...A few weeks ago I’ve got this beautiful book as a present… time to start my daily enso…
Ensō (円相)
is a Japanese word
meaning "circle"
and a concept strongly associated with Zen. Ensō is one of
the most common subjects of Japanese calligraphy even though it is a symbol and not a character. It
symbolizes absolute enlightenment,
strength, elegance, the universe, and the void; it can also symbolize
the Japanese aesthetic itself. As an "expression of the moment" it is
often considered a form of minimalist
expressionist art.
In Zen Buddhist painting, ensō
symbolizes a moment when the mind is free to simply let the body/spirit create.
The brushed ink of the circle is usually done on silk or rice paper in one
movement (Bankei,
however, occasionally used two strokes) and there is no possibility of
modification: it shows the expressive movement of the spirit at that time. Zen
Buddhists "believe that the character of the artist is fully exposed in
how she or he draws an ensō. Only a person who is mentally and
spiritually complete can draw a true ensō. Some artists will practice
drawing an ensō daily, as a kind of Spiritual Practice."
Some artists paint ensō with
an opening in the circle, while others complete the circle. For the former, the
opening may express various ideas, for example that the ensō is not
separate, but is part of something greater, or that imperfection is an
essential and inherent aspect of existence (see also the idea of broken symmetry). The
principle of controlling the balance of composition through asymmetry and
irregularity is an important aspect of the Japanese aesthetic: Fukinsei (不均斉), the denial of perfection.
The ensō is also a sacred symbol in the Zen
school of Buddhism,
and is often used by Zen masters as a form of signature in their religious
artwork. For more on the philosophy behind this see Hitsuzendo, the Way of
the Brush or Zen Calligraphy.
Hitsuzendo (筆禅道 hitsuzendō), the "Art of the Brush",
is believed by Zen Buddhists
to be a method of achieving Samādhi
(Jap.: samaai) (unification of individual with the highest reality).
Hitsuzendo refers specifically to a school of Japanese Zen calligraphy to which
the rating system of modern calligraphy
(well-proportioned and pleasing to the eye) is foreign. Instead, the calligraphy
of Hitsuzendo must breathe with the vitality of eternal experience.
True creativity is not the product of
consciousness but rather the "phenomenon of life itself." True
creation must arise from mu-shin 無心, the state of
"no-mind," in which thought, emotions, and expectations do not
matter. Truly skillful Zen calligraphy is not the product of intense
"practice;" rather, it is best achieved as the product of the
"no-mind" state, a high level of spirituality, and a heart
free of disturbances.
To write Zen calligraphic characters
that convey truly deep meaning, one must focus intensely and become one with
the meaning of the characters they create. In order to do this, one must free
his/her mind and heart of disturbances and focus only on the meaning of the
character. Becoming one with what you create, essentially, is the philosophy
behind Zen Calligraphy and other Japanese arts.
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