MARTIAL ARTS DICTIONARY
Glossary Dictionary Format Transliteration Bibliography Nihongo (Japanese Language) Kanji (Chinese Characters)
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ざれい
zarei
Glossary Category: Budō/General Terms
Lit. Bowing while sitting.
See rei, reigi sahō
ざぜん
zazen
Glossary Category: Budō/Philosophy
Lit. Sitting meditation. A type of meditation unique to Zen Buddhism. Zazen is the study of the one self, by bringing together mind, body and breathing during sitting meditation. In Martial Arts, zazen is done with the eyes open focused on a point on the ground approximately one meter away.
By controlling the breathing, the muscles will loosen & relax, allowing the knees to drop and touch the floor. At the same time, the spine stretches to its full length by maintaining the head’s natural upward direction. As a result, the diaphragm could move freely & generates the control needed for very deep breathing. The purpose is to recover the natural breathing we had as infants: allowing the belly to rise and fall effortlessly. As a beginner, it is recommended to keep a mental count during each inhalation and exhalation. This keeps the mind from drifting off and creates a breathing cycle.
The objective of zazen is to develop awareness, consciousness, what you do with your mind by focusing breathing, muscle relaxation, and body posture create an intense power of concentration, called joriki. This allows the mind to focus on where, when, and as long as needed. The development of joriki is at the center of Martial Arts.
There is common misconception to assume that zazen has an esoteric or mystical meaning. Some types zazen, use a small cushion called zafu. The typical hand position is to have both hands palm up, with the dominant hand on the other & the thumbs touching lightly forming an oval. The hands may rest on the thighs. There are several types of sitting positions:
— Burmese position: The legs are crossed with both feet & knees resting on the floor, while sitting on the zafu, the body shifts slightly forward.
— Half Lotus position: The left foot is placed on the right thigh, while the right leg is tucked under the left leg. A zafu may or may not be use. This creates an asymmetrical position that needs to be compensated by the upper body.
— Full Lotus position: Each foot is placed up on the opposite thigh, creating a very solid and symmetrical position. A zafu may or may not be use.
— Seiza: The typical Martial Arts sitting meditation done by kneeling on both calves without a zafu & both hands rest palm down on the tights. In other arts, a pillow or a small seiza bench could be used.
— Chair Position: Sitting on a chair with your feet flat on the floor. The zafu could be placed on the chair to sit on it or at the small of the back.
See mu, mushin, mushin no shin, satori, zen
ぜん
zen (1)
Glossary Category: Budō/Philosophy
Lit. Lit. Zen Buddhism. Chinese pronunciation: Chuan, Chan or Ch’an. Zen influenced all Japanese culture, arts, particularly among the Samurai warrior class. It is considered both a religion and a philosophy. Zen is part of Buddhism historical development, which originated in India around 500bc, and later developed into two main schools: Mahayana & Theravada Buddhism.
Zen Buddhism originated out of the Mahayana school called Dhyana, which in Sanskrit means meditation. The exact date is unknown, but around the year 520ad, the Indian monk Bodhidharma introduced Mahayana Buddhism to China, where it mixed with Taoism and it became known as Chuan.
There is a lot of myth around the historical figure of Bodhidharma, known as Pútídámó in Chinese (pinyin) or Daruma in Japanese, who has been in some literature as a blue-eyed barbarian. According to legend, Bodhidharma’s mind & body approach to enlightenment taught to the Shaolin monks lead to the creation of the Shaolin Martial arts.
Through the next centuries, Chuan split into a number of schools as it spread from China, to Korea and finally to Japan, where it was renamed Zen Buddhism. In the 12th century, Japan, the Samurai class made Zen their way, and it has remained closely connected ever since to Japanese culture: arts, poetry, literature & Martial Arts. However, Zen Buddhism is not part of Okinawan culture. Therefore, any ascetic practiced found in Okinawan Karate were primarily adopted from Japan.
See mu , mushin , mushin no shin , satori , zazen
ぜん
zen (2)
Glossary Category: Budō/General Terms
Lit. All, whole, entire, complete or overall. In Japanese Martial Arts, this term is used as part of the name of a national or regional Federation, which implies that it includes several ryuha (styles). For example: Zen Nippon Kendō Renmei (All Japan Kendō Federation); Zen Nippon Iaidō Renmei (All Japan Iaidō Federation); Zen Okinawa Karate Dō Renmei (All Okinawa Karate Dō Federation), etc.
ぜん
zen (3)
Glossary by Category: Okinawa Karate Dō/Commands
Lit. Before, ago, former, previous, one-time, the above. It referrs to the direction in front or ahead of you.
ぜんくつ
zenkutsu
Glossary by Category: Okinawa Karate Dō/Commands
Lit. To bend forward.
ぜんくつだち
zenkutsu dachi
Glossary Category: Okinawa Karate Dō/Tachikata
Lit. Forward leaning stance. It is also known as Front Stance. It is commonly used for basic tsuki and keri drills. Zenkutsu dachi is basically the same stance as kokutsu dachi (back stance), with the body orientated to the front instead of the back. Both zenkutsu dachi and kokutsu dachi work together as a set by rotating from the body's center axis.
See kokutsu dachi , sakutsu dachi , okutsu dachi
ぜんしん
zenshin
Glossary Category: Okinawa Karate Dō/Commands , Shinjinbukan/System
Lit. Advance, progress or drive. This command is used advance during drills that repeat movement forward many times. In the Shinjinbukan School, we do no have the concept of moving back and forth. According to Onaga Kaichō, "Our bodies do not move back and forth, but left or right." The reasoning behind this approach is that we do not have four legs. We do not have front or back legs, only left and right legs.
See tenshin , kōtai (1)
Glossary Dictionary Format Transliteration Bibliography Nihongo (Japanese Language) Kanji (Chinese Characters)
