The tenth Zen Ox-herding picture or the tenth stage on the road to enlightenment in Zen Buddhism is called “Entering the Marketplace with Helping Hands.” Hixon writes: “Carrying a gourd, he strolls into the market. He leads innkeepers and fishmongers in the Way of the Buddha. Bare-chested, barefooted, he comes into the marketplace. Muddied and […]
Seeing through the Trading Matrix: Return to the Source (Zen Ox-Herding Picture 9)
The ninth Zen Ox-herding picture or the ninth stage on the road to enlightenment in Zen Buddhism is called “Return to the Source.” Hixon writes: “This waxing and waning of life is no phantom or illusion but a manifestation of the Source. Why, then, is there a need to strive for anything? The waters are […]
Seeing through the Trading Matrix: Both Ox and Self Forgotten (Zen Ox-Herding Picture 8)
The eighth Zen Ox-herding picture or the eighth stage on the road to enlightenment in Zen Buddhism is called “Both Ox and Self Forgotten.” Hixon writes: “The final illusory barrier has evaporated: All delusive feelings have perished, and ideas of holiness, too, have vanished” (Coming Home: The Experience of Enlightenment in Sacred Traditions by Lex […]
Seeing through the Trading Matrix: Ox Forgotten, Self Alone (Zen Ox-Herding Picture 7)
The seventh Zen Ox-herding picture or the seventh stage on the road to enlightenment in Zen Buddhism is called “Ox Forgotten, Self Alone.” Note that the phrase “Self Alone” refers to the seeker as self or himself (herself) and not to the seeker’s deeper Self. Hixon writes: “There is no twoness. The Ox is his […]
Seeing through the Trading Matrix: Riding the Ox Home (Zen Ox-Herding Picture 6)
The sixth Zen Ox-herding picture or the sixth stage on the road to enlightenment in Zen Buddhism is called “Riding the Ox Home.” Hixon writes: “The Struggle is over. Gain and loss no longer affect him. He hums the rustic tune of the woodsman and plays the simple songs of the village children. Astride the […]
Seeing through the Trading Matrix: Taming the Ox (Zen Ox-Herding Picture 5)
The fifth Zen Ox-herding picture or the fifth stage on the road to enlightenment in Zen Buddhism is called “Taming the Ox.” Hixon writes: “With the rising of one thought, another and another are born. Enlightenment brings the realization that such thoughts are not unreal, since even they arise from our True Nature” (Coming Home: […]
Seeing through the Trading Matrix: Catching the Ox (Zen Ox-Herding Picture 4)
The fourth Zen Ox-herding picture or the fourth stage on the road to enlightenment in Zen Buddhism is called “Catching the Ox.” Hixon writes: “Today he encountered the Ox, which has long been cavorting in the wild fields, and actually grasped it. For so long a time it has reveled in these surroundings that the […]
Seeing through the Trading Matrix: First Glimpse of the Ox (Zen Ox-Herding Picture 3)
The third Zen Ox-herding picture or the third stage on the road to enlightenment in Zen Buddhism is called “First Glimpse of the Ox.” Hixon writes: “In every activity, the Source is manifestly present. When the inner vision is properly focused, one comes to realize that which is seen as identical with the true Source” […]
Seeing through the Trading Matrix: Finding the Tracks (Zen Ox-Herding Picture 2)
The second Zen Ox-herding picture or the second stage on the road to enlightenment in Zen Buddhism is called “Finding the Tracks.” Hixon writes: “Through the Sutras and teachings he discerns the tracks of the Ox. He has been informed that, just as differently shaped golden vessels are all basically the same gold, so each […]
Seeing through the Trading Matrix: A Dream within a Dream (Part 2)
In The Matrix, shortly after Neo ingests the red pill, Morpheus says, “Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?” This is the problem with […]