10th February

Finding the Footprints.

Through contemplating the Buddha's teachings of the essential Oneness of all things, the seeker starts to discover that the bull’s footprints are obvious everywhere. He has not yet found the bull, but he has discovered tracks. He has not yet achieved the Zen vision, but he has perceived the path. He has realised that, in the words of the Buddha, "with our thoughts we create the world." At this stage the student starts to feel enthusiastic and optimistic, as if enlightenment is just around the next corner. Kuo-an Shih-yuan writes:

Footprints -
under trees by the riverbank,
amongst the fragrant grasses,
in the remote mountains.
These tracks are as omnipresent as the sky
and as obvious as my own nose.

Through the guidance of the Buddha's wisdom the oxherd has come to understand something - he has found footprints. He has realised that just as many objects are made from one metal, so all things in the objective world are reflections of the self. However, he cannot discriminate between truth and falsehood. He has found the path but not yet entered the gate.


The great Indian sage Bodhidharma was the 28th Buddhist Patriarch. In the sixth century he visited China and became the first Patriarch of Zen. Buddhism was already well-established in China as a religion, but they had never had an enlightened master, so the Buddhist Emperor Wu was very eager to meet Bodhidharma. He invited the sage to his palace and asked him, "I have built many monasteries, performed countless good deeds, and been a generous patron of Buddhism. What merits have I earned?" Bodhidharma replied, "None whatsoever."