Insights from Zen for Teaching about Spiritual Development and Cultural Diversity: Zen Oxherding Pictures Edward R. Canda, Ph.D. The University of Kansas School of Social Welfare c. 2016 Photos and illustrations by Ed Canda unless otherwise noted
Thanks to Sachiko Gomi, Ph.D., Western New Mexico University and Sherry Warren, Ph.D. student, University of Kansas Background of the Ox Herding Pictures: Zen Philosophy and Religion
Enlightenment:
Haetal (Korean): breaking free of the cocoon
Buddha in Touching Earth Pose, Namsan Mountain, Gyeongju, Korea ca. 8th century (2006) Types of Buddhism and Common Point
Major branches of Buddhism Theravada Mahayana Vajrayana Numerous schools within them The Four Noble Truths as basis of all types: Sakyamuni as the Medicine Buddha
Medicine Buddha, Bomun Temple, Korea By means of persistent spiritual practice, foster enlightenment
•dissolving the illusion of separate self- existence and permanence
Ox Herding Pictures are from scroll •stopping the paintings by Shubun, Shokokuji, mental habits Kyoto, Japan; Woodcut prints by of inappropriate desire, Tomikichiro Tokuriki, Japan; plus Paintings at Yongam Temple, aversion, and ignorance. Yongmiri, Paju City, Korea. The Ox Herding Pictures
Attributed to monk Shubun, 15th century; pictures are at Shokoku-ji temple, Kyoto Brief historical and cultural background of oxherding pictures Traditional illustrations of the path of Zen teaching and practice using a symbolic and allegorical depiction of the gradual process of attaining enlightenment They have been used for centuries by Zen teachers to illustrate the course of spiritual development in order to encourage practitioners to engage in persistent training They have been put to various uses in Buddhist monastic and lay contexts for spiritual training and in secular psychological contexts (especially in the West) to give insight into the spiritual quest. Brief historical and cultural background of oxherding pictures Two versions that continue to be used commonly into the modern period by Kuo’an Shiyuan of the Linji sect of Chan, 12th century China (Chinese; aka Kakuan Shion of the Rinzai Zen sect in Japan); transmitted to Japan about 1200. Most commonly used in Japan and the West. Each picture is surrounded by a circle. by Puming, 11th or early 12th century China Most commonly used/adapted in China and Korea. The ox sequentially changes color. 1. Searching for the Ox
Anxious awareness of having lost one’s true Self
Prints by Tomikichiro Tokuriki > 2. Seeing the Traces
Finding guidance for training Erratic progress 3. Finding the Ox First realizing one’s true nature Initial enlightenment (opening up, awake) 4. Catching the Ox
Vexations still distract But never letting go of earnest practice 5. Herding the Ox (Resting with the Ox)
Harmonizing with one’s true nature Intensified practice and insight (e.g. by using paradoxical teaching cases, koan) 6. Riding the Ox Home
Securely on way home to true self Effortless practice Clear unenmeshed awareness of world Samadhi (meditative concentration) and moral precepts are well established 7. Ox Forgotten, Person Alone
• Returned home • Attachment and aversion no longer afflict the mind • Nothing to do; everything as it is 8. No Person, No Ox Oneness with original Buddha-nature No self, no nature Nondual consciousness 9. Returning to the Source Manifest world is itself realm of enlightenment No attachment Everything can be a means to help others toward enlightenment Honors conventions but not constrained Everything is complete as it is 10. Re-entering the City (or Home) with Bliss Bestowing Hands
The homeless monk serves others Bodhisattva ideal: vow of compassion Examples of Social Work Education Applications Teaching about Religion Specific Worldview and Practices Buddhism as a world religion with impact on clients Common beliefs and practices . Reflect on the assumptions embedded in the oxherding pictures . Assign reading on Buddhism and social work (see materials in Canda & Furman, Spiritual Diversity in Social Work Practice, 2010, Oxford Univ. Press) Social Work Education Applications
Teaching about Religion Specific Worldview and Practices Buddhism as a world religion with impact on clients Relevance to . East Asian immigrants and refugees . primarily Euro-American meditation centers . Asian cultural contexts for social work . Buddhist originated social work practices . Teaching about Religion Specific Worldview and Practices Buddhism as a Human Service System Traditionally, village life connected with temples in many countries Temples provide(d) supports e.g. sheltering orphans and solitary elders; distributing grain; providing rituals at times of life transition or crisis (e.g. death and after- death); teaching meditation and rituals as means to ‘merit,’ ‘blessings,’ and enlightenment. Young Lao-American man entering temporary monkhood at In some countries/times, Buddhism aligned Midwestern temple, 1988 with government social welfare provision . Teaching about Religion Specific Worldview and Practices Buddhism as a Human Service System
Buddhist immigrants and refugees in US re- established temples as mutual support systems ‘American style’ Buddhism also provides training in meditation and socially engaged service usually without emphasis on traditional cultural Tibetan monk with procession to river near context Kansas City Museum of Art, 1997 >>> Connect to Transpersonal Human Development Theory Wilber’s Pre/Trans Egoic Distinctions
Pre-egoic stage: infancy and early childhood sense of fusion with significant others and fantasy.
Egoic stage: adolescence and adulthood sense of bounded body/ego and individuated self; moves into holistic and integral perspective.
Trans-egoic stage: includes and transcends earlier phases in expanded consciousness and identity, ultimately to nonduality. Developmental Dynamics Steps of increasing levels of consciousness inclusiveness and complexity (epigenetic levels). Structure of identity, awareness, and function at each stage. Wave like flowing overlapping stages. Progress, regress, fluctuation. Lines or streams of aspects of development (e.g. cognition, morality, sociality). Genetic and environmental and choice influences. Temporary peak and pit experiences. Expanding concentric spheres. Ascending spiral. Maslow’s peak, nadir, and plateau experiences
Peak: rising above ordinary body/ego limit. Nadir: falling into a pit of crisis. Plateau: integrating growth into life; subtle yet deep insights. Link to Spiritual Development Timeline Assessment Class Exercise and discussion
Draw your own spiritual development timeline Not necessary to use word ‘spiritual’ Choose a span of age/years for focus (e.g. one semester, since entering university, since mid childhood Add images or symbols or notes to timeline Adapt to your preferences Consider questions at bottom of figure Identify one key insight about yourself Discuss with partner Mindfulness as Example of Buddhism Derived SW Practice Mindfulness is a mode of awareness in which a person pays purposeful and kind attention to oneself and environment in the present moment and situation with nonjudgmental acceptance and without clinging to the flow of thoughts, feelings, and habitual reactions Evidence Based Practices Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) developed in behavioral medicine setting, to help patients manage pain and stress related to health conditions and treatments MBSR is somewhat efficacious on depression, anxiety, and other psychological distresses in people who have other physical diseases 8 week course, weekly sessions 2.5 hours, plus day long retreat and daily home practices Including mindful eating, walking and sitting meditation, body scanning with awareness, daily life mindfulness . Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
From Marsh Linehan’s work with Borderline Personality Disorder and people with suicidal ideation Now applied to a wide range of practice issues in outpatient and inpatient mental health settings, including forensics, intimate partner violence, substance dependence, depression and anxiety in older adults, eating disorders, family therapy, and adolescents with self-injury or suicidal ideation Outpatient DBT may involve 1 year commitment Mindfulness practices generate “wise mind” as integration of reasonable thinking and realistic feelings Examples of Android Apps Should social workers practice it?
Social workers can benefit from mindfulness and other types of meditation practices by increasing “…skills of concentration, attentiveness, accurate listening, empathy, and stress management” (Canda & Furman, 2010, p. 148).
Mindfulness can be incorporated into holistic social work education approaches, including preparation of instructor and training of students Should I practice mindfulness?
For the clinician and educator, mindfulness techniques are said to improve mindful presence, attention, affect regulation, attunement, and empathy. Discussion Questions for classes
When is it appropriate to adapt Buddhist practices to mental health applications? What is gained by doing so? What is lost in the process compared to purposes and worldview revealed in the Oxherding Pictures? Is it necessary to explain to trainers and clients about the Buddhist origins? What are the ethical responsibilities of social workers and mental health workers who use mindfulness to Buddhism and Buddhist communities, if any? Example of Interreligious, Cross-Cultural Dialogue: Ox Herding in Buddhist, Christian, and Secular Psychotherapeutic Views Jungian and Transpersonal psychotherapy theorists view the pictures as allegory of search for the True Self, beyond egoistic self, which can be assisted by in depth psychotherapy and spiritual practices (e.g. Jung, Miyuki, Spiegelman, Wilber) Some Christian monks and theologians view the pictures as a Buddhist lens on a universal spiritual path of transformation, that has affinity with Christian pursuit of loving union with God and loving service toward people (e.g. Hart, Ingram, Johnston, Habito) Class Discussion Questions
How do the Oxherding Pictures relate to the student’s own religious or nonreligious understanding of her/his journal toward sense of meaning, purpose, and wholeness in life? What is similar and different? What thoughts and feelings arise in reaction to the pictures? What does this suggest about your own cultural perspective or worldview: are their limitations you would need to address in order to relate with a client with a Zen worldview? Are there insights and strengths in your perspective that would help you to relate appropriately with a client with a Zen worldview? Selected References
Canda, E. R., & Furman, L. D. (2010). Spiritual diversity in social work practice, second edition. New York: Oxford University Press. Also published in Japanese translation by Minerva Ghobo, Kyoto, Japan, 2014, trans. Katsunobu Kihara, Yoshiharu Nakagawa, & Miwa Hujii. 1999 edition in Korean translation by Sungkyunkwan University Press, Seoul, Korea, 2003, trans. Seung-Hee Park and Hyuk-Koo Lee. Canda, E. R., & Warren, S. (2013). Mindfulness. In C. Franklin et al. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of social work (e-reference edition). NY: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://socialwork.oxfordre.com/ Selected References, continued
Chang, S., Y., & Stevenson, D. (2001). Hoofprint of the ox: Principles of the Chan Buddhist path as taught by a modern Chinese Master. New York: Oxford University Press. Robbins, S. P., Chatterjee, P., & Canda, E. R. (2012). Contemporary human behavior theory: A critical perspective for social work, third edition. Boston: Pearson Allyn & Bacon. Groen, J., Coholic, D., & Graham, J. R., eds. (2012). Spirituality in social work education. Waterloo, Canada: Wilfred Laurier University Press. Pyles, L. & Adam G. J., eds. (2016). Holistic engagement: Transformative social work education in the 21st century. New York: Oxford University Press. Online Resources (thanks to You Mee Kim; many more can be found by web search)
http://terebess.hu/english/oxindex.html index to numerous resources http://www.oxherding.com/ many resources listed, some Korean related Korean: Hongik Hakdang School : includes video lecture http://cafe.naver.com/bohd/24046 Buddhism term dictionary: shows Japanese prints with Korean explanation http://studybuddha.tistory.com/683 Songun sunim (Korean Buddhist monk)’s webpage: paintings and explanations http://www.dalmasa.co.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=notice&wr_id=77&page=2