Zen buddhism and the Japanese Carp: A reflection on my favorite design
“Living Zen is nothing special: life as it is. Zen is life itself, nothing added.”
― Charlotte Joko Beck, Nothing Special
Many who are interested in Japanese tattoos are familiar with the image of the Koi. A Japanese carp, curling and jumping forth from the water is a vital image in horimono. I’ve come to admire this particular motif as a profound symbol and a personal favorite.
The myth tells that koi are creatures of perseverance, swimming upstream through the Yellow River in China. After hundreds of years of tenacity, swimming against the turbulent current, the koi arrives at the Dragons gate, where it’s rewarded for its determination and transformed into a dragon.
The story is historically set in Autumn, which is why maple leaves (Momiji) are typically paired with the image.
The story of the Koi can be considered an allegory for zazen, or sitting meditation in the Zen Buddhist tradition. The practitioner sits with diligent attention over many sessions and years, seeking enlightenment. This goal is represented by the dragon at the end of the river. Unshakable in the pursuit of its goal, the meditator sits until enlightenment is obtained.
Being a Zen practitioner myself, I’ve struggled with the concept of enlightenment. I’ve always considered that a core teaching of Buddhism was radical acceptance of the present moment.
Perhaps, while we can often improve our lives, there is something about embracing exactly where we are at, that gets closer to the idea of enlightenment.
When the full breadth of experience is embraced, we can finally stop living our lives in order to escape the one we are in. There is a relief in finally turning towards the experience of our lives and our struggles. The koi and the dragon, or the journey and the destination, become one and the same.
This is why I’m drawn to the Koi. It reminds me to enjoy every part of life, and to stop demanding it piecemeal, only taking the bits I like. If not, we would miss such a large portion of it, always indignant it isn’t otherwise.
To be openhearted in the face of challenge and heartache IS the enlightened state. Warts and all, the present moment, life as it is, is our only opportunity for peace. We never arrive to the gate if we think that some future moment holds the key to our happiness. Koi are humble and earthly. They teach us that wisdom is hidden here, in the mundane and the trudging.
The place to start is always here, now, and exactly as we are. Much like the koi, we are always determined, swimming upward, and yet already realized.