It's Wabi-Sabi Time in America

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Flag of Japan Kyoto, Kinki, Japan
Monday, November 8, 2010

Wabi-Sabi...It's Wabi-Sabi time in America today... We could start by taking on the most important tenet of the Zen tea ceremony: ichigo or “once in a lifetime.” This reminds us that every meeting is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion to enjoy good company, beautiful art and a cup of tea. We never know what might happen tomorrow, or even later today. But in the moment, we could stop to share conversation and a cup of tea. And that sure beats the bad news on TV.

Coming Together

Obama gracefully implored the Nation to honor the victims of the shooting by taking stock of our civil discourse. Taking the time to think about our actions. Giving honor to the victims by the simple, humble act of living kindly in the moment. It just might bring a better day and brighter future.

Wabi-Sabi, a two word phrase, is an ancient Japanese philosophy with roots in Zen, revering austerity, nature and the everyday. It stems more directly from the Japanese tea ceremony, a simple Zen ritual for making and sharing a cup of tea . The wabi way of tea, wabichado, consists of a simple, yet imperfect cup of tea, not the elaborate tea ceremony performed by the wealthy. Sabi translates to limited mortality. Therefore, treasure each moment. Like the cup of tea, it can be an object of imperfect beauty. However, the tea in the cup will be gone in a flash. Taste life and live fully with kindness and respect for others.

Bizen Tea Cup

The simple materials of rocks, plants, and water provided gardeners
with the means to adapt any space into a refined beauty conveyed by the
Japanese words wabi-sabi, the Japanese art of finding beauty in
imperfection and profundity in nature.

Wabi-Sabi

The rise of Zen Buddhism in Japan emerged from the power failure of the aristocracy and court; allowing the warrior class access into the leadership vacuum. 1428 brought war and famine. Civil unrest and a fractured court left the emperor weak, but retaining his symbolic status. Disciples of Zen Buddhism's strict precepts, Samurai lords built Zen temples to house and educate priests who guided the moral and cultural values of the warrior class.