Ox Transcended
Whip, rope, self, ox - no traces left.
Thoughts cannot penetrate the vast blue sky,
Snowflakes cannot survive a red-hot stove.
Arriving here, meet the ancient teachers.
K’uo-an (trans. Stanley Lombardo)
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Taming the Ox
Don’t lose the whip, hold onto the rope
Or he’ll buck away into the dirt.
Herded well, in perfect harmony
He’ll follow along without any constraint.
K’uo-an (trans. Stanley Lombardo)
[image source]
Finding the Tracks
Along the river, under trees - jumbled tracks! Thick fragrant woods, is this the way? Though the ox wanders far in the hills, His nose touches the sky. He cannot hide.
K’uo-an (trans. Stanley Lombardo)
[image source]
Looking for the Ox
Searching through tall endless grass,Rivers, mountain ranges, the path trails off.Weary, exhausted, no place left to hunt:Maples rustle, evening, the cicada’s song.
K’uo-an (trans. Stanley Lombardo)
[image source]
Catching the Ox
Last desperate effort, got him!
Hard to control, powerful and wild,
The ox sprints up a hill and at the top.
Disappears into the misty clouds.
K’uo-an (trans. Stanley Lombardo)
[image source]