Carrying Fire to Seek Fire
Riding the ox, one searches for the ox — seeking outside what one already rides.
Am I searching outside for the ability, peace, or love I already possess, blind to having it?
📝Reflection
Riding an ox while searching for the ox — a favorite image in Zen. Already seated on the ox, one looks around crying "Where did my ox go?" It is comical, yet it is us. We wander a lifetime seeking outside what we already have, blind to possessing it. We roam from one retreat to another seeking peace, yet peace was always within the mind; we crave to be loved, yet the capacity to love is already within us. In Zhaozhou's ridiculous picture lies a deep truth: the act of searching itself has hidden what we already hold. The moment we stop looking around for the ox, we realize we are sitting on it. The stopping is itself the finding.
🌱Apply It Today
When you feel something is lacking today, pause and ask: "Could this be something I already have?" The moment you stop searching, the ox appears.
This verse is read as universal humanistic wisdom, not religion — no faith is promoted, and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.
