LIVING THE WABI-SABI WAY

A REMINDER TO SELF

LIVING THE WABI-SABI WAY OF LIFE

Wabi-Sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection, of accepting the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death.

In Zen Buddhism Wabi is described as an active aesthetical appreciation of poverty; poverty in the more romantic sense of removing the huge weight of material concerns from our lives. Wabi is to be satisfied with a little hut, a room of two or three tatami mats and with a dish of vegetables picked in the neighboring fields, and perhaps to be listening to the pattering of a gentle spring rainfall.

Sabi can be applied to an imagery that is transient. The look of something that shows its age, that imparts something of its life. Sabi represents the passing of time, perhaps a longing for the carefree existence of childhood.

When put together wabi sabi would logically mean being in a simple state of living placed in the context of the passing of time.
Wabi Sabi honors all things old, weathered, worn, imperfect and impermanent by finding the beauty and perfection in the imperfections a magical transformation happens.

The Japanese art of ‘Kintsukuroi’ is the art of repairing broken pottery with gold. A Japanese art museum would put an old large vase with a big crack in the middle on a pedestal and shine a light on the crack. Or, they might fill the crack with 24k gold. This unique method celebrates each artifact by emphasizing its fractures and breaks instead of hiding or disguising them.

The repaired pottery looks even more beautiful than the original. In addition to serving as an aesthetic principle, Kintsukuroi represents the wabi-sabi philosophy of seeing beauty in the flawed or imperfect.

Wabi Sabi is the practice of appreciating our own and everyone else’s imperfection, cherishing and valuing all things in life and making life more simple and joyous.

Wabi Sabi is getting out of the mind stories. By removing mind stories about your partner, your mate, or your friend, your relationship will be pleasurable. By removing the mind stories of keeping up with the trend of modern life, your relationship with life can be more pleasurable and stress free. The simplicity of life brings immense joy and transformation.

We can start a Wabi-Sabi living today by recognizing the gifts we have around us, our bodies that help us to walk this planet, the sun, the air, the breeze, the food, the friends, the ability to experience through the senses.

The recognition of the beauty and harmony of life can be done by taking a small break in our busy day everyday and connecting with simple things that bring joy to our heart.

We can make a list of simple things that we would love to do, it can be a moment of silence with oneself, it can be a walk in the park, it can be standing under a tree, or listening to the rain, painting or drawing for fun, flying a kite, playing with a pet, playing with children, jumping on a trampoline, taking care of a plant, running down a beach , or walking barefoot.

Let us choose to bring small, simple pleasure breaks, in our busy life.
Let us heal the body, mind and Spirit.
Blessings!
Premlatha Rajkumar

( Photo taken from Depositphotos, article by Kelly Richman Abdou. – My Modern Met – Online Magazine)