Wikipedia states*: "It symbolizes the Absolute, enlightenment, strength, elegance, the Universe and the void...an expression of the moment...In Zen Buddhist painting,ensō symbolizes a moment when the mind is free to simply let the body/spirit create... it shows the expressive movement of the spirit at that time". Drawing it complete, or open is up to the artist, but my preference is to leave it open (as you see here - yes, that is my own free-hand illustration), because I believe we are perfect in never being perfect. We are whole, and best lived, when we are open to life, and though I think Life strives for completion and balance, it is a process that is never-ending.
The symbol first came to me in my second visit to Japan in 1995 as I was training in martial arts and briefly delved in to Shodo (the art of Japanese calligraphy). Though it is a symbol and not a Japanese character "kanji", it is seen and practiced often in this craft.
At that time in my life, training 3-5 hours per day, 6 days a week, breaking my ankle, and getting pummeled non-stop by girls that wished they were male so they could be sumo wrestlers taught me to take one moment at a time, to be mindful of just that moment because sometimes there was no way I could handle anymore - physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. It taught me that sometimes I shouldn't handle anymore and that I should just do my best to make that moment/that action as flawless as I could. It taught me that even when I feel that I'm faltering, I am actually building strength if I just stick with it. That never left me and neither did that symbol.
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illustration by Japanese Zen master Bankei, 1622-93 ** |
Four years later, in 1999, I started a new career path in the performance arts. At the time, I was very intrigued by the renowned book "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, which, although it is a book written about Chinese military strategy, had a gorgeous Enso illustration by Japanese Zen master Bankei. Three years later, in 2001 when I founded my own company, I adopted the Enso as part of my logo. It paid homage to my ancestry, my own personal history, it was simple, but very strong and graceful and with the Zen belief that it symbolizes 'the moment when the mind is free to let the body/spirit create' and my company is performance based, it was a perfect fit.
In 2007, again, I struggled through a challenging time, and again it surfaced and was then paired with the question and reminder to always, when in doubt of things in life, ask, "What best serves the growth of my soul?". Since that time, both that quote and the Enso symbol sit in a frame atop my bookshelf surrounded by the black belt I received in Japan, as my quiet reminder to endure, to commit, and to pursue that growth in life.
Hope you like the new layout. This blog is always in progress and you will probably see that symbol changing away in the background on occasion. This blue just fits the rejuvenation of the season and my life at the moment.
Hope your week is fantabulous.
* For more info about Enso: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ens%C5%8D
**from the book "The Illustrated Art of War" - Sun Tzu, translated by Thomas Cleary (Shambhala Publications, Inc. 1998)
* If using contents of this blog, please site source. Thanks very much! (plagiarism = bad energy)
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