A Zen Practice for Enlightenment

Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Society in America, 2017.

(1 hour, 22 minutes)

The Ten Ox Herding Pictures are a series of images with accompanying poems, and are among the most beloved pictures in Zen Buddhism. They have been the source of endless commentary and inspiration in Zen since at least the 12th century. These ox herding pictures are emblematic of the spiritual path to enlightenment. Each image represents a phase of the practice, beginning with a seeker looking for the mind, represented by the ox, and trying to realize an enlightened mind. He then searches for the ox, finds it, and struggles with it. He traps it, tames it, and rides away serenely on it, until there is complete emptiness.

Recorded in Wheaton, Illinois on September 21, 2017.

A presentation of The Theosophical Society in America.