Ten Oxherding Poems 十牛圖頌

The Ten Oxherding Pictures/Poems originated in the Sung Dynasty, showing the stages of Zen cultivation from Seeking the Ox (starting on the spiritual path to find true self), attaining enlightenment, and ends in the bodhisattva practice. Both the Zen Center of Sunnyvale and Buddha Jewel Monastery have the poems (Chinese original and our English translation) and accompanying paintings, specially commissioned for each monastery, in the Zen Halls. (See the paintings here.)

Shifu will be posting a tweeter (shortened) version of these poems in the following days. Interesting challenge! Your suggestions welcome.

Zen Master Kuo An:
1. Searching for the Ox

Brushing aside thick grasses I pursue him,
In wide rivers, distant mountains, and paths without end.
Exhausted, unable to find him anywhere,
I only hear evening cicadas in the maple trees.

2. Discovering the Footprints

Scores of footprints in the forests and by the streams,
Do you see them scattered amid the fragrant grass?
Even deep in the remote mountains,
How can he conceal his enormous snout?

3. Sighting of the Ox

A golden oriole trills on the branch,
The sun is warm, the wind mild,
and the lakeside willow green.
Now there is nowhere for the ox to escape!
Yet what artist can paint his majestic head and horns?

4. Catching the Ox

With extraordinary effort I catch the ox,
Strong of body and spirit, he is not easily subdued.
At times, he scales the lofty plains,
Then hides deep within the cloud-like mist.

5. Taming the Ox

I must never let go of the whip and rein,
Lest he stride down the dusty trail.
Having been well trained, the ox is docile;
He freely follows the master without the leash.

6. Riding the Ox Home

Mounting the ox I meander home;
The sound of my flute rides with the evening clouds.
Each beat and tune holds meaning profound;
No need for words if you understand this song.

7. The Ox Transcended

Astride the ox I reach my native hill,
The ox has vanished, and I am free.
I dream until the sun is high;
The rein and whip lie idle in the barn.

8. Both Ox and Self Transcended

Whip, rein, person, and ox merge into emptiness,
No words can reach across this vast blue sky.
How can snow accrue on a burning stove?
Here finally, I walk with the Patriarchs.

9. Returning to the Source

Returning to one's root has taken much effort,
Better to have acted blind and deaf from the start!
Dwelling in my hut, I see nothing without,
Rivers flow, flowers are red.

10. Entering the World

Barefoot and bare-chested, I mingle with the world;
Though covered with dirt, I beam with joy.
Without the need for secret miraculous powers,
I make flowers bloom from withered wood.

(Translated by the Chung Tai Translation Committee)

The Chinese originals are here:

十牛圖頌   廓庵禪師

(一) 尋牛：

茫茫撥草去追尋，水闊山遙路更深，
力盡神疲無處覓，但聞楓樹晚蟬吟。

(二) 見跡：

水邊林下跡偏多，芳草離披見也麼？
縱是深山更深處，遼天鼻孔怎藏他？

(三) 見牛：

黃鸝枝上一聲聲，日暖風和岸柳青，
只此更無回避處，森森頭角畫難成。

(四) 得牛：

竭盡神通獲得渠，心強力壯卒難除，
有時纔到高原上，又入煙雲深處居。

(五) 牧牛：

鞭索時時不離身，恐伊縱步入埃塵，
相將牧得純和也，羈鎖無抑自逐人。

(六) 騎牛歸家：

騎牛迤邐欲還家，羌笛聲聲送晚霞，
一拍一歌無限意，知音何必鼓唇牙。

(七) 忘牛存人：

騎牛已得到家山，牛也空兮人也閑，
紅日三竿猶作夢，鞭繩空頓草堂間。

(八) 人牛俱忘：

鞭索人牛盡屬空，碧天寥闊信難通，
紅爐焰上爭容雪，到此方能合祖宗。

(九) 返本還源：

返本還源已費功，爭如直下似盲聾，
庵中不見庵前物，水自茫茫花自紅。

(十) 入廛垂手：

露胸跣足入廛來，抹土塗灰笑滿腮，
不用神仙真秘訣，直教枯木放花開。

惟覺老和尚「十牛圖頌」的開示在中台網站上。

Sixfold Buddhahood (六即佛)

六即佛

南宋‧普潤大師

理即佛：

動靜理全是，行藏事盡非，冥冥隨物去，杳杳不知歸
名字即佛：

方聽無生曲，始聞不死歌，今知當體是，翻恨自蹉跎
觀行即佛：

念念照常理，心心息幻塵，遍觀諸法性，無假亦無真
相似即佛：

四住雖先落，六塵未盡空，眼中猶有翳，空裡見花紅
分證即佛：

豁爾心開悟，湛然一切通，窮源猶未盡，尚見月朦朧
究竟即佛：

從來真是妄，今日妄皆真，但復本時性，更無一法新

The Sixfold Buddhahood

By Master Pu Run, South Song Dynasty

In Principle:
In stillness and in motion, the Great Principle embodies all
Yet in ignorance, all your moves go against It.
Blindly you pursue the worldly things,
Without knowing where you’ll end up.

In Name:
The tune of the unborn, the song of the deathless
Had just been heard.
Seeing the truth in everything as it is,
You cried, “How I had lived my life in vain!”

In Contemplation:
Thought by thought you’re mindful of the ever present Principle
Moment by moment each delusion ceases
Contemplate the entire Dharma realm, you find
The nature of all things is neither real nor unreal.

In Resemblance:
The four abidances are cleared,
Yet the six dusts are not emptied.
The disease is still in your eyes—
Seeing red flowers from emptiness!

In Progressive Realization:
Suddenly your mind is fully awakened;
In all clarity everything is understood.
Haven’t yet reached the ultimate source,
The moon still appears somewhat hazy.

Ultimate Buddhahood:
Before, all that appeared real were illusions
Now, all illusions are part of reality.
Simply return everything to its original nature;
There is nothing new whatsoever.

Poems from Chinese Buddhis Nuns

Here is a nice book: Daughters of Emptiness--Poems of Chinese Buddhist Nuns, by Beata Grant. It has brief biography from these (often little known) nuns, many having achieved enlightenment or some sort of prominence in their times. The book contains the original Chinese poems as well.

I selected some of the poems below. Suffering from occupational addiction, I had to re-translate some of them, mosly on the airplane between Seattle and San Jose.

Don’t you know that afflictions are wisdom itself
But to cling to afflictions is foolishness
You must recognize when afflictions arise and when they cease
Yet the hawk flies through Silla without anyone noticing
--Bhiksuni (Buddhist nun) Benming

不識煩惱是菩提
若隨煩惱是愚癡
起滅之時須要會
鷂過新羅人不知
--本明尼

The nun Benming lived in the 12th century. Not much was known about her, but her poems impressed several important Chan Masters.

I suddenly find myself upside down on level ground
Picking myself up, I find there is nothing to say!
Should someone ask me what this is all about
Smiling, I’d point to the gentle breeze and the bright moon.
--Bhiksuni Zhenru

平地偶然著顛
起來都無可說
若人更問如何
笑指清風明月
--真如尼

As a young girl, because of her talents, Zhenru was inducted into the inner palace as an attendant to an imperial concubine. The lady was a Buddhist, and gave permission when Zhenru expressed her desire to become a nun. Her poems are highly regarded by the great master Dahui Zonggao.

A Self-Description

I try to characterize myself, but I cannot
I try to make a self-portrait, but failed!
There is such a thing as original face
But how can I show it to anyone!
Alive, lively, unborn
The nostrils still hang over the upper lip.
--Bhiksuni DeYing

自贊
自贊贊不出
自畫畫不成
有箇本來相
如何呈似人
活潑潑 本無生
鼻孔依然搭上唇
--德英

Buddhist nun DeYing came from an elite family; she was also a descendant of an eminent scholar that edited the famous Chan genealogy book Jinde Chuan Deng Lu (Transmission of the Lamp). She became a Dharma heir and taught in many monasteries.

Is she a woman or a man, in reality?
When Guanyin manifests—which is the real person?
Peeling away the skin, down to the bare core prior to any function
I ask you: is this the body of a man or a woman?
--Bhiksuni One-Eyed Vajra

男女何須辨假真
觀音出現果何人
皮囊脫盡渾無用
試問男身是女身
--獨目金鋼

This nun lost eyesight in one eye from studying the Diamond Sutra too intently. She lived a simply lifestyle and gave away everything she owned. When she lectured monks, nuns, and laipeople came to listen, and she converted many to Buddhism.

The vast expanse of dust-world is essentially one-suchness
Whether vertical or horizontal, everything bears the seal of Vairochana
Although the entire wave is made of water, wave is not water;
Although all the water may turn into waves, water is not wave.
--Bhiksuni Zhitong

浩浩塵中體一如
縱極交互印毘盧
全波是水波非水 全水是波水自殊
--智通尼

On this frosty day, clouds and mist congeal,
On the mountain moon, the icy chill glows.
At night I receive a letter from my home,
At dawn I move on without anyone knowing.
--Bhiksuni Fahai

霜天雲霧結
山月冷涵輝
夜接故鄉信
曉行人不知
–法海尼

In the shade of two trees and the hanging green of the cliffs
A light from the ancient lamp shutteres the dark barriers
I too now realize that phenomena are like illusions
And happily grow old among the mist, the rivers, and the stones.
--Bhiksuni Miaozhan

雙樹陰陰落翠岩
一燈千古破幽關
也知諸法皆如幻
甘老煙霞水石間
–妙湛

Rocky Mountains, Colorado

Jianhu Shifu got to spend a few days in the Rocky Mountains in solitude. A wonderful experience.

萬物靜觀皆自得，大塊假我以文章

Calmly observe
And the myriad phenomena become self-evident.
Nature narrates itself
Perfectly.


山中無甲子，人間幾千年

Living in the mountains
there is no sense of time
meanwhile, in the mundane world
a thousand years have passed.

You can view a gallery of these pictures here.

Inneswoods, Columbus, Ohio

Jianhu Shifu gave some lectures in Columbus, Ohio from 4/13 ~ 4/15. At Columbus we visited a beautiful garden, Inneswoods, which was donated by the Innes sisters, and very well maintained by the City.

Forgetting both the mind and phenomena, still veiled in delusion;
Realizing the non-duality of form and emptiness, the dust remains.
The birds do not visit, spring has gone again,
Who is the person abiding in this hut?

-- Zen Master Xing Kung

心法雙忘猶隔妄 色空不二尚餘塵
百鳥不來春又過 不知誰是住庵人
--性空禪師

Cherry and Plum Blossoms in Seattle

(Updated with a new poem!)

Here are some pictures of the first cherry blossoms at University of Washington last week.
華盛頓大學的櫻花初開。






Also, some plum trees we'll be getting for Buddha Jewel.
佛寶寺將來要種的梅花樹。

Straw sandals treading cloud covered peaks
I sought spring everywhere.
Returning in vain, I stopped
To smell the plum blossom
On the treetops is spring in full glory.
--An enlightenment poem by a bhiksuni

終日尋春不見春 芒鞋踏破隴頭雲
歸來偶把梅花嗅 春在枝頭已十分


And a response from Bessie from East Bay with a beautiful translation of a Zen poem by Master poet-monk Cold Mountain:

Behold the flower amid the leaves
How long can her glory last?
Fearing to be picked today,
Who’ll sweep her away tomorrow?
Pity, loveliness so fragile,
Aging quickly with time.
This life is like the flower’s
Can beauty long endure?
--by Cold Mountain

君看葉裡花 能得幾時好
今日畏人攀 明朝待誰掃
可憐嬌豔情 年多轉成老
將世比於花 紅顏豈長保

--寒山詩

DharmoRock

As the Chinese say, "rare is precious", here in Seattle, one can get excited and all cheerful just by seeing sunshine. In California nobody gives a second thought about it. Perhaps it is the same with the Dharma? When it is too accessible, it's easy to forget how precious it is.

Here are a couple of pictures of the DharmoRock we got in front of Buddha Jewel. Doesn't it look like a natural Bodhidharma statue? And it arrived at the local rock center just as a month ago. Must be sent by Bodhisattva Sangharama, the Dharma Guardian of temples.

「物以稀為貴」，在西雅圖，單是見到陽光就能讓人心情開朗無比。而在加州，都不以為意。佛法也是如此嗎？太容易得到了就忘了法之珍貴。

這是佛寶寺前的「達磨石」，不正像渾然天成的達磨祖師嗎？正好在上個月前到達西雅圖的石材中心，肯定是護法伽藍送來的。




Neither give rise to aversion when seeing evil,
Nor be overzealous when seeing good;
Neither forsake wisdom to be ignorant,
Nor reject delusion to pursue enlightenment.
Realizing the Great Way exceeds all limits,
Entering the Buddha Mind is liberation.
Linger with neither the mundane nor the divine,
Transcending all, one is known as a "Patriarch."

亦不睹惡而生嫌，亦不觀善而勤措。
亦不捨智而近愚，亦不拋迷而就悟。
達大道兮過量，通佛心兮出度。
不與凡聖同躔，超然名之曰祖。

Sunset

Iron birds crisscrossing above the clouds
Busily carving out forgettable traces
The sun sets alone

雲端鐵鳥 來去匆匆
天際足跡 瞬間即逝
孤日當空 自升自沒

Snow at Dharma Jewel Monastery, Atlanta

Early March, big snow at Dharma Jewel Monastery, Atlanta, GA, Chung Tai's latest branch in the U.S.

中台山在美國最新的分院，法寶寺，今年三月初的大雪。

東庵每見西庵雪，
下澗長流上澗泉，
半夜白雲消散後，
一輪明月到床前。

--宋．靈澄禪師

From east chamber I see the snow on west chamber
The water downstream flows always from upstream
When the clouds are scattered away after midnight
The full, round moon arrives high above my bed.
--Ch'an Master Ling Cheng, Song Dynasty

Zen-7 Poems

Some of the poems Ven. Jianhu mentioned in the Zen-7 Retreat:

見盧山瀑布題詩

穿雲透石不辭勞，遠地方知出處高
溪澗豈能留得住，終歸大海作波濤

--香雲智閑 & 唐宣宗

On Seeing the Waterfall at Mt. Lu

Penetrating the clouds and the rocks, you are not detered by the hardships
Haveing gone this far, you must come from a high place.
How can the rivers and streams contain me?
My place in to roam free in the great ocean.

--Master Xianyun & Emperor Tang Xuan Zong

---

塵勞迥脫事非常，緊把繩頭做一場。

不是一番寒徹骨，爭得梅花撲鼻香。

--黃檗禪師

Chill to the Bone

To be completely free from the burden of defilements
Is no ordinary undertaking;
Grab the rope firmly with all your might!
Only through the bone-biting chill of winter,
Will the plum blossoms
Smack you with their delightful fragrance.

--Master Huang Bo

---

學道之人不識真，祇為從來認識神。

無始劫來生死本，癡人喚作本來人。

--長沙景岑禪師

The cultivators never recognized what is real,
Because they always think of consciousness as the soul,
Which is the root of samsara since beginningless time;
They mistake the dummy as the original.

--Master Chang Sha

---

但自無心於萬物，何妨萬物時圍繞

--龐蘊居士

If the mind does not cling to anything,
It doesn’t matter if you’re surrounded by everything.

--Layman Pang Yun