Ten Bulls, a zen story about an oxherder who has lost his ox, here illustrated by Tokuriki Tomikichiro (1902-1999).
1. The oxherder wanders amongst the grass as his path becomes longer and the mountains more distant. He is exhausted and dispirited.
2. Nevertheless, by the water and under the trees there are traces of the ox. He asks the long, fragrant grasses, 'Did you see the ox?' He wonders how the upturned ox horns could possibly be concealed.
3. A bird sings from a branch while the sun is warm; there are soft breezes. Beyond the green willows on the bank there are the unmistakable ox horns.
4. He catches the ox, but it is strong and cannot be tamed easily. Sometimes it charges off up to the high plateau, deep in the mist, and refuses to leave.
5. The oxherder doesn't let go of the whip or the rope. The ox becomes gentle. Even without the rope it would now follow the boy.
6. The boy rides the ox, playing flute melodies that echo through the sunset clouds. Each beat and each tune is indescribably profound; no words are needed for those who understand music.
7. The oxherder has ridden the ox home. There is now no ox, and he is at his ease. The sun is high and he is still dreamy. The whip and the rope are abandoned in his thatched hut.
8. Whip, rope, boy, and ox- all are non-existent. The blue sky is vast; no message can be heard, just as the snowflake cannot last in the flaming red furnace. In this state, one can join the ancient teachers.
9. 'In returning to the fundamentals, going back to the source, I had to work so hard. Perhaps it would be better to be blind and deaf. Being in the hut, I do not see what is outside- the river flowing tranquilly, the flower simply being red.'
10. He enters the city barefoot, with chest exposed. Covered in dust and ashes, he smiles broadly. He tells the people: 'No need for the magic powers of the gods and immortals; just let the dead tree bloom again.'
