Ten Bulls

The calf, bull, or ox is one of the earliest similes for meditation practice. It comes from the Maha Gopalaka Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya 33). It is also used in the commentaries, especially the one on the Maha Satipatthana Sutta (Digha Nikaya 22) and the Satipatthana Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya 10). In Indian Buddhism, the simile of the bull is compatible to the ancient traditional Chinese view within cosmology that includes the zodiacal Ox (niú 牛) as a birth year and quality, as a result this similarity helped with the early assimilation of Buddhism into Chinese culture and then on to the rest of East Asia.^{[1][web 2]}Buddhaghosa, in his commentary on the Satipatthana Suttas, gives a simile of the taming of a wild calf. The calf is the wild mind which is to be tamed.^{[web 2]} The same idea was developed by the Chan/Zen tradition.^{[web 2]}

The well-known ten ox-herding pictures emerged in China in the 12th century. D.T. Suzuki mentions four Chinese versions of the Ten Bulls, by Ching-chu (Jp. Seikyo, c. 11th century), Tzu-te Hui (Jp. Jitoku, c. 1090-1159), an unknown author, and Kuoan Shiyuan (Jp. Kaku-an) (c. 12th century).^{[web 3][web 4]}

The first series was probably made by Ching-chu in the 11th century, who may have been a contemporary of Kuòān Shīyuǎn.^{[web 4]} There are only five pictures in Ching-chu's version and the ox's colour changes from dark to white, representing the gradual development of the practitioner, ending in the disappearance of the practitioner.^{[web 3]}

Tzu-te Hui (自得慧暉, Zide Huihui; Jp. Jitoku ki) (1090-1159) made a version with six pictures. The sixth one goes beyond the stage of absolute emptiness, where Ching-chu's version ends.^{[web 4]} Just like Ching-chu's version, the ox grows whiter along the way.^{[web 3][note 1]}

A third version by an unknown author, with ten pictures, was the most popular in China. It derives from the Ching-chu and Tzu-te Hui series of pictures, and has a somewhat different series of pictures compared to Shiyuan's version.^{[web 3][web 5]} The 1585 edition contains a preface by Chu-hung, and it has ten pictures, each of which is preceded by Pu-ming's poem, of whom Chu-hung provides no further information. In this version, the ox's colour changes from dark to white.^{[web 3][note 1]}

The most famous version of the oxherding pictures was drawn by the 12th century Chinese RinzaiChan/Zen master Kuoan Shiyuan (廓庵師遠, Kuòān Shīyuǎn; Jp. Kaku-an Shi-en), who also wrote accompanying poems and introductory words attached to the pictures. In Shiyuan's version, there is no whitening process, and his series also doesn't end with mere emptiness, or absolute truth, but shows a return to the world, depicting Budai ("Laughing Buddha"), who is the bodhisattva Maitreya.

Liaoan Qingyu (了菴清欲, Jp. Ryōan Seiyoku) (1288-1363) made another version with five pictures.^{[web 6]}

In Japan, Kuoan Shiyuan's version gained a wide circulation, and many variations of these illustrations were made, the earliest one probably belonging to the fifteenth century.^{[web 3]} The following illustrations include the verses by Kuòān Shīyuǎn translated by Nyogen Senzaki (千崎如幻) (1876–1958) and Paul Reps (1895-1990).^{[web 4]} The paintings below are traditionally attributed to the Japanese monk painter Tenshō Shūbun (天章周文) (1414-1463).^{[web 7]}

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  1. In Search of the BullIn the pasture of the world,I endlessly push aside the tallgrasses in search of the Ox.Following unnamed rivers,lost upon the interpenetratingpaths of distant mountains,My strength failing and my vitality exhausted, I cannot find the Ox.
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  2. Discovery of the FootprintsAlong the riverbank under the trees,I discover footprints.Even under the fragrant grass,I see his prints.Deep in remote mountains they are found.These traces can no more be hiddenthan one's nose, looking heavenward.^{[web 8]}
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  3. Perceiving the BullI hear the song of the nightingale.The sun is warm, the wind is mild,willows are green along the shore -Here no Ox can hide!What artist can draw that massive head,those majestic horns?^{[web 8]}
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  4. Catching the BullI seize him with a terrific struggle.His great will and powerare inexhaustible.He charges to the high plateaufar above the cloud-mists,Or in an impenetrable ravine he stands.^{[web 8]}
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  5. Taming the BullThe whip and rope are necessary,Else he might stray off downsome dusty road.Being well-trained, he becomesnaturally gentle.Then, unfettered, he obeys his master.^{[web 8]}
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  6. Riding the Bull HomeMounting the Ox, slowlyI return homeward.The voice of my flute intonesthrough the evening.Measuring with hand-beatsthe pulsating harmony,I direct the endless rhythm.Whoever hears this melodywill join me.^{[web 8]}
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  7. The Bull TranscendedAstride the Ox, I reach home.I am serene. The Ox too can rest.The dawn has come. In blissful repose,Within my thatched dwellingI have abandoned the whip and ropes.^{[web 8]}
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  8. Tanto el Toro como el Ser trascendieron el látigo, la cuerda, la persona y el Buey; todos se funden en la Nada. Este cielo es tan vasto que ningún mensaje puede mancharlo. ¿Cómo puede existir un copo de nieve en un fuego furioso? Aquí están las huellas de los Ancestros. ^{[ web 8 ]}
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  9. Alcanzando la Fuente Se han dado demasiados pasos para volver a la raíz y al origen. ¡Mejor hubiera sido ciego y sordo desde el principio! Habitar en la propia morada, sin preocuparse por lo ajeno ni lo superfluo: el río fluye tranquilamente y las flores son rojas. ^{[ web 8 ]}
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  10. Regreso a la sociedad Descalza y con el pecho descubierto, me mezclo con la gente del mundo. Mi ropa está andrajosa y cubierta de polvo, y soy siempre dichosa. No uso magia para prolongar mi vida; ahora, ante mí, los árboles muertos cobran vida. ^{[ web 8 ]}