Japanese symbol for life and death

The Japanese word seishi meaning "Life and Death" and also translates as the Buddhist concept "Samsara (cycle of death and rebirth)" and is composed of the kanji 生 (read sei) meaning "life; birth" and 死 (read shi) meaning "death; die".

Similar to the Chinese Yin Yang this duality represents balance and is the perfect concept to be reminded of every day.

♥︎ Sizes ♥︎

This print is available in the following sizes:

A4 - 210 x 297mm - 8 1/4 x 11 3/4 inches

A5 - 148 x 210mm - 5 7/8 x 8 1/4 inches

Digital Download - We will send you the download link to all of the above sizes

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱.

♥︎ How the Digital Download Edition works ♥︎

- If you choose the digital edition we will send you a download link with all of the sizes available in both a High Resolution JPG file.

- You can then print it out either at home, at your local print shop and have as many copies as you like.

♥︎ Customisation ♥︎

Need a different word or some different colours? We can offer customisation on this design to the limit of the two colours as well as the word you would like featured.

Please get in touch via Etsy messages after placing your order for this at no extra charge.

♥︎ Copyright ♥︎

All the prints on my shop are sold for personal use only. They can NOT be resold (either as a print or physical form) or be used for any commercial purposes.

The Japanese word seishi meaning "Life and Death" and also translates as the Buddhist concept "Samsara (cycle of death and rebirth)" and is composed of the kanji 生 (read sei) meaning "life; birth" and 死 (read shi) meaning "death; die".

Similar to the Chinese Yin Yang this duality represents balance and is the perfect concept to be reminded of every day.

♥︎ Sizes ♥︎

This print is available in the following sizes as well as a digital download edition:

A4 - 210 x 297mm - 8 1/4 x 11 3/4 inches

𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟯𝟬𝟬𝗴𝘀𝗺 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲.

Digital Download (see our store for this listing) - We will send you the download link to all of the above sizes.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱.

♥︎ How the Digital Download Edition works ♥︎

- If you choose the digital edition (see our store for the listing) we will send you a download link with all of the sizes available in both a High Resolution JPG and a PDF file.

- You can then print it out either at home, at your local print shop and have as many copies as you like.

♥︎ Customisation ♥︎

Need a different word or some different colours? We can offer customisation on this design to the limit of the two colours as well as the word you would like featured.

Please get in touch via Etsy messages after placing your order for this at no extra charge.

♥︎ Copyright ♥︎

All the prints on my shop are sold for personal use only. They can NOT be resold (either as a print or physical form) or be used for any commercial purposes.

生 (sei) means “life or live,” and consists of two parts. The bottom part is soil or ground and the top line represents a new plant. Because of the soil or ground, the plant can receive life and grow big.

死 (shi) means “death,” and consists of two parts. The top and left line represents a bone and the left side represents a person who is upside down in the ground. It indicates death of the person.

Many of us may not want to think about death. However, it’s a very important matter to think about. There is an old saying, “If you truly understand death, you can understand life.” So there is a strong connection between life and death. We will all die someday; we are all mortal.

Therefore, we must understand the true meaning of death when we’re young and alive because nobody knows when we have to go. We must be ready to accept death right now, like we are facing our own death.

A friend of mine died recently. He was a member of another faith, but had an open attitude and heart toward other religions.

He asked me to talk about the Konko faith and my beliefs. Once, I asked him, “Are you afraid of death?”

He answered, “I can honestly say I am still afraid of death.”

I then asked, “How old are you?”

He said, “I’m 84 years old.”

I asked, “Are you still afraid of death? I think you have lived a long and happy life. You should be able to accept death by now. I accepted my own death joyfully when I was 21 years old.”

He responded, “Wow! How could you accept death at such a young age?”

Then I explained how I trained at the Konko seminary school. While there, I became very ill. I prayed for recovery from my illness. However, I did not get well for many months. For six or seven months my health became worse and worse. Finally, I thought I was going to die and I was terribly afraid. I could not stand it any longer so I visited with the Konko head minister. Although he was the top minister of the Konko faith, he always stayed in the corner of the main mediation room of the Konko headquarters; he was waiting for people all day long. Anyone could go there and talk to him.

The Konko head minister spoke about how people pray sincerely to Kami, God or Buddha for a safe trip when traveling far. He asked, “How many of you pray sincerely when you just go next door or shop nearby?” Traveling far or short distances have the same value. They are the same. Oneness.

I was shocked because since I was child, I had learned the difference between far and near, big and small, rich and poor, day and night and especially the biggest difference between life and death. Yet the head minister said life and death have the same value. Oneness. The universe is so vast and we are so small, like dust or a single drop of rain.

However, I finally felt one with the vast universe. Since the universe has no beginning and no end, just eternity, I will also have no beginning, no end, just eternity. United with the universe at that moment, I was able to overcome my fear of death. I was overjoyed. I felt like a baby in the arm of my eternal parents, peacefully sleeping. I soon became healthy again.

I told my friend that he is in the arm of the universal parent now and forever.

He said, “Wow! It’s an amazing story and I wish to be like that.”

I answered, “I am sure you will, too.” My friend was no longer afraid of death and he enjoyed life without fear for every remaining moment.

So I hope you understand the meaning of life and death and will discover inner peace deep in your heart now.
My dear friends, you are in the arm of the universal parent now and forever.

Rev. Masato Kawahatsu is a minister at the Konko Church of San Francisco and Konko Center of South San Francisco, who teaches shodo (Japanese calligraphy) and martial arts. He also gives spiritual counseling. He is the author of “An Eternal Journey.” He can be reached at [email protected] or (415) 517-5563. The views expressed in the preceding column are not necessarily those of the Nichi Bei Weekly.

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