Taming the wild horse : an annotated translation and study of the : "Daoist horse taming pictures

In thirteenth-century China, a Daoist monk named Gao Daokuan (1195-1277) composed a series of illustrated poems and accompanying verse commentary known as the Daoist Horse Taming Pictures. In this annotated translation and study, Louis Komjathy argues that this virtually unknown text offers unique insights into the transformative effects of Daoist contemplative practice.__Taming the Wild Horse__examines Gao's illustrated poems in terms of monasticism and contemplative practice, as well as the multivalent meaning of the "horse" in traditional Chinese culture and the consequences for both human and nonhuman animals.The Horse Taming Pictures consist of twelve poems, ten of which are equine-centered. They develop the metaphor of a "wild" or "untamed" horse to represent ordinary consciousness, which must be reined in and harnessed through sustained self-cultivation, especially meditation. The compositions describe stages on the Daoist contemplative path. Komjathy provides opportunities for reflection on contemplative practice in general and Daoist meditation in particular, which may lead to a transpersonal way of perceiving and being. In thirteenth-century China, a Daoist monk named Gao Daokuan (1195-1277) composed a series of illustrated poems and accompanying verse commentary known as the Daoist Horse Taming Pictures. In this annotated translation and study, Louis Komjathy argues that this virtually unknown text offers unique insights into the transformative effects of Daoist contemplative practice. Taming the Wild Horse examines Gao's illustrated poems in terms of monasticism and contemplative practice, as well as the multivalent meaning of the "horse" in traditional Chinese culture and the consequences for both human and nonhuman animals. The Horse Taming Pictures consist of twelve poems, ten of which are equine-centered. They develop the metaphor of a "wild" or "untamed" horse to represent ordinary consciousness, which must be reined in and harnessed through sustained self-cultivation, especially meditation. The compositions describe stages on the Daoist contemplative path. Komjathy provides opportunities for reflection on contemplative practice in general and Daoist meditation in particular, which may lead to a transpersonal way of perceiving and being. Table of Contents 8 Preface 10 Acknowledgments 12 List of Illustrations and Tables 18 List of Abbreviations 20 Part I: Introduction 24 1. In Search of the Wild Horse 26 2. Of Stallions, Steppes, and Stables 52 Part II: Translations 78 Horse Taming Poems 80 Commentary on the Horse Taming Poems 106 Part III: Exegesis 120 Being with Horses 122 Appendix 1. Hagiography of Gao Daokuan (1195–1277) 156 Appendix 2. Song of Pure Awakening 162 Appendix 3. Horse-Related Technical Terminology in the Horse Taming Pictures 166 Notes 168 Character Glossary 220 Bibliography 228 Index 242