Zen Oxherding Pictures

A Zen map.

  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)

There's also a Wikipedia page on this subject.

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