O​d​e​s​ ​o​n​ ​O​x​-​H​e​r​d​i​n​g​ ​P​i​c​t​u​r​e​s

The Odes on Ox-Herding Pictures belongs to the classic Chan genre that explains stages of practice through images and gāthās. The “ox” often symbolizes the scattered and difficult-to-tame mind-consciousness, while stages such as seeking the ox, seeing the tracks, obtaining the ox, herding the ox, and forgetting the ox express the mental path from delusion to awakening and from disciplined practice to freedom. Puming’s ox-herding pictures circulated alongside Kuoan’s Ten Ox-Herding Pictures, emphasizing Chan states such as subduing, spontaneous functioning, mutual forgetting, and solitary illumination. This item is attributed to Śramaṇa Puming, includes responsive verses from various quarters, and was printed in the forty-ninth year of the Qianlong reign, possessing value for the study of Chan thought, woodblock imagery, and Qing Buddhist printed editions.