The Tenth Picture | Ox Herding at Morgan's Bay

In the tenth picture, the enlightened person is returning to save sentient beings. One hand is outstretched to all sentient beings, and in the other hand is a bag with all sorts of things, which he distributes according to need.

At any time and any place, the enlightened person is prepared to help other sentient beings to attain enlightenment. There’s no definite form that the person takes. The person may be a Ch’an master, or a lay person, or even someone who is looked down upon by others.

The tenth picture shows that the person can manifest in any form, take on any personality or walk of life, and help sentient beings. But no matter how the person manifests, he always follows the conventions of that form. If he takes the form of a monk, he portrays a monk maintaining the precepts. If he manifests as a lay person, then he follows the conventions of that form.

This person is somewhat different from the normal Ch’an or Zen master, who is only able to help certain individuals. When an enlightened being of the tenth stage takes a particular form to help sentient beings, he’ll be limited, according to the form he has taken, as to which sentient beings he can help. But he can reappear later, or in another life, in a different form, to help other sentient beings.

In Taiwan there was a woman who claimed that she was saved, so to speak, by her daughter. Being saved can mean being enlightened, but in this case it meant that the woman was introduced to Buddhism and the practice. I asked how old the daughter was, and she said, “Eight years old.”

I thought, “This must be a very special daughter, ” and so I went to see her. She seemed to be a normal little girl.

I asked the woman, “Why do you think your daughter saved you?”

The woman replied, “Since my daughter was born, various things that have happened to her have steered me to Buddhism. Therefore, I say my daughter is a bodhisattva who has saved me.”

What do you think? Is the daughter a bodhisattva? As far as the mother is concerned, she is. Perhaps, though, she is an enlightened being at the tenth stage who has taken the form of the daughter in this life.

Have you come in contact with any bodhisattvas or Ch’an masters like this? If not, how come you’re here studying Ch’an? We should look upon anybody who helps us in the practice or who leads us to the path as being a tenth stage enlightened person.

A disciple asked Master Nan-ch’uan (the one who cut the cat in half), “Where are you going after you die?”

He said, “I’m going to the foot of the hill to be reborn as a cow.”

The disciple looked puzzled and said, “If you’re going to become a cow, then what am I going to become?”

The master said, “You can become a cow too, but if you do, it will be for the sake of eating grass.”

Nothing was said after that. It’s up to you to figure out what Master Nan-ch’uan meant.

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