Meaning

A mind cleared of every disturbance, like a perfectly polished mirror or a windless lake — the classical East Asian image of attained inner peace.

邪念がなく、静止した水面のように澄み切った穏やかな心境。

The Kyojuro Rengoku moment

心を燃やし尽くした後の、最期の安らかな笑顔 — In his last frame, having finished every teaching and every farewell, Rengoku is shown smiling without strain.

Why it fits Kyojuro Rengoku

Meikyō-shisui is normally the state attained through long meditative practice; Rengoku reaches it through the moral mathematics of a complete life. The flame is spent, the mirror is clear, the water is still — and the last panel of his arc is one of the calmest images in the entire franchise.

Cultural note

Origin in classical / Buddhist / Confucian tradition

From the Zhuangzi: the sage's mind is like still water that reflects all things without being moved by any of them.

Sources

• デジタル大辞泉 — 明鏡止水 (dictionary)

How these sources are vetted →