"Stages of the Spiritual Path: 10 Ox-Herding Pictures" Dharma Talk by Rev. Diane Myogetsu Bejcek

In this talk given on October 18, 2026 at the Zen Life and Meditation Center ( ZLMC) Rev. Diane Myogetsu Bejcek discusssed the Ten Ox-Herding pictures. In this inspiring and insightful Dharma talk Myogetsu explores the "10 Ox-Herding Pictures," as a profound 12th-century Zen Buddhist teaching on the stages of the spiritual path. Originally developed by Rinzai priest Kakuan Shian, these ten pictures and verses serve as an accessible, visual guide to awakening. She explains how we can bring this timeless wisdom into our modern lives, illustrating that true spiritual practice isn't an escape from the world, but rather found in the ordinary activities of our everyday lives. Watch this video and read the Ox-Herding story to discover how to navigate confusion, overcome deep conditioning, and cultivate a boundless mind to return to the world with genuine compassion and ease. It is helpful to understanding to know that the Ox represents our true nature or mind, while the herder represents the practitioner. The 10 stages depict the progression from searching for truth externally, wrestling with mental resistance, recognizing emptiness, and finally realizing that the Ox—a separate self to be attained—was an illusion all along.