Circular Culture

Yin-n-Yang, the symbol is surrounded by a circle. The circle has a few symbolic meanings but one I found to be most connected to jutsu-do is its symbolic representation of a circular path, hara of haragei is of a circular quality. Westerners look at the yin-n-yang in a linear fashion as if a line were drawn from the extreme negative to the extreme positive.

The circle of the symbol, yin-n-yang, represents a circular quality and if you observe it closely all of the symbol is circular in nature where the extreme yin to extreme yang resides on or within that circle which is in constant movement, changing all the time, and results in the movement of the extremes out of that place to various levels of both poles until they reach a balance point and then shift into their opposites. This is the symbolic meaning of the tadpoles and the seeds represented in the center of those tadpoles rotating and changing with each moment, always in movement, always.

Western thought and thinking tries hard to control and classify our practice and training in a linear fashion, a left brain activity while the Japanese and other Asian cultures tend to practice and train in a circular quality, superior. Think of the fundamentals of aikido. [correction or more accurately it involves complex linear motion that may seem circular, but you get my point I hope]

Observe kumite in karate here in the Western hemisphere, it tends to be on a straight line forward and backward. You will observe on occasion one actually moving off that line in a circular move which in a lot of cases, if that person's line is longer, results in not losing for that person. Linear mental activity tends to lock humans in a linear mode that hinders finding a balance that is of nature, circular.

The sun and moon in the gokui inference to the circulation of the blood which is a hint to the bodies energy all travel in a circular fashion. This is an important distinction of that part of the gokui as to the lesson, the teachings of Shimabuku Tatsuo-san as taught by the ancient classics. This is an important distinction and has been a cultural belief that has lasted for thousands of years.

Take a look at the "magic tea room" post on my gokui blog. The graphic I use if you look closely to the center point where the "5" resides is actually the center of the tatami mats that surround it forming a circular quality that is symbolic of yin-n-yang.

Our whole existence as human beings is circular, i.e. birth, growth, aging and death, whereby life itself is circular taking life into and out of existence, that existence we perceive in human form that has a body, mind and spirit connection to nature, the Universe. We are all the same as Heaven and Earth as representative of said Universe.

If we stop "fighting" nature and allow ourselves to enter into the circular path we will find that many aspects that allude our training and learning will suddenly open up to us and help us achieve - enlightenment (which contains proficiency, etc.)

p.s. a thought for those accepting to the circular quality might also be that the yin-n-yang symbol moves only in one direction. This is a symbol and not restricted to the picture but rather should be thought of more like a "sphere" that rotates much like a gyroscope, in all directions and in all dimensions. The rotations go one direction, another in reverse but also in varying floating more chaos like unpredictable directions which is just like life - unpredictable.

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