The Ten Ox Herding Pictures As Practice Instruction, 1-4

In this dharma talk, Sosan presents the first four stages of the 10 Oxford pictures. First appearing in 12th-century China, these pictures show a spiritual journey through the metaphor of finding, catching, and taming an ox. Sosan suggests that we use the pictures and accompanying verses by seeing each stage as a worthy place of practice. It may be tempting to set a goal of reaching stage 10, but instead we can invite ourselves to use the pictures to discover where we are on the path.

Note: You will hear birdsong in the background of this talk.

Transcript

The year. This stage usually when we have that example that a lot of people are in danger in this. So if we're if we're lucky we reach a point where we really see that our habitual ways aren't working to free us from suffering and that numbness isn't working anymore either and we start looking for as it's interesting to note too when you anyway if you look at the picture so basically searching for the ox is seeing that under the trees I discover also interesting I didn't know under the fragrant grass I mean usually you don't think of footprints under grass under the favorite fragrant grass deep in remote mountains these traces can no more be hidden than one's own there it's just everywhere and it one of the teachers I'm studying with for a hint of a possibility meditation we may be able to be present once in a while or maybe this is me I can't remember what I say is based on I don't think this is a direct quote from in meditation we may be able to be present once in a while with what is arising I sees him with the terrific struggles and we see our egoistic mind and to explore me so I'm okay if so this is his commentary on a couple of lines from the pointer to his talk that he gave on the pointer to case 43 of the Blue Cliff Record and one of the priests and teachers study groups that I meet with monthly studied this koan last week thank Kikan although he seems to only talk about that you create a certain gap the image of a tiger is a pretty so he says so you cannot make a psychological crack but you cannot always keep tension so you have to be relaxed not the relaxation you understand relaxation must be beyond our usual relaxation it is already a crack serious and have tension but on the other hand if you have tension it is also a crack through which the wind blows in whatever you say it is a crack and if you have a crack the tiger attacks you but you cannot escape from this because you want to get perfect spiritual peace and harmony and that's why you went in the Tigers cave to catch kind of occupation you follow or whatever lifestyle you have consciously or unconsciously human beings really want to get that perfect harmonious security in human that means that you are already this is the teachings of ancestors and Buddha's expressed in words and also practically ancestors and Buddha's guided people to enter nirvana which means perfect peace how do you get the tiger and then give me the recipe give me the recipe how do I get the tiger engage in a way that's beyond relaxation that's beyond my understanding of it why not get eaten by my neck he's also talking about because even the sages cannot judge penetrating its object and help even the buddhas and the sages can the sparing it means that your enemies attack you the tiger attacks you immediately to say don't relax that you should realize exhalation are very impact create a crack exhalation I create a crack so I shouldn't breathe so he says yeah it's but that's why inhalation and exhalation are very important for us in meditation through them you can know what's going on know who you are concentration on inhalation and exhalation and exhalation it's just that inhalation and exhalation must go in but that doesn't mean ignore inhalation and exhalation you should awaken to it but you shouldn't create any tension or excessive relaxation through inhalation or exhalation so that is a little bit difficult because it is something functioning and you must be there further traces of obstruction as you are through inhalation and exhalation but not only you the real reality you can manifest yourself and scientifically and mentally too anyway you should do zazen with your body but if you really concentrate on doing zazen with your effort this zazen this is zazen seen from your perspective simultaneously if you really jump into zazen with your physical and mental effort at that time zazen and you become one from the table you and you are not different from the wall anyway the wall and table cups and the zazen you do and you as a practitioner all are the same beings which exist simultaneously in space this is regardless of whether you are conscious of it or not this is the characteristics of space in space there are many beings existing simultaneously in peace and harmony so you really handle zazen as an object as well as your life you and zazen are exactly the same as other beings what do I mean zazen and you are exactly existent in space with other beings simultaneous with your very clear mind you can see it if you do zazen like this Buddha you are zazen or zazen as you is still a kind of intellectual understanding this intellectual understanding zazen as you you are zazen exactly as one must be something which is alive must be something which is alive in each person both must be really functioning in a person not in ideas or philosophical concepts but in the person who is alive from moment to moment that is our practice you have to do it so there and then when you practice at that time and then it means you manifest yourself in zazen simultaneously it means you manifest not in you first if we say so simultaneously it means you manifest not in you not in the zazen you do but in the universe if you do it exactly like this simultaneously you manifest yourself in zazen and in the universe so the whole universe responds to your practice so that's why you feel good anyway so sometimes when I taste it's like here it says without any further traces of obstruction be obstruction period and then he says between the zazen and you there is no obstruction no gap no crack at that time the whole being appears everywhere equally so I am gonna read this part because next part because I think it initiate doing something with you still a great chance you can manifest yourself not as a small self but in the big scale of the self called the universe you should do it by your effort by your karmic life but within the karmic life there is still a great chance to let the flower of life for in the universe not in you or I will you feel stable and dignified you feel really dignified because you should do first other than in terms of you believe that this zazen gives you spiritual security but anyway so whether you understand or not continue to do zazen in the so very naturally you can know the blooming flower in you in zazen and also yeah it's the ox but remember the ox is also a gem and so there's a there's a possibility of a transformative so like the energy around those harmful patterns even the really really harmful energy around it yeah it shows just one yeah so there's that too sort of engaging and I mean it's a pulling you know on each side so you're letting yourself be pulled and you're and but not giving up you know whatever the energy of your pattern like