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Ten Bulls

Ten Bulls or Ten Ox Herding Pictures is a series of short poems and wood prints which first appeared in its present form in the 12th century. Originally drawn by Kakuan, the pictures of the ten bulls represent stages of enlightenment referred to in Buddhist Sutras, and are accompanied by comments in prose and verse.

They depict the search for enlightenment and subsequent perfection of wisdom of the Zen student and are attributed originally to an unknown Taoist scholar. Ten Bulls became widely known in the West after it was included in Paul Reps collection Zen flesh, Zen bones.

The pictures, poems and short pieces of prose tell how the student ventures into the wilderness in his search for Enlightenment (the Bull), and how his efforts prove fruitless at first. Undeterred, he keeps searching and eventually finds footprints on a riverbank. When he sees the bull for the first time he is amazed by the splendour of its features ('empty and marvellous' is a well known phrase used to describe the perception of Buddha nature). However, the student has not tamed the bull, and must work hard to bring it under control. Eventually he reaches the highest Enlightenment, returns to the world and 'everyone I look upon becomes enlightened'.