightenment," and so on. As long as you cherish inyour mind even a little bit of such ideas as "kensh," "great enlightenment" [daigotettei], "Dharma transmission" [inka shmei], and so forth, you are not yet a true one."Where there aren't any buddhas" means, on the other hand, a level of mind where youcan say that such seemingly precious items concern you no more. But you must neverfoster this notion in your head or even take pride in this fact. You must "pass quicklythrough" it.

Explaining the seventh stage "Ox Forgotten, Person Remaining," I mentioned that therestill remains self-consciousness. It was because the person was leisurely dwelling on thelevel of "no buddhas." When you have passed through this level, the world where there isutterly nobody and nothing becomes truly clear and evident.

If you have passed beyond both the world of buddhas and that of no buddhas, you are ina world which even Shakyamuni or Manjusri with their clairvoyance cannot perceive. It'sbecause there is not even a thing there. The basis of Zen is to grasp this world ofnothingness through experience. Zen without this experience is merely a conceptual Zenand amounts to nothing more than playing around with plastic models of Zen.

If someone has truly experienced the real fact, how would his life look? Let me show youan example. In ancient China there was a Zen master named GOZU Hyu [594-657]. Hewas a man of high virtue, and people in his neighborhood respected him deeply. Evenbirds praised his virtues by fetching flowers and offering them to him. But later on, afterhe came to great enlightenment under the Fourth Patriarch DAII Dshin Zenji [580-651],the birds stopped bringing flowers to him. As long as people extol you as a great person,a person of high virtue, etc., you are not real. A person of true enlightenment does notlook great at all. The birds fail to spot Hyu Zenji, because he turned invisible to them,as he became someone who is nowhere.

Let's now appreciate the verse composed by Kakuan Zenji:

Whip, tether, person and ox - all are empty.


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You have diligently applied whips and tethers, searching with all your might for youressential self. Your goal once attained, you realize that the whips, tethers, you yourselfand the ox - all is empty with no substance at all. It is a world where there is utterlynothing and no one.

The blue sky spreads out far and wide, it cannot be communicated.

The blue sky is wide and clear. It expresses the true fact of emptiness, the world of trueself. Since it is empty, there is no means to communicate it. Yet, to tell you the truth, itwas communicated from the very beginning as "empty."

On a red-hot oven, how can there be any place for snow?

The "red-hot oven" is a live blast furnace burning with scarlet flames. It melts awayanything. It goes without saying that snow will be made to evaporate in an instant,leaving no trace whatsoever. It means that the true fact of emptiness is burning hot likethe furnace. There is no room for any discriminatory thought ("snow") to enter.

Having come this far, you understand the intention of the patriarchs.

Only at this level, you match the spirit of buddhas and patriarchs. In other words, if youdon't attain this level, there is no meaning in your Zen practice. Only with this experiencecan you solve your problem of life-and-death and attain true peace of mind. However, itis still the eighth stage of practice; you need to practice more to come up to even higherlevels.

Ten Ox-herding Pictures

Stage 9RETURNINGTO THE SOURCE

Introduction


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It is originally pure and clean without a speck of dust clinging.He observes the flourishing and dying of form while remaining in the silence ofno-action.This is not the same as illusion; what need is there for striving or planning?

The water is blue and the mountains green; he sits and watches phenomenatake form and decay.VerseHaving come back to the origin and returned to the source, you see that youhave expended efforts in vain.What could be superior to becoming blind and deaf in this very moment?Inside the hermitage, you do not see what is in front of the hermitage.The water flows of itself and the flowers are naturally red.How much time and pain it took to come to the eighth stage of "Person and Ox BothForgotten"! Now you have reached at last the stage where you realize the fact of "Personis empty, so is the dharma," that is, the subject (person) and the object (dharma) areboth totally empty. Since this is the fruit of extremely long and hard labor, you tend tostick to this stage and to cherish it endlessly - the last residue of enlightenment. If yousucceed in washing it away by constant and persistent sitting, you come to a state ofrealization that the fact of "Person is empty, so is the dharma" is the essential state ofhuman beings, signifying nothing special at all. Through this realization you return toyour original starting point. This is the stage of "Returning to the source," where not atrace of such things as "Buddhism" or "Tathagata" is found anywhere. It is true that "thestate after enlightenment is exactly the same as that of before enlightenment." It is thestate of mind of "a leisurely person of the Way, who, having finished learning, hasnothing more to do."At this stage you can observe that all the highs and lows and vacillations of this worldare, as they are, void of substance and are manifestations of the world of perfect stillnessand non-being. Expressed in these terms it sounds as if there were two things - beingand non-being. But in fact, being is non-being; the aspect of being is, as it is, non-beingitself. There is no distinction between the two at all.

This proposition "Being is non-being" is a crude fact, not a temporary illusion or a dream.At this point you can realize and affirm that it has been entirely unnecessary to beconsciously engaged in practicing the way or trying to attain enlightenment. This is avery important point: you start with the first stage of "Searching the Ox," and, spendingmany years in practice, you come at last to the ninth level of "Returning to the Source,"and as a result of this entire process you can say that practice and enlightenment were

unnecessary. It is totally wrong to maintain from the very beginning that practice andenlightenment are of no use. Such an attitude is called "inactive zen" [buji-zen] . Today,almost all Zen schools in Japan have degenerated to this "inactive zen." They maintainthat just sitting is enough, not appreciating the experience of enlightenment or evenignoring it. On the other hand, you must bear in mind: No matter how strongly you arguethat enlightenment is important, if it's nothing more than just propagating a conceptionalzen or if you take pride in your experience (if it was an authentic experience), you areonly mid-way. There is no other way than to sit and sit and sit, until you can very clearlysay that practice and enlightenment were intrinsically unnecessary.

Let's now appreciate the verse by Master Kakuan:

Having come back to the origin and returned to the source,you see that you have expended efforts in vain.


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You are now back to your starting point. How much effort you needed for that!Occasionally you encouraged yourself washing your face with the ice-chilly basin water,or you sank into desperation listening to frogs croaking in the dusk outside, or you keptsitting in defiance of the pains in the legs or of unbearable fatigue. Many times you havefelt, "Now, this time I've come to a true experience!" but soon that experience is coveredwith anxiety and discontent. How many times you have determined to stop doing zazen

altogether!.What could be superior to becoming blind and deafin this very moment?

Come to think of it now, why didn't I become like a blind and deaf person right away?"Blind and deaf" here means a state of mind where there is nothing to see and nothing tohear. When you see, there's only the seeing, and the subject that sees doesn't exist.When you hear, there's only the hearing, and the subject that hears doesn't exist. Theobjects which are seen or heard are, just as they are, without substance. Butunderstanding the logic of this will not do. When this is realized as a fact, you becomelike a "blind and deaf" person.

Inside the hermitage,you do not see what is in front of the hermitage.

The late YAMADA Kun Roshi comments that this line comes from a dialogue betweenUnmon [864-949] and Master Kemp [dates unknown]: Unmon visited Master Kempand asked, "Why doesn't a person inside the hermitage know anything outside thehermitage?" To this, Kemp burst out into laughter. The point is why the person insidethe hermitage (subject) cannot see the things "in front of the hermitage" (object). That'sbecause there isn't anything in front of the hermitage. You may say that there is only thesubject, there being no object at all. Yet, in actual truth, that "subject" doesn't existeither.

The water flows of itself and the flowers are naturally red.

The water runs smoothly, the flowers are colored scarlet. This line seems to imply thatthere are only the objects and there's no subject at all. However, as a matter of fact,those objects do not exist at all. It's simply that the water is running smoothly, andflowers are scarlet. Everything is just as it is [tada korekore], and everything is void as itis now [arugamama no aritsubure]. The fact that there is no distinction between self andothers simply continues without end - "The water flows of itself and the flowers arenaturally red.".

Ten Ox-herding PicturesStage 10ENTERING THE MARKETPLACEWITH ARMS HANGING LOOSE


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IntroductionHe closes the thatched gate to his hermitage so that even the thousand sagesdo not know of him.He buries the light of his own knowing and goes against the tracks left byformer sages.Carrying a gourd, he enters the marketplace; holding his staff, he returns home,Bestowing Buddhahood on barkeeps and fishmongers.VerseShoeless and bare-chested he enters the marketplace;He is daubed with earth and ashes, and a smile fills his face.Making no use of the secrets of gods and wizards,He causes withered trees to bloom.We have finally reached in our study the tenth of the Ten Ox-herding Pictures, "Enteringthe Marketplace with Arms Hanging Loose." A person is going into a market with handsswinging loosely by his side, that is, as casually as you can be. From the first stage,"Seeking the Ox," through the ninth stage, "Returning to the Source," by practicing

extremely hard, you have cleared the head of all concepts such as Buddhist Way,enlightenment, certificate of approval [inka shmei] and so on. They have all beencompletely swept clean. And, of course, it goes without saying, that any remnants of thedualistic concepts opposing self to other are completely gone. The depths of a person atthis stage cannot be fathomed or seen into by even Shakyamuni himself.

And the person who has reached this level does not show any outward signs of being insuch a high or deep or tranquil stage of being. Nor does he or she make any consciouseffort to keep the rules of conduct and teachings of the saints and wise people of old. Yousimply go where you want, do what you want, and live as you like. And yet you do notstray from the right path. You lead a life of total freedom, a life of natural simplicitywithout striving to do anything - and yet there arise no problems.


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As an example of that total freedom in all its naturalness in daily life, there is offered thepicture of a fellow swaggering to the market while chatting and swinging a canister ofsake at his hip and sharing it with others. By the time he heads for home he will becompletely drunk and tottering on his legs. But even so he naturally makes his influencefelt on the guests and owners of the bars and fish shops, and convinces all that they arecompletely saved as they are. Such a power of influencing people for the good is a virtue

naturally acquired in such a person. The substance of enlightenment has been totallypersonalized with no untoward effects remaining. In other words, the person hascompletely matured in buddha-hood.

Now let's savor Master Kakuan's final verse:

Shoeless and bare-chested he enters the marketplace.

With chest bared, he saunters along barefoot without shoes, and enters the marketplace.Without giving any thought to what others may be thinking of him, he opens himselfcompletely with no premeditation and acts and talks to them spontaneously. All picturesrepresenting the tenth of the Ten Ox-herding Pictures show a fellow named Hotei [ ?-917, Zen monk in old China]. He is said to have had a big belly. His gut is big and hischest bare. He has a big bag and a staff. And perhaps he has been walking barefooted.The attitude of the dear old Hotei, who is said to be a manifestation of BodhisattvaMaitreya, was presumably as that depicted by this verse. The purpose of your practice isthis, and insofar as there still remains even a little remnant of the smell ofenlightenment, you are still imperfect and immature and foolish, and it is necessary toadd even more practice and discipline.

He is daubed with earth and ashes, and a smile fills his face.

Only after you become such a personality, for the first time you suffer with a sufferingperson [kait-domen: ash-covered head and earth soiled face] and ever so naturally apower to save that person emerges. This is not by any conscious effort of will to do so,but it appears as something you must do as a manifestation of the spirit of compassion.This is what is meant by the term "compassion arising out of the body even withoutDharma-bonds" [muen-dtai no jihi]. As Shakyamuni is reputed to have said: "All landsare my land; and all the living beings in those lands are my children." When you achievethis state you help people realize their own Buddha-hood daily and naturally in everyplace and at every time. Because such a person is at all times peaceful and calm atheart, there is always a smile playing on his or her face even when not laughing, and thelips are always smiling. This is the meaning of the phrase, tenka-taihei (all is peacefulunder the sun).

Making no use of the secrets of gods and wizards.

To reach such a state and live in such a way there is no need to have supernaturalpowers of a holy hermit. That is the meaning of the third line of the verse. In days of oldmany of those who did Zazen practice earnestly were able to achieve such mental powerof concentration that they could have many kinds of supernatural powers. Shakyamunihimself in his Dharma-combats with his non-Buddhist opponents made use of suchpowers. But these are, in the final analysis, byproducts of zazen, and not the purpose ofthe practice of the Buddhist Way. And even should you achieve them it is certainly not athing of great importance.

Accordingly in the Ten Ox-herding Pictures, far from emphasizing such powers, it isproclaimed quite clearly here that they are not necessary at all.

He causes withered trees to bloom.


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The achievement of this state is that you can help even those who, like a withered tree,have lost all mental zest come to "blossom" again with a new breath of life. The vowexpressed in the words: "Living beings are numberless, I vow to save them" is truly theprayer of all buddhas and bodhisattvas and is none other than the font of the practice ofthe Buddhist Way. And the fact that this capacity is already perfect in all men and womenand all have it, is what Shakyamuni preached, lived, and passed on.

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Ten Ox-Herding Pictures