Returning to the Marketplace

In Zen Buddhism, the Ten Ox Herding Pictures is a series of short poems and images intended to illustrate the various stages of enlightenment.  The very last image of the series is often called the "return to the marketplace," as it represents the final stage of enlightened living when the individual returns society with open hands and an open heart, seeking to spread the clarity of ever-present consciousness with as much of the world as possible.