Wabi –Sabi first came to my attention because it sounded strange/cool/rhythmical W-a-b-i S-a-b-i.
I have wanted to write an article on Wabi – Sabi for some time, but it’s such an elusive concept and it’s hard to pin down.
This is my way to try and entangle what Wabi- Sabi is, please take this as an introduction, and if you are interested, please look into Wabi – Sabi further.
I believe Wabi – Sabi, if you accept its main principles it could make your life less stressful and more enjoyable.
The origins of Wabi – Sabi
Wabi – originally referred to the loneliness of living in nature, away from society.
Sabi – meant chill, lean or withered.
These original meanings changed over time and by the 14 th century, these meanings began to change to a more positive interpretation.
Wabi – is now rustic simplicity, freshness, or quietness and can be both natural and man-made objects. It can include quirks and abnormalities from the making/building of an object, which adds uniqueness.
Sabi – beauty that comes with age, when the object and its impermanence are evidenced in its patina and wear, or in any visible repairs.
So combining the two concepts, Wabi-Sabi could be said to be a state of mindfulness, living in the now and finding satisfaction in our lives. It’s embracing the simple things and finding beauty in imperfection.
Three Marks of Existence
Wabi – Sabi can be traced back to the Buddhist teachings of the Three Marks of Existence.
The Three Marks of Existence are:
- Embracing impermanence
- Suffering
- Absence of Self
Lets give you some more details on these three.
Embracing impermanence
Things in life are always changing. Nothing stays the same as everything is subject to change.
The acceptance that as life moves forward so does everything within it, so the good and bad creates its own beauty.
In Japan this can be seen in Japanese festivals, the Japanese love celebrating the seasons, in the spring cherry blossom viewing (Hanami), is when people walk around parks, riversides to look at the stunning views of the pink cherry blossom. People enjoy having Hanami parties/picnics with their friends/family and work colleagues under the cherry blossom canopy.
Hanami is looked forward to and enjoyed, but the cherry blossoms in full blossom only last about 7 days, so there is a hint of sadness that this beautiful scene is brief and the petals will fall.
In the Summer there are many festivals, but the fireworks display (Hanabi) is one of the most spectacular. Japanese firework displays are one of the best in the World, they are also very innovative thinking about new shapes and use of colors. The beautiful shapes explode and spread across the sky with the spectators gasping with amazement, but they are fleeting then are gone.
In Autumn the changing of the leaves is beautiful and people will follow the changing leaves from the north of Japan to the south, basically, leaf chasers, trying to make the experience just last a little bit longer. This beautiful red, orange, and yellow leaves only last for a few weeks then fall to the earth.
With these festivals the Japanese people really do embrace the impermanence, but also celebrate it.
Suffering
Is a necessary part of life, suffering makes us realize that each moment of happiness is special.
Buddhists would say because we exist, we also suffer. We spend a lot of time trying to avoid suffering, trying to push it away and not experience it. It’s natural that we don’t want to suffer and we don’t want others to suffer. So instead of studying suffering and trying to analyze what effects it has on our lives, and understand it’s part of life, and avoiding it, we actually create more suffering for ourselves.
Absence of self
This is linked to impermanence, like everything around us, we are always in a state of flux.
This reminds me of Heraclitus, he said:
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for its not the same river and he’s not the same man.”
Definitions of Wabi – Sabi
Here are some definitions of wabi-sabi from people who have done more research and understand wabi-sabi much better than myself. I hope these definitions make wabi-sabi clearer in your mind.
“the most conspicuous and characteristics feature of what we think of traditional Japanese beauty. It occupies roughly the same position in the Japanese pantheon aesthetic values as do the Greek idea of beauty and perfection in the west”
Leonard Koren
“If an object or expression can bring about, within us, a sense of serene melancholy and a spiritual longing, then that object could be said to be wabi-sabi”
Andrew Juniper
“Wabi-Sabi nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect.”
Richard Powell
Japanese Tea Ceremony and Wabi – Sabi
The tea ceremony has a major influence on the development and take-up of Wabi-Sabi. The zen monk Murata Shuko (1423 – 1502) infused the wabi-sabi philosophy and aesthetic into the tea ceremony.
During this time the drinking of tea was for only the ruling class. The ruling classes liked to show off their wealth by using their expensive tea-making utensils and drinking their tea looking at the full moon. Shuko used simple Japanese-made pottery. He also wanted his students to appreciate the half-moon or covered by clouds.
Shuko’s ideas were later taken on by Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591) he probably had the most influence on reforming the tea ceremony into a more wabi-sabi style. Sen no Rikyu served tea to the great and the good of Japan, including Oda Nobunaga (who started the unification of Japan), and his successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi (who completed the unification of Japan) he used tiny rooms called soan, with narrow entrances, which forced the guests to remove their swords and crawl inside.
He stripped down the movements to make and serve the tea, to make all movements as efficient as possible.
His way of using simple (but well-made) utensils and efficient movements established wabi-sabi into the tea ceremony.
There is a story of a young Sen no Rikyu, which foretold his understanding of Wabi – Sabi.
The story goes Sen no Rikyu visited the Tea Master, Takeno Joo, to learn the way of Tea. As a test Joo ordered him to do some gardening. Rikyu cleaned up the garden and raked the ground until it was perfect. The garden looked immaculate, but just before leaving the garden, he shook a cherry tree, so a few petals fell on to the immaculately raked ground.
When Joo saw this he knew that Sen no Rikyu would be a great advocate for the Wabi – Sabi way of life.
Kintsugi – seeing the repair in all its glory
Kintsugi is a great example of Wabi – Sabi if you have a favorite teacup, rice bowl and it gets a chip on its rim or is broken, instead of throwing it away you can get it repaired by putting the pieces back together with lacquer with gold powder mixed into to it.
The crack/repair stands out, it doesn’t hide the damage, but highlights it. It basically celebrates the imperfection.
“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in”
Leonard Cohen
If you are interested in Kintsugi, please look at my previous article on Kintsugi by clicking the link.
Please check out my article on Kintsugi – https://japanesetales.com/kintsugi-the-japanese-art-of-mending-pottery-with-gold/
Is Wabi – Sabi harmful to you and Society?
I’m being a bit of a Devil’s Advocate here, but could Wabi – Sabi be harmful?
It could be said that Wabi – Sabi is focused on the past, it considers old objects superior/preferable, the decay of fabrics of buildings and old-fashioned sentimental feelings as important.
This focus on old objects and decay/deterioration could hold you back and society in general, the advancement in technology and improving processes could be considered less important.
The laid-back philosophy of Wabi-Sabi is maybe the opposite of what we need to be doing, going into the future with energy and enthusiasm.
Why Wabi – Sabi is important for today?
I believe a Wabi-Sabi lifestyle is now more important than ever. Today people are concerned with their social media profile:
- Looking good
- Showing off their possessions
- How happy they are
- How successful they are
So this puts pressure on them and also their friends and family to keep up their appearance’s. Keeping up with the Jones’s in overdrive.
People work hard at their jobs with deadlines and their boss looking over their shoulder, so stress is all around.
This is why Wabi-Sabi is important, it’s taking time out to appreciate nature and your surroundings, taking a walk, enjoying a coffee.
Wouldn’t it be good to have an old handmade cup or bowl with a rough patch on the side (or something which makes it imperfect/unique)?
It would be something special to feel it, touch it, it would make an everyday lunch/dinner into an occasion.
It’s good to recycle, so why not buy an older/antique piece of furniture, which has character and you can see the wear from its age, instead of new flat-pack furniture which you have to assemble.
There is a sad, melancholy side to Wabi-Sabi it makes us think about our aging and our eventual death. So it’s important to fill our lives with experiences and hopefully with good words, good thoughts, good deeds.
Some movie quotes with a Wabi – Sabi feel:
“seize the day, because, believe it or not, each and every one of us in this room is one day going to stop breathing, turn cold and die.”
The Dead Poets Society
“Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Ferris Buellers Day off
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, Wabi-Sabi is a state of mindfulness, living in the now and finding satisfaction in our lives. It’s embracing the simple things and finding beauty in imperfection.
We don’t have to be perfect, we all have are cracks and flaws, so if we accept this, our lives could be happier.
If we accept life’s impermanence and enjoy the moments of happiness, however fleeting, we can overcome and cope with the bad times.
If we look carefully you can always find something beautiful in any surroundings.
Maybe this article could be said to be Wabi – Sabi, ish it’s imperfect and I’m sure it has its flaws, but I hope you can find something useful in it.
I think Wabi – Sabi is fascinating. I have probably only scratched the surface of what Wabi – Sabi is. It certainly is thought provoking and could change your life for the better,
Please feel free to leave your comments.
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful post with us.
Thank you Jonathon , I’m happy you liked the article on Wabi-Sabi.
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