Not to offend the first person to come up with an answer but...Jay wrote:Could you please tell me what the logo you have on next to your name means? The one I am refering to is the almost closed circle with the dot in the middle. Is this related to martial art history in some way?
The symbol is called an "enso." If you have a Lucent phone, you will note that they have "stolen" this as their company logo.
Sort of... Not really... You see, an enso is a very personal thing. Lucent has their own, and I have my own. It has its origins in Zen, and is linked to the practice thereof.
Usually I can google a bit, and find someone who has a half decent description. Some are better than others. Here's the one I found today on byzant.com, and their particular interpretation of it appeals to me and what I was thinking when choosing this as an avitar.
And then you note that my enso has a little dot in the middle, no? I once saw an enso painted that way, and it inspired me to paint my own for my avitar. It creates an interesting effect, and that is intentional for my particular application.The Enso (Japanese for 'circle') is a Zen symbol of the absolute, the true nature of existence and enlightenment. It is a symbol that combines the visible and the hidden, the simple and the profound, the empty and the full. As an expression of infinity, it has links to the western lemniscate, and may be painted so that there is a slight opening somewhere in the circle, showing that the Enso is not contained in itself, but that it opens out to infinity. In Zen art, the space on the page is at least as important as the brushstrokes themselves. It is no coincidence that the feeling of satori, a state of spiritual enlightenment beyond the plane of discrimination and differentiation, is often described as that of infinite space.
The Enso is a popular subject in Zen painting, where the circle is drawn in a single brushstroke and the state of mind of the painter is said to be indicated by the resulting circle - a strong and balanced Enso can only be painted by someone who is in equilibrium and inwardly calm. The very imperfections and contours of the Enso, which must be painted by the human hand rather than constructed as a mathematically correct circle, make the Enso a manifestation of perfection - it is perfect just as it is.
This was done via paintbrush with some computer art editing after scanning.
- Bill
