Piccolo Meditates

The Full Lotus position is a seated cross legged position employed in meditation practices throughout the world. In anime and manga it is often depicted incorrectly. But so far nobody on the internet has seemed to notice.

The Full Lotus position has a rich cultural background, many purposes and benefits, and is sometimes depicted in anime and manga… Though rarely in the traditional way. This is especially true in the Shonen (Young Boys) genre, such as in Dragon Ball.

In Dragon Ball there are martial artists and individual styles of martial arts based cultivation practices. Some of the practices involve meditation. For example, there are scenes where Piccolo meditates in a cross legged position as he levitates above the ground using his own internal energy. Meditation is the primary way in which Piccolo increases his power level. In this practice he strengthens and refines his supernormal abilities. While Yamcha, Tenshinhan and Chaozu engaged in North Kaio’s special training methods during the Saiyan Saga, Piccolo only sat in meditation. Yet in this simple process he became more powerful than all of them.

But the seated position that Piccolo maintains is not the proper Full Lotus. Instead it is a general cross legged position, with one ankle loosely crossed in front of the other. He supposedly sits like this for hours at a time.

However, it is nearly impossible to sit like this for extended periods of time. The body is too tense and a practitioner cannot enter into tranquility. The Full Lotus is a remedy to this problem.

What is the Full Lotus?

What exactly is the Full Lotus position and what makes it different from a regular cross legged sit?

The Full Lotus Position is a special way of sitting that is taught primarily in spiritual or meditative practices, and is historically attributed to practices in India. From India, the practice of Buddhism spread into China (and elsewhere), then Korea and finally Japan, where it took root and became distinctively Japanese.

There are different terms for this practice. In Indian Sanskrit the yogic practice of seated meditation is called Asana (to sit down), while in Chinese meditation it is called Da Zou (Big Sit), and in Japanese meditation it is called Zazen (seated wordless).

Full Lotus position brings both legs up in a cross so that the ankles of both legs are turned over and the soles of both feet are turned up. This allows for all “Five Centers to Face Heaven” (so that the soles of the feet, the palms of the hands, and the top of the head each face up).

Another traditional seated position for cultivation exercises in meditation is the Half Lotus.

Half Lotus involves bringing one leg up in a crossed position so that the sole of the foot faces up and rests in a straight line across the other leg. For males the left leg will be on top while for females the right leg will be on top, though this can vary among practices, and is sometimes performed in such a way in order to bring balance to the different amounts of yin and yang between the genders.

Why Full Lotus?

Falun Dafa's Fifth Exercise in Full Lotus

There are several benefits for and reasons behind the Full Lotus seated position.

The first is stability. Having both ankles above the lower legs causes the upper legs to make more surface contact with the ground. This prevents the practitioner from swaying back and forth in uncomfortable states that might be found in the general cross legged position. It also removes stress from the hip-flexors, pelvis and lower back, and allows the practitioner to fully relax their body, a state that is necessary to achieve in practices of both mind and body.

I’ve also heard it said that because of the increased stability of the Full Lotus, a monk who falls asleep during the practice will not tip over. While this may be true, it is also misleading as the true purpose is to allow the monks to enter into a trance or transcendental state of heightened awareness where they leave the body. The Full Lotus position ensures that the practitioner’s body will remain upright upon their return.

On another level, the Full Lotus position promotes the full rotation of energy through the practitioners’ energy channels, from the entire yin side of the body to the entire yang side of the body. This position is necessary for a practitioner to fully refine and transform their innate body in all dimensions.

So Then, Why Not Full Lotus?

Naruto's Shadow Clone training

With all of the cultural, physical and metaphysical rationale and meaning within the Full Lotus, why do Japanese comic books and cartoons almost always depict this practice inaccurately? Even in the case of deliberately spiritual or martial arts based characters, they still don’t perform Full Lotus.

I scoured the web for an answer and it seems nobody has talked about this (at least not in English.) Therefore, I have a few theories.

The first is that Full Lotus is a difficult position to enter into for those without special training or with a relatively inflexible body. It’s possible there was concern in the Japanese manga and anime sectors that young children would emulate their favorite hero’s and hurt themselves in the process. For this reason, such depictions were changed to the general cross legged position, with the same basic understanding implied that the person sitting down was spiritually inclined.

To get closer to the truth I asked an expert in anime and manga for their opinion – Jason Thompson, the once head editor at VIZ Media in charge of Dragon Ball’s North American comic release. On May 9^th, 2010 via email Jason said “I don’t know much about the subject, but I’ve never heard of any restriction or taboo’s about depicting the lotus position, either for religious reasons or bad for children reasons. Perhaps the cross legged position is just easier to draw.”

The easier to draw theory might be the case, but I can’t help but think that the mangaka are well versed in human anatomy and clearly have no trouble depicting advanced martial arts techniques. Why would this position pose a problem?

In that same train of thought, the reason may be one of religious tolerance or concern for the actual forthright depictions of spiritual cultivators in meditation practice in a cartoon based medium. Jason suggested that perhaps Buddhists in Japan might find it offensive, though he followed the hypothetical with “But it seems unlikely, considering that manga and anime make fun of Buddhism as often as they make fun of Christianity, which is a lot.” I could not find examples of this type of humor in English to confirm if this is true, though I figure if modern jokes that deal with Buddhism were commonly approved by the producers and directors that green light a series, then a seated leg position would not be an issue as it is rather minor in comparison.

There could also be fears of fringe spiritual practices becoming popular in Japanese society at large, in recoil from such movements as Aum Shinrikyo and their 1995 sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo subways. This event changed the perception of any practice that involves Full Lotus meditation, though not as much in regards to the generally accepted religions of Japan, which includes Buddhism.

Naruto trains in sennin mode

This stigma still exists in Japan and may explain the post 1995 depictions of the seated position, as even today we see the general cross legged form in new episodes of anime.

In Naruto Shippudden episode 156 (Surpassing the Master, April 15^th 2010) we see Naruto endure his training in the sennin arts (aka hermit arts, or sage arts). In this episode he learns how to still his body and mind in order to draw in the nature chakra that surrounds all living beings. Naruto sits on top of a piece of stone tile which is carefully balanced on top of a large stone spire hundreds of feet in the air. Of course he does not sit in Full Lotus, even though this would provide him with the most balance and stability.

Likewise, in Naruto Shippudden episode 159 (Kakashi vs. Pain, May 5^th, 2010) we see Lady Tsunade in this same position as she uses her Katsuya summon to help heal the villagers inside Konoha and to protect them from further devastation.

In other series, even characters that are blatantly supposed to be Buddhist monks don’t sit in Full Lotus, such as Chichiri from Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play (1995-1996).

However, this stigma would not explain the pre 1995 incidents, such as in Dragon Ball Z episode 208 (Welcome Back Goku! The Whole Z Team is Gathered!, November 24, 1993) where we see Goku train in deep meditation on top of a mountain in preparation for his oncoming fights in the Tenkaichi Budokai tournament.

Another possibility is that a decision maker at TOEI (TV), Shueisha (comics), or some other large publishing house made a decision to not depict Full Lotus in its traditional form (for whatever reason), and this is how it has been ever since.

Lady Tsunade sits cross legged

The final explanation, and the one that I believe is most likely, is that the mangaka simply don’t understand true cultivation practices of mind and body. They have a basic understanding of the principles or physical positions as well as the philosophy behind them, but not the actual reasons or rationale of how they work.

Maybe somebody in the creative community knew that people were supposed to sit in meditation in order to develop supernormal abilities or superhuman strength, but they didn’t actually know how it was done. Then the next artist came along and copied the first person.

There are exceptions of course, such as L, from Death Note.

In any case, this appears to still be the trend and has been for over 20 years.

A Rising Lotus

Goku Meditates atop a mountain

There are running gags and themes that surround the Full Lotus position in anime and manga and the physical posture is symbolic of a character’s personality.

In some cases you’ll see the character sitting there with legs slightly crossed and then they will levitate into the air. This is supposed to show that they are spiritually inclined characters or serve as a joke that they are holier than the other characters.

Though as mentioned, the general legs crossed position would be incredibly difficult to maintain, especially while suspended because all of the pressure would be on the hip-flexors. There would be no way to attain a meditative state.

So in conclusion I’m not really sure why the Full Lotus position isn’t depicted correctly, even when the situation calls for it or the character in question is a professional martial artist or spiritualist.

It’s also possible I’ve put way too much thought into this, as I tend to do. But why hasn’t anybody else out there noticed? Don’t you think it’s interesting?

If anyone in the anime or manga fan community has an idea of why this is or has a comment on the situation, then please let us know.

Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_position

http://japanese-religions.jp/publications/assets/JR31_2_a_Repp2.pdf

http://www.onemanga.com/Death_Note/4/03/

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LotusPosition

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

The Lotus Position in Anime And Manga

Piccolo and Gohan - Master and Disciple

You cannot force someone to change their heart.  The most effective long-term way to change others is to change oneself.

A common way to change someone is to directly inform, persuade, or force another person to align themselves with the way in which you desire them to change.  Barring any personal reasons for resistance, a willing and intelligent person will usually comply with the requirements of the request.

However, this direct method is primarily one of short-term change, because it is only the external behavior that has changed, not the underlying mindset or mechanisms that led to such a behavior.  Usually it will take 3 or more applications of such a method for it to ‘stick.’

In order for a person to truly change for the long-term they have to change their mindset, be willing to let go of their current notions or methodologies and make a conscious effort to change on their own behalf because it is what they want, for themselves and for others.

I have noticed adverse effects with the short-term method and subsequently avoid this method to change others directly, because doing so can be rather ineffective or even produce the oppositely intended result.  It may also produce a scenario where it’s always the ‘other person’s fault,’ which is an unnecessary judgment that often leads to stagnation in my improvement.

Rather, upon seeing what I perceive as a character flaw in others I will look within and alter or eliminate any trace of what I may see in others that I feel needs to be changed within my own character.  In so doing I become the living embodiment of a higher standard.  I look within, find any character flaw that may be present, change or eliminate it, and improve myself in the process.  I believe that this is truly ‘looking inward.’

Consequently, living in such a way will reflect onto others, in so doing I provide the person within my area of effect with an opportunity for self initiated change.

How?  They’ll see the change in character, behavior and the disparity between their behavior and my own.  Like a light that clears away the fog of their mind it will reveal the truth that was always there but once again lies before their eyes, and in a compassionate, honest and respectful way they will have a chance to change and improve.

A change at this point will be one of long term ramification because the person will have made a fundamental change in their own personal character.  Their mindset will have shifted, and that’s a big deal because any future thoughts that arise within a mind that has been altered will thus follow a different path.

It’s like construction on a road way, with cars running through it.  A road was going one direction and thoughts (cars) could only go from location 1 to 2, but now construction has occurred, and a new avenue has opened up.  The thoughts may still travel from 1 to 2, but now they can also go to three 3.  And perhaps in the future the thoughts will only travel from 1 to 3.

The idea is that this new destination is a better place, a more positive and uplifting place with a higher standard. The thoughts couldn’t reach this place before because there wasn’t a way for them to do so and they didn’t meet the standard for that realm… that realm of thought.

The most effective way to change a person’s heart is by showing them how you have changed your own.  An honest and openly direct short-term approach can work well too, and is certainly useful and necessary in many situations, but a long-term approach is most often the best approach, and it starts with changing oneself to live up to a higher standard.

Look within, work on improving your own character and take your realm of thought to a higher place.  From that moment on wherever you go you will make an impression on others and it will be an indirect, compassionate, as well as honest approach that will change their lives for the better.

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

How to Change Others for the Long Term