help with Buddhist / Chinese symbols on jiu-jitsu gi?

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judoman09
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2022 10:49 am

help with Buddhist / Chinese symbols on jiu-jitsu gi?

Post by judoman09 »

Hi, I am a jiu-jitsu practitoner, and I have come across a gi (uniform) that I like the look of, but i want to understand what the glyphs mean.
fluory front.jpg
fluory front.jpg (49.67 KiB) Viewed 409 times
Can you help me understand these?
symbols.jpg
symbols.jpg (10.46 KiB) Viewed 409 times
It seems a bit creepy how it says 'no soul' on the arm, but maybe that's a translation issue ... perhaps it is meant to equate to the concept of mushin, or 'no-mind' ?
f - close up front - no soul.jpg
f - close up front - no soul.jpg (58.03 KiB) Viewed 409 times
thank you :-)
PeterC
Posts: 5191
Joined: Tue May 20, 2014 12:38 pm

Re: help with Buddhist / Chinese symbols on jiu-jitsu gi?

Post by PeterC »

It's two of the three dharma seals - impermanence and 'non-self' (anatman). But please don't buy it. The calligraphy looks like it was done by a teenager. It is calligraphy, whoever did it can hold a brush, but really it's ugly. Also if you were going to decorate a gi with the dharma seals, why would you leave out "suffering" (dukkha)? That would seem much more relevant to the activity than the absence of a permanent self.
judoman09
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2022 10:49 am

Re: help with Buddhist / Chinese symbols on jiu-jitsu gi?

Post by judoman09 »

PeterC wrote: Fri Aug 05, 2022 4:32 am It's two of the three dharma seals - impermanence and 'non-self' (anatman). But please don't buy it. The calligraphy looks like it was done by a teenager. It is calligraphy, whoever did it can hold a brush, but really it's ugly. Also if you were going to decorate a gi with the dharma seals, why would you leave out "suffering" (dukkha)? That would seem much more relevant to the activity than the absence of a permanent self.
Dharma seals? Ah cool, thank you I will look into that.

:lol: good one Peter -- quite right, Suffering would be far more appropriate , haha

May I ask, how long have you been reading / writing / appreciating the quality of calligraphy?

I appreciate the explanation & advice, cheers! :-)
PeterC
Posts: 5191
Joined: Tue May 20, 2014 12:38 pm

Re: help with Buddhist / Chinese symbols on jiu-jitsu gi?

Post by PeterC »

judoman09 wrote: Fri Aug 05, 2022 4:56 am May I ask, how long have you been reading / writing / appreciating the quality of calligraphy?
Decades. It’s one of the very few topics on which I do know what I’m talking about.

Be like Rickson, stick with the plain white gi...
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