In the book Kokoro, the word kokoro seems to have a certain vagueness because it is a foreign word that has great importance in the book. Since the book does not contain a detailed explanation of the word kokoro, I decide to look for a definition elsewhere. In the Dharma Dictionary it is said that kokoro has three meanings: mind, heart and essence. It further states: “Originally, kokoro referred to the beating of the heart, which was considered the essential organ of life and the source of all activity. By extension, kokoro refers to all human activities that influence the external world through intension, emotion and intellect.” I thought about this quote and how it might relate to the book. I found it very helpful when analyzing the book to explain how kokoro represents the physical heart, the mind, relationships and K himself. There are many connotations of the physical heart in Kokoro, not only in a spiritual sense, but also the heart physical, pumping blood. The Japanese thought of the physical heart as the center of being, the very essence of that person. When the Sensei finally reveals his past to the student, he says, “You have revealed a shameless determination to grasp something truly alive from within my own being. You were ready to rend my heart and drink from its warm fountain of blood. I was still alive then. I didn't want to die. And so I evaded your urgings and promised to do what you asked of me another day. Now I will open my heart and pour its blood on you. I will be satisfied if, when my heart has stopped beating, your beast hosts new life." This excerpt has as much meaning as the author, Soseki, thought the heart was important. The beating heart is what keeps you alive, a... center of the card... ps of the word kokoro and the different aspects of this book. It's just that since the word has so many meanings, it's open to even more interpretations, but I think Soseki wanted it that way. I think he wanted to leave the book open to interpretation because he wanted to keep it alive. Definite things have an end, but indefinite things are more mysterious and will remain in the thoughtful minds of people for many generations. Kokoro is one of those books that we will never truly understand, but like the heart, we can only try to understand it as the words beat inside us. Works Cited Okumara, Shohaku. "Dharma Dictionary." Backward problems of the Buddhadharma. 12 August 2010. Web. 19 April 2011. . pg1Natsume, Sōseki and Meredith McKinney. Kokoro. New York, NY: Penguin, 2010. Print. Page 124