Newborn to Sage: The Symbolism of the Belt

Bismillah.

Salik Junior came down a few months ago dressed for his first day of Karate lessons. As we got out his fresh white belt, Salik had some insight into the symbolism of the belt gradations -- he mentioned them to Sansei who confirmed that there was truth in what he thought. The belts start with white and then through a series of gradations, go to yellow, orange, red, black, and finally that black after many years begins to lose its threads and turn white once again.

This is symbolic of the Spiritual Path.

White. We are born pure, untainted by the world.

As we go through life, its trials, tribulations -- the fire, if you would, of the Spiritual Path which seeks to purify us, begins to burn the ego…yellow…orange…red at its height…until the ego is burnt, annihilated, black.

Look at the belt of the Sansei who has had it for years and you will see the threads coming apart to reveal white once more.  This is it.  That newborn, that pure child, has grown. He has battled his ego through arduous work, and now has that very purity of the newborn, of that pure child -- but the Sage is superior because he has the purity, only now it is with knowledge.