The ‘Ten Bulls’ or ‘Ox Herder’ present a compelling metaphor for the spiritual journey towards enlightenment, best understood through connotation rather than explicit denotation. Joseph Campbell's assertion that religions and mythologies must evolve to stay relevant resonates deeply with this concept. Applying this to the ten Ox Herding pictures suggests a necessary shift in approach, especially considering the constant influx of information, often violent and dramatic, that young people face via modern media.

From my perspective, each individual interpretation of the Ox Herder captures a distinct aspect of the multifaceted epistemology that mirrors the personal beliefs of the reader. The perspective one adopts is paramount. As renowned mythologist Joseph Campbell aptly stated: "India says, ‘All is illusion, release yourself,' while China asserts, ‘All is inbalance, watch for revelation.' Clothed with their eyes closed, the Indian ascends consciousness toward samadhi (enlightenment); Japanese adherents of Zen, opening their eyes as with each breath a truth unfolds to the momentary awareness of satori (zen). ‘Moksa’ (release) has become a binding thread between these vastly diverse experiences of freedom.”

The Zen scholar and environmentalist Professor David Loy's critique of popular Zen Buddhism resonates with many inquiries of one his favourite Zen paradigm stories. This well-known tale juxtaposes the ostensibly seamless, routine endeavours of awakened spiritual practitioners - as contrasted with the agitated and unconscious existence common to most of humankind - and inquires after the daily spiritual acts that make all the difference between a mere mortal and a fully actualized sage. A student yearns to know: "What is the constant activity of all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas?" to which his query is politely answered by the venerable Master: "merely responding appropriately." Herein lays how our lives as sentient, inter-connected creatures should resemble - simple and contemplative. However, as Loy reminds us, we must carefully challenge this idyllic scenario of monkish serenity as perhaps quaintly detached from all that is real. Contemporary challenges pose real difficulties for putting these wisdom guidelines into practice: "Is this enough", as we grapple with a tumult of environmental degradation that our particular human species might prove incapable of surviving. In the present existential urgency of coping with threats posed by climate change and other serious ecological imperilment - how do we respond appropriately? Now this presents some challenges one might imagine.

According to Dr David Loy, it is unequivocal that our collective fixation on endless expansion - constantly spiraling production and consumption - will, without a doubt, entwine with the earth’s ecological limitations. Loy thus underlines contemplative pursuits as insufficient in the face of this existential threat: inner growth must be tempered with actionable engagement by our global community.

Personally, I believe western societies exemplify advanced capitalism's insidious influence, where an overarching narrative of perceived entitlement pervades cultural frameworks. Consequent manifestations include our current 'age of entitlement,' precipitating widespread societal issues akin to a 'narcissistic epidemic.' Considering this tenor of our current epoch,encountering non-duality through meditation in the west can be both puzzling and challenging, particularly across varied expressions of eastern spiritual disciplines such as Zen Buddhism.

Developing toward spiritual illumination is a maturative process that requires, in my opinion, understanding nuances across varied perspectives before settling on the one that best aligns with your desired outcome. This can be your ultimate goal, creation, or life’s purpose, questioning the essence of existence – why are you here? I contend that understanding the interim stage marked as enlightenment is pivotal in spiritual progress.

Enlightenment could be seen metaphorically as a turning point. It signifies transcendence but remains ensconced within the realm of 'duality': the presence of an experienced perceiving sentient entity with newfound consciousness. Thus, continuous inner work is imperative to distill even enlightenment down to its essence: pure intransitive awareness, divorcing both the experience and the experiencing entity from contingent identification.

The essence of enlightenment rests in acknowledging it for what it is: a milestone towards ultimate realization, still tamped within duality. We concur comprehensively with Roshi Mel Weitsman’s postulation, “I don’t care how enlightened my students are. It’s fine to be enlightened, but it’s still only enlightenment. The goal truly lies past enlightenment - one must look candidiously upon how one behaves and engages with existence."

Herman Hesse asserts eloquently, "Spiritual growth... consists in opening up to existence - becoming what you are." To embrace the truth of no-mind, one must first relinquish attachment to mental constructs.

Shunryu Suzuki, in 'Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind', distills the wisdom: “To practice Zazen is to express the true nature in-actual-ness from within our minds, rather than attaining any formal definition or final state of realization marked enlightenment.”

“There is no established direction for us; moment by moment, we must chart our own course. An idea of perfection or the flawless path conceived by someone else is not our true path. Each of us must forge our own genuine path; when we do, we’ll embody the universal truth. This is the enigma.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shunryū_Suzuki

For some, the spiritual odyssey commences when they awaken to a disheartening reality, sensing dissatisfaction, numbness and apathy, but choosing, once and for all, to reclaim their life and no longer wait stagnantly. Perhaps this transformation brings an end to enabling dynamics which stifle personal growth, or distances one from lethargic communities which evade responsibility. They may even decide to cease supporting acts that precipitate harm elsewhere.

As Keiji Nishitani elaborates in his book, “Religion and Nothingness”:

“Religion rises to awareness only as an indispensable need, a fundamental aspect of existence beyond utility and necessity - a profound yearning that stirs to life in the depths of human inquiry. When our very existence becomes uncertain, shrouded in doubt, and we meet ourselves in the silence: ‘Who am I, truly? What am I called to do?’ it is here we find ourselves in quest of something sacred.”

Such questioning may arise from any event threatening our fundamental sense of self – a loss, a failure, or an illness. This disruption strips away the pillars of life, calling to mind Japanese philosopher Keiji Nishitani’s haunting words: “In the face of this abyss, not one of all the things that had made up the stuff of life until then is of any use” (Ibid, 3). The German philosopher Friedrich Hegel defined religion as the transcendent Spirit becoming self-aware via the finite spirit, further emphasizing the deep link between spirituality and personal awareness (Wikipedia).

To shift out of the emotional numbness accompanying trauma can be accomplished with intentional effort. Anyone seeking to transcend psychological numbness, to emerge from disassociated states of being, can harness the extraordinary assistance available to reintegrate rejected dimensions of the self. It requires determination, embracing one layer of emotion at a time until one has reclaimed all that was lost.

With spiritual awakening becoming manifest - and for some,even realizing the emptiness of all existence - it is crucial to attend to the welfare of all sentient beings. This recognition cannot be pigeonholed; spiritual development involves compassionate outreach. The recognition one might label a “perceptual shift” is but an initial glimpse; enduring wakefulness comes only when accompanied by a resolve to practice unceasing compassion toward all other identities.

Not yet awakened but intent on becoming a beacon of enlightenment, it is easy to mistake one’s personal epiphany for fulfillment. The greatest teacher was but a flickering spark before recognizing that reality truly had no fixed identity apart from his chosen response to external circumstances. In the wisdom of C.S. Lewis’ Narnian chronicle, the protagonist belatedly understands, “There never was any world but mine!”

Extending kindness is a central tenet embracing inter-faith practices from Jainism to Hinduism, evident as well in Zen Buddhism - and these core beliefs converge on the importance of Ahimsa, a selfless aversion to harming another creature; indeed, complicity in their suffering necessarily exacts its own toll on the sufferer. Self-realization, free from the constraints of temporal being, mirrors reality - the absence of a fixed identity.

Where countless aspirants have achieved some measure of transcendence - enlightenment - awakening differs in its unequivocal liberation from the web of the past, leaving nothing but refined perception of non-differentiation with the ultimate Reality. To behold this abyss only to draw away - remains still locked in the constraints of the limited self, regardless of how radiantly they flash before us. Yet rare indeed are those who enter a realm of true liberation - True self-realization - where every vestige of personal prejudice, every fixed identification melts away before us.

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