The Ten Ox-herder Pictures

Ajahn Brahm talks about the celebration of Chinese New Year and other cultural festivities. He then introduces the topic of the Ox herding pictures, a pictorial representation of the meaning of life. He explains that the purpose of his talk is to share wisdom and empower the listener, rather than hold power over them. Ajahn Brahm then discuss the importance of understanding the mind, as mental pain can be more devastating than physical pain. The Ox herding pictures are used as a symbol. The mind can be understood by what it contains, just like how a garden is defined by its flowers and trees. The mind is not located in the body, as emotions like happiness, sadness, and love cannot be physically pointed to. The mind is the most important part of life, and it is like an emperor who is always covered in five garments, making it difficult to see who they really are. To understand the mind, we must take off these "clothes" and look within ourselves. Meditation is how we search for and find our mind. By detaching from our senses, we can come closer to our mind and understand it. — This dhamma talk was originally recorded in 6th February 2009. It has now been remastered and published by the Everyday Dhamma Network, and will be of interest to his many fans. These talks by Ajahn Brahm have been recorded and made available for free distribution by the Buddhist Society of Western Australia under the Creative Commons licence. You can support the Buddhist Society of Western Australia by pledging your support via their Ko-fi page.