This article is part one of a two-part series on the five elements from the Buddhist and Taoist traditions. Before talking about the 5 elements, let’s talk about the Void from which they arise.
If you’re interested in the medical or spiritual traditions of the Far East, India, China or Japan, you’ll come across this famous notion of “emptiness”. Depending on the text, the translator and the context, this “void” may be called “vacuity”, “absence of…”, “non-being” or “nothingness”. In reality, all these terms correspond to very different realities and meanings in their original language. Distinguishing these differences is not a matter of detail.
“Misunderstood emptiness ruins the non-intelligent person. It is like a clumsily caught snake or a poorly executed magic formula.”
In his famous Book of the 5 rings, Miyamoto Musashi writes in his last chapter dealing precisely with the Emptiness: 「空」kû.
“By ‘emptiness’ we mean the obliteration of things and the realm of the unknown (…) Generally speaking, the idea we have about ‘emptiness’ is wrong. When we don’t understand something, we see it as “ meaningless ” for us, but it’s not a real void. It’s all misguidance.”
I hope you now have a better understanding of the importance of approaching such a notion with finesse and accuracy. Starting with a character: kōng,「空」, I propose here to untangle this ball of yarn that can remain arcane for a long time, truly a poison for our Western mind. This thread will give us a key to understanding the notion of emptiness, space, interaction and containment, and by contrast, will enable us to grasp more easily the various flavors that orbit what we call “emptiness”.
For the sake of convenience, we’ll call it by its Chinese name: kōng. As always, let’s start by looking at its reading keys: 空
Reading keys
Chin : kōng – Jap : sora ; a.ku ; munashii ; kû
Keys: Two keys are worth noting.
The first:
「穴」 Chinese: xue – Japanese: ana; tsubo.
Xué means “hole”, “opening” or even “cavern”. This is the same character used to designate what are commonly known as “acupuncture points”. In ancient Chinese thought, acupuncture points were cavities that enabled internal and external communication, maintaining and restoring the link between man and his environment. Access to the underground networks of the Mài 「脈」 rivers that flow deep into the body like underground streams, allowing blood and energy to circulate to all parts of the body.
Second:
「工」 Chinese: gōng
Japanese: kô; kû
Gōng is a very simple key but one with a very ancient and profound meaning; it’s truly one of the keys to Chinese civilization. This key is a pictogram representing a set-square, the tool of builders and carpenters. That’s why it’s commonly referred to as the “ industry key ”, as it’s linked to everything we build, in every meaning of the word. The set-square is the tool of the earth by excellence, enabling you to make right angles and draw vertical lines. As we can see from the character, verticality is what connects top and bottom, Earth and Heaven, it’s the work of Man who stood upright, and we could say that it’s the essence of all spiritual work.
In Chinese founding myths, we find Fuxi and Nüwa, the original couple entwined in the manner of Mercury’s caduceus, one holding the square and the other the compass, representing the square and the circle, symbols of knowledge of Heaven and Earth. In this pair, the set-square is the symbol of the man: Fuxi, to whom tradition also attributes the Bagua and the 64 hexagrams. These 64 Hexagrams represent the 64 stages of transformation from Heaven (Qian) to Earth (Kun), from Yang to Yin. This is why Fuxi holds the square, symbolizing the knowledge that links Heaven and Earth.
That’s why the key of the set-square is found in the work to be accomplished, as well as in all the characteristics that relate to labor, to what is being worked on.
To get a better idea, here are a few examples:
- 「功」: Gōng (chin) “to complete, accumulate, have mastery over”. Which is composed of the square「工」, and strength「力」. This character is found in Kikô 「気 功」, better known by its Chinese name Qi Gong, which can therefore be translated as “Qi work”, “Qi building” or “Qi mastery”.
- 「巫」: Wū (chin) is the character of the ancient shamans of the Chinese tradition who were called Wū. We find the square that connects top and bottom「工」, as well as the character of the doubled Man「人」, between Heaven and Earth. This Wu「巫」 shaman character is found as a key in the Ling「靈」 character, which can be translated as “soul” and denotes the quality of the marvelous.
- 肛」: Gāng (chin). More commonly, this term refers to the anus. Analysis of the character tells us more broadly about the whole digestive system, since it begins at the mouth and ends at the anus. We find the “flesh” key「月」, which designates the body, as well as our “set-square” key「工」, which indicates movements between up and down. The anus is therefore indeed the part of the body that connects the up with the down through the mouth and digestive system.
Meaning of Kōng 「空」
Through our analysis of the keys, we’ve seen that this character presents a dual notion: a space, cavity or opening that enables communication between the internal and external, surface area and depth「穴」; as well as the notion that above and below (Heaven and Earth) are linked by an activity, a work, a labor, a mastery 「工」.
So it’s not surprising that in one of these Japanese readings (sora)「空」, this character designates the Sky: the Blue Sky, which we’ll call “atmospheric” [2]. Here we find the idea of space, and begin to perceive the notion of emptiness it represents. It’s in this empty space of Heaven that exchanges between Upper and Lower, between Heaven and Earth, take place. It is in this space that the work of the elements occurs. Without this space, there can be no movements or transformations favorable to Life.
From India we find the following notions: emptiness「虚」, absence「無」 and space「空」:
Let’s return to this notion of emptiness and space. Among the many meanings of Kōng「空」is also the Chinese translation of a very important concept from India. The latter comes to us from the Buddhist tradition: sunyata (शून्यता), which is commonly translated as “ vacuousness ”. This was our first question: what does vacuity mean?
First, a simple distinction needs to be made with two characters possessing similar meanings: Kyô「虚」and Mu「無」(Japanese readings).
- Kyô「虚」is the antagonist of Jitsu「実」. Well-known to practitioners of the Masunaga school under the terms of emptiness and fullness, these are relative designations in relation to a state of emptiness, or a state of energetic fullness, observed in an anatomical zone, meridian or point. The reader can find more information on this subject in the Glossary of Japanese Terms.
- Mu「無」 refers to “ the absence ”. It is opposed to the character「有」(U) which means “to have”, “to exist”, “to be present”. Mu「無」 thus denotes the non-existence of a phenomenon. Well-known in Taoist thought, the term “non-action” is written with this last character: Mu I 「無為」(in Japanese), it is better known by its Chinese name: Wú Wéi.
The vacuity conveyed by sunyata「空」 therefore signifies neither a state of relative emptiness, nor the absence of anything, but rather, as we saw with “ sora ” , which represents Heaven, a receptive opening in which transformations can take place. Sunyata designates the quality of a space, a receptacle, a crucible in which the forces of Heaven and Earth communicate and where the transformations of the 5 movements can operate ( Kō 工) . Something that has become empty, emptied itself, becomes a receptacle, a vessel (Ki 器). Since it is empty, it is suitable to receive something, or to let something operate within it. We shall see the importance of this last character (Ki 器) in our overview of emptiness.
Emptiness in Oriental medicine: 「空気」Kōng Qì
Kōng qì refers in Oriental medicine to the “Qi of the air”, the quality of Qi from the atmosphere that is collected by the Lung and then transformed by the body to join Blood in the vessels and nourish the whole system: from the deep vascular rivers to the smallest capillaries on the surface of the skin.
Remember that the Lung is responsible for opening the skin’s pores. It is therefore both through the orifice of the nose, with which it is associated, as well as through these countless epidermis openings (kōng 空) that the respiratory phenomenon occurs. Although we have two main breathing channels (nose and mouth), it’s the whole body that breathes through the orifices in the skin.
In the Chinese and Indian traditions, there are breathing practices that consist precisely in breathing through the pores of the skin, making this first frontier between inside and outside, represented by the skin, even finer, even imperceptible. To breathe through the skin is to breathe with space (kōng 空), to the point of becoming space itself.
Emptiness in Japanese culture: 「空気」Kû Ki
Same characters but different meanings!
Kû ki” is a term very much present in Japanese culture. It’s a difficult word to translate, and goes beyond the notion of physiological “the Qi of the Air” collected by the lungs. Kû ki refers more to the energetic quality of what radiates from a place or a person, which we would call “ambiance” or “atmosphere”. For example, when you enter a space, whether inhabited or not, or when you meet someone. Kû ki is therefore a feeling we experience in the presence of space, someone or something.
In Japanese, there’s an expression: kû ki o yomu 「空気を読む」which literally means “to read the Kû ki”. An awkward person who, for example, makes jokes in a serious context, mentions a sensitive subject to someone or is loud when the environment is silent, will be said to “not know how to read the Kû ki”, 「空気を読めない人」(kû ki wo yomenai hito). Knowing how to perceive the quality of the environment and respond appropriately is a necessary skill in Japanese society, and one that is not foreign to the energy arts.
In other words, feeling and reading the kû ki consists in perceiving the energy and information (ki 気) that emerges from a space (kû 空). By perceiving the kû ki, the practitioner listens to the movement of the 5 elements as well as their movements and transformations, for which he or she must become a recipient (Ki 器).
“The bowl is only useful because it’s empty”.
The receptacle:「器」Ki
We can see just how relevant Kōng「空」 is to our clinical practice: it refers to those cave-like openings more commonly known as “acupuncture points” (xué 穴), the pores of the skin, the energy and movement associated with the respiratory process, and a certain quality of listening to the environment. When we look at the interactions between space and content, emptiness and form, then the notion of container, vessel, receptacle fit to receive something emerges.
“The bowl is only useful because it’s empty”. So ends a famous Zen tale. It’s the answer given by a monk to a seeker full of knowledge, in search of answers to a thousand and one questions. This phrase means that we can only learn by first emptying ourselves, by returning to the empty origin of the receptacle, the welcoming space. Only by being completely empty can we receive information, fill ourselves with something temporarily.
Kōng is the matrix, the space that allows forms to manifest. Just as the bowl welcomes the contents and allows them to be present, the physical form Xíng「形」permits the spirit Shén「神」to reside and radiate. Through Space, we find the Heaven and Earth dynamics of yin and Yang, which bring Man to the surface through their exchange.
“In Heaven are manifested the pictures (xiàng 象). On Earth, the forms (xíng 形) are fulfilled. Thus changes and transformations occur.” [3]
The bowl is therefore the physical form that receives representations. The 3rd entity, Man, is the receptacle of exchanges between the Heaven-Earth couple, the bodily form (xíng 形) and intangible images (xiàng 象). This is the vessel (ki 器) where their transformations take place. Our famous key of the square can be found in the ancient spelling of the vessel ki (器).
Let’s quote the Su Wen, chapter 68:
“Without the generation of things and the power of transformation, time stands still.
The Emperor says: How can there be no generation and transformation?
Qibo replies: When the movements of going out and coming in are disturbed, then the mechanisms of Shen and the processes of transformations are extinguished.
When upward and downward movements cease, the Qi of things that stand upright is left alone and in peril.
Thus, without the movements of exit and entry, the processes of birth, growth, robust expression, old age and death cannot occur.(…)
Consequently, the movements of ascent and descent, exit and entry cannot be manifest in tangible form without a vessel「器」to contain them.
Thus, the vessel「器」is a cosmos in itself as far as the processes of birth and transformation are concerned.
When the vessel「器」is dispelled, then the various parts of the birth and transformation processes cease to breathe.
Thus, without the outgoing and incoming processes, the upward and downward movements no longer occur in the trees.” [4]
Likewise, in Buddhist or Taoist traditions, the body is often described as a vessel「器」, a receptacle.
“With the vessel of this human existence,
Free yourself from the great river of pain!
Since it’s hard to find it again later,
Fool, this is no time to sleep!”[5]
The Tao Te King, chapter 5 responds:
“The Heaven-Earth interval
Is like a bellows
It empties without tiring
When activated, it wants to blow again.
One talks, one talks, one supposes ad infinitum,
It’s better to keep the Center.
Having explored all the different notions of vacuity, its relationship to space and container, in our next article we’ll look at the relationship between the center and the other elements, and the dynamics of the different movements that take place there. May we work (kong 工) to open up this space within us, to welcome and allow all the transformations between Heaven and Earth.
Notes
- [1] Mahayana means ‘Great Vehicle’. It is distinct from Theravada and Vajrayâna. Mahayâna is found in East Asia, in Tibet, China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan.
- [2] In Chinese thought, the atmospheric sky is to be distinguished from the cosmic or astronomical sky, which is described by the character Tian 「天」.
- [3] Xici, The Great Commentary on the Book of Changes. Élisabeth Rochat de la Vallée, ‘Symphonie Corporelle’ p.34, École Européenne d’Acupuncture.
- [4] Su Wen, chapter 68, translation by Jean Sylvain Prot. Restoration of the cosmological model of the Huang Di Nei Jing.
- [5] Bodhicaryavâtara, Chapter 7: Perseverance, stanza 14, Shantideva (8th century), translation by La Vallée Poussin.
Bibliography
- « Traité des Cinq Roues », Miyamoto Musashi, Spiritualité Vivante, 2013.
- « Dictionnaire encyclopédique du Bouddhisme », Philippe Cornu, « Vacuité », éditions du Seuil, 2006.
- « Bodhicaryavâtara », Shantideva (685-763), Traduction de Louis de la Vallée Poussin, 1907.
- « Livre de la Voie et de la Vertu », traduit par Claude Larre, éditions Desclée de Brouwer, 2015.
- « Symphonie Corporelle », Élisabeth Rochat de la Vallée, École Européenne d’Acupuncture. 1981.
- « Restauration du modèle cosmologique du Huang Di Nei Jing », Jean Sylvain Prot, 2022-2023.
- « Dictionnaire étymologique des sinogrammes » (en Japonais)
Author
- The space within a character: 空 the Void in all its forms (part 1) - 25 September 2023
- Principle : Omote-Ura「表-裏」 - 3 July 2022
Translator
Fascinated by Energy and everything that is related to the development of the Human Being, he started his career as an Energy Therapist before training with Florent Dagobert in the school "La Voie Shiatsu" as a Shiatsu Specialist (RNCP title).
Francois-remy continues to integrate various techniques through additional training and reading, which is one of his passions.
