you have been many asking what the Deep Zen logo means. Often, i see Asiatic people smiling at my shirt and when they find the courage, they come to me to say i've written it the wrong way around.
In the past, Japanese letters were written from right to left... it is only later they decided to change and write them from left to right like occidental people. You obviously understand that i favour old ways and style, I've then decided to write it from right to left.
Our logo features three symbols :
The first one on the right is FU and means deep, strong, potent...
Associated to the second symbol, kai, the FU suddenly suggest that we are speaking about underwater stuff. So FU KAI, indeed means deep and imply that we this is underwater.
The third symbol means zen and has no real translation. Historically, Shakyamuni said he was practicing « DHYANA » which strictly means « absobtion ». Once the first patriarchs arrived in China, some centuries later, the locals were'nt able to proncounce this word in the indian style. Dhyana became "TCHANA"... and since tchana was certainly a « a » to much for the chinese, tchana became "TCHAN", known today as chinese buddhism. Again, some centuries later, once japanese got in touch with tchan, the same problem happend and Tchan became "ZEN". For no specific reasons, zen stays just zen still nowadays.
In regular kanji writing style, FUKAI ZEN does not look as trippy as in pictogram. Some believe that originally, these pictograms were drawing clearly representing something.
Here it is more difficult to say what they obviously mean and only our imagination can see what lays beyond these symbols.
In the FU, to be honest with you, i see some kind of lizard alien wearing a diving mask. The three bars on the left show he had reach illumination. Well, that's my imagination... but i like all these stories of other worlds and ancient civilisations stuffs mixed with spiritual achievments. Considering the Dogon legends, a being called « Nommo » who was half fish half human came to them and revealed them some aspects of his incredible knowledge.
I enjoy believing that the world Deep Zen contains traces of these kind of stories... it makes it really exotic.
In the KAI, i see a monofin... how could a freediver express the in water depth in a more simple way than by drawing a monofin. Pretty straight to the point.
The ZEN is eventually more complicated to sublimate. For having lived many years in a zen temple, this pictogram represent for me a monk inside the temple. He's having this froggy face that isn't unusual on temple monks and he looks pretty anchored to the place.
So why not? ... A monk in the temple.
The three together make a nice branding with a fun signification. Copyrighted ;)
A deeper interpretation of what it could be is certainly still to come, that's part of the Way
If you like this logo, maybe you want to visit our shop and check the goodies you could have printed with it. Maybe a nice comfy sweater for the winter to come?
In the same time and by the same way, you help the monk Kosho Loïc Vuillemin to keep being able to develop his activities in between teaching meditation and freediving and afford the costs of competing as an international athlete.
Be creative, search your imagination, have faith ... and keep it deep
Kosho