The Kempo Hakku was a favorite poem of Miyagi Chojun Sensei. It was the 13th article from the ancient Chinese text, The Bubishi. Around 1930, Miyagi Sensei named his method of te, Goju-Ryu, from the third line of this poem.
Jinshin wa tenchi ni onaji
Ketsumyaku wa nichigetsu ni nitari
Ho wa goju wo tondo su
Mi wa toki ni shitagai hen ni ozu
Te wa ku ni ai sunawachi hairu
Shintai wa hakarite riho su
Me wa shiho wo miru wa yosu
Mimi wa yoku happo wo kiku
Two translations are known for these eight poems of the fist :
The mind is one with heaven and earth
The human mind is one with heaven and earth
The circulatory rhythm of the body is similar to the cycle of the sun and the moon
Our blood circulation parallels the solar and lunar cycles of each day
The way of inhaling and exhaling is both hard and soft
Inhaling represents softness while exhaling characterizes hardness
Act in accordance with time and change
Adapt to changing conditions
Techniques will occur in the absence of conscious thought
Response must result without conscious thought
The feet must advance and retreat, separate and meet
Distancing and posture dictates the outcome of the meeting
The eyes do not miss even the slightest change
See what is unseeable
The ears listen well in all directions
Expect what is unexpected