by Joseph Hall/Pop Up Zendo
The Ten Bulls, or more formally, The Ox Herding Pictures represent a map of the spiritual journey.  This journey takes place in the world we live in and infuses everything, so rather than geographic locations, the coordinates given are in terms of the people and experiences we will encounter on our path. The story is a simple metaphor of a young person going into the wilderness to find an ox to tame, to train, and most of all, to awaken the oxherder. What struck me the first time I saw these drawings is that while the first eight steps of the path are focused on the type of self inquiry practiced by monastics, there are two additional destinations, returning home and entering society as a fully adult human being.  While these drawings depict a linear story, our own path is a winding path through space and time.  We may begin by walking our primary selves through a physical quest and then, as we become more vulnerable, we recognize we are made of many smaller selves and so the arc of the journey continues has we hone our practice with daily reflection.