A circle is one of the simplest forms imaginable, yet Zen Buddhists believe this unassuming shape holds great meaning. For centuries, Buddhist monks and artists have created these brushwork circles to express their truth. Some of these artists even hold that the Enso, or Zen circle, is a graphic depiction of enlightenment itself. Ensōs have been painted by Zen masters, monks, and others since the eighth century. The ensō is best known to most people from the Japanese Zen Buddhist tradition, most often associated with Zenga-art produced in the Zen tradition. The ensō is generally done as a spiritual exercise in a meditative state or no-mind, a single brush stroke without hesitation or thought. The idea is not to paint a perfect circle, but to paint one that captures the spontaneity, playfulness, and spiritual state of the painter and the moment. Many in the Zen Buddhist tradition of Japan say the ensō is a symbol of connectedness or unity of all things. Some Zen masters refuse to define or name the ensō and leave it to the viewer. Others say the ensō represents perfection, enlightenment, formlessness, emptiness, void, true void, timelessness, placelessness, oneness, infinity, mind-body, unity, nothing, everything, nothing-everything, abyss, universe, no-mind, awareness, connectedness...
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