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WABI SABI

Described as "beauty in imperfection," wabi-sabi originally began in ancient China with its history rooted in Zen Buddhism. It later evolved into a predominately Japanese movement, being linked to the country’s famous tea ceremonies. The term "wabi-sabi" is not easily translated, as the practice is so rich in history that the meaning of the words has changed over the centuries. "Wabi" is said to be defined as "rustic simplicity" or "understated elegance" with a focus on a less-is-more mentality. "Sabi" is translated to "taking pleasure in the imperfect." (The Thirty)

WABI SABI

ART OF IMPERFECTION

ART OF IMPERFECTION

Flawed beauty is fully embraced in the wabi-sabi philosophy, as ancient Japanese royalty saw embracing imperfection as one of the key steps to enlightenment. Embracing the “natural passage of time” is encouraged, in stark contrast to Western culture which champions all that is perfect and new while having a low regard for aging. (The Thirty)

WABI SABI - AUTHENTICITY

AUTHENTICITY

Broadly, wabi-sabi is everything that today’s sleek, mass-produced, technology-saturated culture isn’t. It celebrates cracks and crevices and rot and all the other marks that time and weather and use leave behind. To discover wabi-sabi is to see the singular beauty in something that may first look decrepit and ugly. (Utne)

WABI SABI - FLAWED BEAUTY

FLAWED BEAUTY

Wabi-Sabi takes a mind quiet enough to appreciate muted beauty, courage not to fear bareness, willingness to accept things as they are—without ornamentation. It depends on the ability to slow down, to shift the balance from doing to being, to appreciating rather than perfecting. (Utne)

WABI SABI - RUSTIC SIMPLICITY

RUSTIC SIMPLICITY

The lifestyle calls for living modestly, accepting our own imperfection, and learning to be satisfied with what we have. It’s the polar opposite of our typically stressful, busy lives wherein we often focus on achieving perfection in all areas. (The Thirty)

WABI SABI - TRANSIENT BEINGS

TRANSIENT BEINGS

Wabi-sabi reminds us that we are all transient beings on this planet – that our bodies, as well as the material world around us, are in the process of returning to dust. Nature’s cycles of growth, decay, and erosion are embodied in frayed edges, rust, liver spots. Through wabi-sabi, we learn to embrace both the glory and the melancholy found in these marks of passing time. (Utne)

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