Many people who hardly know anything Japanese, use the word Hara-kiri, freely, meaning 'Suicide'. In Japanese, the word hara means belly or 'viscera', and kiri means cut or split.
This form of suicide was regarded as an act of great honor, and was actually performe
d willingly by slitting the stomach of oneself. There is another version of 'hara-kiri' - which is an act of submission to be beheaded on the order of a superior. It is known as "seppuku". In this case, the man sits before an admiring circle of friends and colleagues, early morning, facing the rising sun. He is asked to write down a small farewell poem and then accept the inevitable - yet the most honorable end by a sword, wielded by one of his best friends. The Samurais of yore welcomed such a command from their overlords, as an act of sincere penance for a shameful conduct.
Once a Samurai, always a samurai
Though this practice is long extinct in Japan, shame still dwells in the sub-conscious as a silent, unspoken, below-the-threshold psychological trait that influences even the most modern Japanese. Shame can easily silence one or act as a sublimating mechanism in Japanese behavior. The Japanese suffer from the worst fear of committing a shameful act or being ashamed of dishonesty, disrespect or dis-harmony with socially accepted norms. Many of the suicide cases are traced to the Japanese apprehension of acute shame. However, both 'hara-kiri' and 'seppuku' are no longer practiced in today's Japan.
Coming back to the hara, to the Japanese it connotes far more - backbone, heart, mind, guts. And it is the source of breath and hence spirit, similar to the Greek concept of psyche. From the hara rises the breath for chanting sutras. The thoughts that emanate from the hara help to make one's communication agreeable and indulgent. It is called hara-gei - a word that describes the form of trust and intimacy, for instance, between the manager and his worker. One must be capable of reaching another's heart through his 'hara' -somewhat like the expression: "the route to the heart is through the stomach".
There are several connotations related to hara - such as a man of ill will has a black hara and a generous man has a thick hara, and so on. Semantics apart, the Japanese literally protect the hara with a cloth band which is called hara-maki. Women in their fifth month of pregnancy ritualistically wrap themselves in a hara-obi, which they continue until delivery. I have noticed the Japanese advising Indian women not to reveal the midriff and to keep the belly always well wrapped for good health.
In the meditative posture called Zazen, the breath should rise unimpeded from the hara, -comparable to the Indian kundalini- according to Zen practices. The Japanese claim to be able to communicate with others - silently - through the hara, during games, negotiations or meetings. Many Japanese game parlours or meetings are unbelievably quiet, because it's only in silence you can wake up the hara and respond to it.
This form of suicide was regarded as an act of great honor, and was actually performe
d willingly by slitting the stomach of oneself. There is another version of 'hara-kiri' - which is an act of submission to be beheaded on the order of a superior. It is known as "seppuku". In this case, the man sits before an admiring circle of friends and colleagues, early morning, facing the rising sun. He is asked to write down a small farewell poem and then accept the inevitable - yet the most honorable end by a sword, wielded by one of his best friends. The Samurais of yore welcomed such a command from their overlords, as an act of sincere penance for a shameful conduct.Once a Samurai, always a samurai
Though this practice is long extinct in Japan, shame still dwells in the sub-conscious as a silent, unspoken, below-the-threshold psychological trait that influences even the most modern Japanese. Shame can easily silence one or act as a sublimating mechanism in Japanese behavior. The Japanese suffer from the worst fear of committing a shameful act or being ashamed of dishonesty, disrespect or dis-harmony with socially accepted norms. Many of the suicide cases are traced to the Japanese apprehension of acute shame. However, both 'hara-kiri' and 'seppuku' are no longer practiced in today's Japan.
Coming back to the hara, to the Japanese it connotes far more - backbone, heart, mind, guts. And it is the source of breath and hence spirit, similar to the Greek concept of psyche. From the hara rises the breath for chanting sutras. The thoughts that emanate from the hara help to make one's communication agreeable and indulgent. It is called hara-gei - a word that describes the form of trust and intimacy, for instance, between the manager and his worker. One must be capable of reaching another's heart through his 'hara' -somewhat like the expression: "the route to the heart is through the stomach".
There are several connotations related to hara - such as a man of ill will has a black hara and a generous man has a thick hara, and so on. Semantics apart, the Japanese literally protect the hara with a cloth band which is called hara-maki. Women in their fifth month of pregnancy ritualistically wrap themselves in a hara-obi, which they continue until delivery. I have noticed the Japanese advising Indian women not to reveal the midriff and to keep the belly always well wrapped for good health.
In the meditative posture called Zazen, the breath should rise unimpeded from the hara, -comparable to the Indian kundalini- according to Zen practices. The Japanese claim to be able to communicate with others - silently - through the hara, during games, negotiations or meetings. Many Japanese game parlours or meetings are unbelievably quiet, because it's only in silence you can wake up the hara and respond to it.
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