Line Two: while the blood circulating is similar to the Sun and Moon

GENERALY

The Ancient Chinese understood the principles of Yang and Yin when they first took notice of the Sun and Moon. The sun provided heat, light, etc. and the moon provided darkness and reflected the sun's light to assist in the darkness. Sun and moon, fire and water, brightness and darkness are the most obvious examples of yin and yang. The symbol of the sun is Li, meaning the Fire or Brightness; the symbol of moon is Kan, signifying the Water or the Darkness. When darkness comes which represents a situation of difficulty or danger one can know that no matter how dangerous or dark the situation, if one is able to follow the way of Heaven, one can pass through the danger as safely as water passes through a ravine.

Watching the "change" between light and dark, seeing the waxing and waning of the sun's light on the moon, and the sun/moon traveling across the sky's, i.e. the light of day and the dark of night told the Ancients of Change and how it oscillates from one extreme to the other with equilibrium at the mean of both changes.

Darkness is danger or difficulty so the sun's light reflecting on the moon shows us the path to take in overcoming the dangers or difficulties encountered in the dark or the darkness of life that ascends on us in times of trouble.

The sun rises and overcomes the darkness much like the changes we take to find balance so that we can overcome all of life's tribulations through the changes we perceive and understand.

Many things in our fighting/striking arts practice mirrors this basic premise of change or yin and yang. In regards to physical fitness we provide parallels by discussing how blood, life of the body, circulates through out the body. How it does this is similar or the same as the changes of the moon and sun, the cycles of the moon and sun as the blood cycles throughout the body.

Our practice is hard and soft much like the sun (hard-yang) and the moon (soft-yin). This takes a good deal of study and contemplation.

I CHING

The I Ching:

Kan is the moon with reference to the "ears" for "hearing."

Li is the sun with reference to the "eyes" for "seeing."

Sun: The symbol for heat and light; Brightness; Intelligence and Wisdom; Sheds light to distinguish between right and wrong; Eyes, The pheasant, East, Image of clinging; Sun signifies the image of fire, of electricity and lightning, of armor, of a knife and spear, of a turtle, of a crab, of a snail, of a mussel, of a tortoise; I give respect to trees, it is the hollow ones with tops withered.

When the sun goes, then the moon comes, and when the moon goes, then the sun comes. The sun and the moon drive each other on, and brightness is generated in this process. What has gone is in contraction, and what is to come is an expansion. Contraction and expansion impel each other on, and benefits are generated in this process.

Moon: Symbol for danger or difficulty; Interpreted as falling into darkness; Represents water-moon; Ears, Pig, West; Moon signifies the image of water, of channels and ditches, of hidden or lying concealed, being now straight and now crooked, of a bow, of a wheel; Gua of Blood; In respect to man, it is the increasingly anxious, the sick at heart, etc; It refers to horses especially those who put their "hearts" into it; In respect to trees, it is those that are strong with dense centers.

The moon does not radiate heat and light, so it is attributed to the symbol of water, because water is cold and its attributes is the opposite of fire.

The cycles of the moon and sun represent "rest" and "action." This means one who practices must find balance by knowing when to practice and when to rest. Rest and practice drive one another and proficiency is generated in this process, and benefits are generated through this process. The means of rest and activity generate equilibrium in the physical allowing generation of "Chi" which powers the spirit and benefits the mind so the body receives its benefits.

MOON STOICISM

The I Ching provides more on the reference to the "moon."

K'an in the I Ching represents water, rain, danger, abysmal, pig-ear, and hand. Its element is water and it deals with spiritual cleansing. In man's world it represents the "heart," the soul locked up within the body, the principle of light enclosed in the dark - that is, "reason."

It also represents the recent past and the present when interpreted for divination purposes.

It tells us to act with persistence, to successfully overcome difficulties and hardships. It refers to a persistent individual who overcomes; has high ideals; is a benefit to all things; to teach others; to increase their own knowledge.

The moon as seen within the symbol and character representing K'an when followed leads to calm; leads to a peaceful place.

Harry Frankfurt wrote, "Becoming wholehearted, a state not unlike stoic resoluteness," is to eliminate conflicts in which one physical process interferes with others and undermines equilibrium in which health consists." - The Stoic Warrior author.

Wholehearted is to seek to overcome or to supersede a condition of inner division and make the self into an integrated whole. Fight it as an enemy, banish it, resist all alliances with it. Build gates to keep from entering.

Look within, see the truth, stop the stories and allow Tao to provide for us. Seek knowledge, true and accurate knowledge, or only the facts.

VAPOR

In reference to the "Sun" It states that the sun radiates heat, which evaporates water. The vapor becomes clouds from which rain falls to the "earth." Man tills the earth and produces food which, when consumed, creates the energy that maintains vigor. Vigor engenders discipline, which develops the faith that gives knowledge; knowledge bestows learning, which brings composure and creates calmness; calmness establishes equanimity, which develops memory that induces recognition; recognition brings judgment, which leads to the realization of the "Self".

If we remain open to connections that could possible bring more meaning to our practice and to our lives then such connections are positive and beneficial. In this quote I connect to the first and second line of the ken-po goku-i, i.e. "The person's heart is the same as Heaven and Earth" and "The blood circulating is similar to the Sun and Moon."

How does this apply to karate-do or any other endeavor that leads or guides us to openness and better life practices?

In the physical practice of the body through the actions of the mind we must endeavor to create a body that is complete and at its peak which requires us to feed the body the fuels necessary to accomplish this goal. Food or fuel comes from "the breathe," "food," and "knowledge" which promotes health which is physical fitness which also influences the mind through the many systems of the body connected to the bodily functioning and vice versa.

The body follows the mind and the mind is influenced by the actions of the body. You decide in your mind what and how you will care and maintain your body and your body reciprocates accordingly in its influences to the mind.

Something to think about, yes?

Note: The sun provides energy by the light spectrum it sends us on Earth. The sun also provides heat, which as the quote says influences the myriad things of the Earth where it provides sustenance to all life. Changes occur due to this relationship in water becomes gaseous/vapor rising into the heavens called "sky" creating by the changes in atmospheric pressures and temperatures clouds that rain on the Earth enriching the soils so that we may produce the foods necessary to create energy that fuels the very cells of our bodies ...

Note: The body needs food containing the right balance, water helps digest and assimilate the food, food then nourishes by its assimilation into the various forms through out the body. One must find out by trial and experience which food is suitable to him/her.

Note: Our temperament is influenced by our diet because what we eat does affect the functioning of the mind. It is that state of mind that is important and proper diet will help to maintain clear and unwavering mind.

Note: The quantity and quality of food should be moderated. Respiration/proper-breathing provides the energy to promote digestion. Moderate and nourishing food is essential to maintain vigor, strength and alertness. Food is to be respected, not abused.

How does one achieve this in karate-do, by discipline. To achieve discipline the rigors of karate-do promote it and by it we can achieve discipline of the mind and spirit. This type of discipline promotes the kind that allows us to decide on our diet and then live that diet even when tempted by all that surrounds us such as advertisements. This is how it starts and the singular practice of the mind and body in karate-do promotes this and the other disciplines necessary to change and promote living well, being healthy in both mind and body.

UNTIRING EFFORT

" … So moves 'the unwearied sun from day to day,' making it a good symbol of renewed, untiring effort. … " so says appendix II of the Legge translation of the I Ching. It goes on to tell us that the motion of Heaven is a complete revolution every day, resumed the next … that in itself provides connectivity to the reference of the sun and thus the moon.

In our goku-I, it would indicate that the person/human must take on the trait of untiring effort with due diligence and forthrightness, i.e. wholehearted effort, which is inherently untiring.

BLOOD-SUN-MOON

The sun and moon exist; the sun and moon stand at two opposing points in relation to the Earth (metaphorically speaking). Their influences create life. Their influences created the rhythms and cycles that allow for the ebb and flow of energy. All things depend on energy to live, move and be animated in all its varying levels.

The sun brings light and life giving energy to all that exist under its influences; the earth, the moon, the planets of our Universe/Solar System. This exemplifies the cycles and rhythms that give us the seasons, the tides and the ebb and flow of energy in all things. The Chi of the great Tai Chi. It is expansion and contraction; it is the rise and fall of things.

Our blood represents the rhythms and cycles that drive life in humans (persons) and is driven through the circulations by our heart being the driving force of humans as a living entity. An entity that is partnered with all other living entities; all providing influences much like the moon and sun influencing one another in a symbiotic fashion; one cannot exist with out the other. The sun and moon coupled with humans, heaven and earth created life, created energy and created the yin-n-yang that generates life and life energy.

Humans understanding and awareness of this allows them to harness the natural instinctual yin-n-yang of the heart and blood to feed the mind, body and spirit (heaven-(hu)man-earth; sun-blood-moon).

With out equilibrium, life balance and connectedness, we lose life energy - we cease to exist. To gain and build life energy - we exist. In the singular form of practice in any martial system the fundamental principles display, instruct and teach us to bring together and into balance all the myriad things that mean life, energy and its use according to the mandates of nature and the universe.