P'u Ming's Oxherding Pictures and Verses, 2nd Edition Paperback – February 24, 2015

A young man appears, chasing a wild ox. It takes time and effort, but eventually he begins to tame it, and then both he and the ox arrive at ever-deeper states of harmony. The “oxherding” sequence, whether depicted in words or pictures, is a time-honored tool in Zen practice for visualizing the practitioner’s journey from delusion to enlightenment. Red Pine brings us a version of this sequence in "P’u Ming’s Oxherding Pictures & Verses," one of his earliest translations. (The exact identity of the titular P’u Ming is unknown, though the text dates to the beginning of the 17th century.)This edition of the Pictures is an attractive hand bound book; each pair of pages presents one picture (printed large enough to appreciate the details) along with the Chinese text and English translation of one of the verses. Red Pine provides a brief introduction which reviews the history of “oxherding pictures” in the Zen tradition and cites some other examples. However, this book almost entirely lacks further remarks about the text itself; those who are used to the rich, extensive commentaries of Red Pine’s later work will not find them here.The oxherding pictures give a simple, concrete form to a philosophy that can sometimes seem abstract or esoteric. The extreme brevity and relative paucity of content means that if you just want to glance over the pictures and read the text once through, this book is almost certainly not worth the price. If, though, you want a lovingly crafted edition that can accompany you through study and repeated readings, this may be just the thing.~

My heart always lifts seeing any version of the ox cart drawings. This is a beautifully made little book and Red PIne's explanation is thorough, scholarly but as always his work is infused with a very restrained Great Love... I mean, he keeps his personal influence very in check but his love for the teachings and traditions very much helps illuminate what he has found and worked hard to share.

A lovely recreation of a traditional Chinese book, reading this translation of the Buddhist classic offers an enjoyable experience. Still, I can't help but wonder if I'm missing the point if I'm enjoying the object...

This book would make a beautiful gift. Unfortunately my copy arrived with some glue sticking to the last 2 pages so both pages are scuffed up and torn. Oh well. I love it.

These pictures and poems represent analogously the Zen tradition painted and played out ironically by a young Ox herdsman searching for an ox while riding an ox.

Anything by Red Pine is exceptional; I like his work because of the effort he has put into it, and for such a reasonable price.

Very nice presentation of this version of the oxherding pictures.

Zhige hen hao!This is very good!Nice production of a classic Chinese story in a classic Chinese manner.

This very short, but so original book, lays our a path that so many people experience. Gently translated by Red Pine, the book's message spans the centuries. A must read for every thinking person.