The Eyes Have It

There are two terms in Japanese that help explain this precept or tome or terse tome of the ken-po goku-i, i.e. kan (顔 - observing) and ken (見 - seeing). 

It begins by telling us that the eye, generally for martial systems, is both strong and weak. Kan is a strong eye while ken is a weak eye. We see far and close where the focus may change what is seen from either strong or weak. We must achieve seeing as a sweeping broad fashion of seeing things.

Then we take into consideration strong and weak where directly seeing a thing is weak while seeing the peripheral as strong. This is what the gorin-no-sho states in, "you observe what is happening on both sides (peripheral) of yourself without rolling your eyes." This is that principle that uses such vision to see everything allowing the mind/brain to achieve superior action selection and implementation.

The art of seeing all things in martial systems is special to the art of fighting. To know a threats fighting system and yet not seeing its importance is not the arto of fighting and leads to getting hit.

We make many things important yet should understand that all the principles must be cohesive in application and practice/training to achieve a whole complete and useful system. Any imbalance to one or more leaves the art less than optimal. Seek the optimal, perfection as a path, at all times in training/practice.

This can be applied to "hearing," "striking," "moving," "balance," "hard-n-soft," and other aspects of the ken-po goku-i as it connects to the fundamental principles of martial systems.