#ZEN ENSO CIRCLE MEANING FREE#

Cultivating mindfulness and living in the present. It is important to me to maintain as a meditative discipline. Rod: For me the enso is a manifestation of the moment. There are so many definitions available, that each of us is left with the responsibility to select or create our own interpretation of the enso that reflects our hearts and minds.Ĭarol: Why is the enso circle so important to you and your art? When the circle is closed, it may represent perfection like a mandala. Zen practitioners relate the idea to ‘ wabi-sabi’, the beauty of imperfection. In the former case when the circle is incomplete, it might speak of imperfection as an essential and inherent aspect of our existence.

In Zen it can represent the perfect meditative state of enlightenment.Įnso may symbolise many more things including: strength, truth, single-mindedness, the entirety of the universe, equality and the void. All things might be contained within, or, conversely, excluded by its boundaries. It can symbolise emptiness or fullness, presence or absence. In Zen, enso is a circle that has since ancient times been written with canes or sticks in midair, wet brushes on the ground or with ink on paper.Īt first glance the ancient enso symbol appears to be nothing more than a miss-shaped circle but its symbolism refers to the beginning and end of all things, the circle of life and the connectedness of existence.

#ZEN ENSO CIRCLE MEANING FREE#

That for the artist is when their mind is free to simply let themselves create through the physical body. With a new body of Rod’s enso artwork arriving in our gallery, Carol wanted to revisit an earlier chat she had with artist Rod McIntosh about the use of the enso in his practice and to find out a little more about its’ significance to him and his creative and well-being habits.Įnso is the Zen Bhuddist practice of drawing a circle with a single or two part uninhibited brushstroke to express a moment in time.

Zen enso circle meaning