Flute player on buffalo, returning home on the back of the ox - Qing Dynasty. The figurine of the boy playing the flute on the back of the ox refers to a well-known metaphor in Chan Buddhism (Japanese Zen) about training the mind for enlightenment. The teaching is divided into ten stages that illustrate the progress towards the awakening of one's Buddha nature and are offered as meditation themes.
The path is similar to that of a herdsman who is looking for the ox (his own enlightened mind) which he initially struggles to find. Patiently following the tracks (perception of enlightened nature) the young man finds the ox which, however, does not let itself be tamed easily.
Once he has trained the ox (mind) with practice, the herdsman can ride the animal back home. Those who have carried out this search, having found their original condition, are in a state of stillness and unity and no longer care about the ox.
Once the distinction between the ox and the herdsman has been overcome, all that remains is the state of peace of the enlightened mind. Those who experience this condition can then re-enter the world to help others.
In the Museum in 1939.
