It reminds us that we should never lean too far toward one end of the spectrum in any aspect of life. In our working life, personal relationships, physical health, mental state, and the way we interact with all things, living or not, in the world, the qualities that the Ensō represents are useful. Sometimes in today’s world we live in extremes which puts us at odds with other people and even with ourself or our best interests at times. The ensō is a very fitting representation of the balance that all human beings should strive to achieve. The Ensō Circle holds nothing it does not need, but lacks nothing that it does. This is great for working on perfectionism! The Ensō is a perfect example of accepting our perfect imperfection. When doing art I often use Sharpie markers or pens as a way to commit to the design I create instead of using a pencil and erasing things to make them “right” or “perfect”. One cannot make any alterations or corrections to it, either once it is done.Īs an artist I love this once and done approach. The only unalterable constant that must be adhered to when making an Ensō Circle is that the drawing motion must be one (sometimes two) smooth, circular sweep(s) without pauses or breaks. You can draw out an Ensō Circle practically anywhere, including the dirt or even in the air, with the same internal significance. In practical terms, the Ensō Circle is brought to life using a black ink wash, known as Sumi, to draw out the figure using a brush on thin, rice paper, the traditional surface for Japanese calligraphy. To the casual observer, the Ensō Circle might seem like a regular painted circle, but it is so much more than that. You will find its origins in Japanese calligraphy and the ensō in Buddhism as an enlightenment tradition or practice, which are the two vehicles that have influenced much of popular eastern philosophies. Creating this minimalist Japanese symbol involves drawing out a simple circle shape left unfilled.

Enso zen circle meaning