The term wabi sabi is challenging to translate, because neither wabi nor sabi have exact translations in English! It’s still worth trying to get to the gist of it, however, especially as I plan my upcoming teaching stint of The Yoga Tradition in Japan.
Wabi(侘) speaks to simplicity and imperfection, while Sabi(寂) speaks to aging. The most poetic match I can think of in English is the word “patina”, especially as it describes antique leather. Both wabi and sabi also imply a certain acceptance of solitude and singularity. This is not my attempt at any sort of comprehensive definition or translation. I invite you to look into this on your own! Discovering inexpressible nuance in meaning as one experiences Japanese art is part of the fun.
The Illusion of Permanence
One of the primary strategies of yoga is to see past Maya, the grand illusion of the physical world and perceive its inherent impermanence. We live our lives like we we’ll be around forever, and the preciousness of our current stint on this planet is therefore sometimes lost on us! Wabi Sabi objects remind us of our own impermanence and celebrate the gorgeousness that only comes with age (and presumably wisdom!)
Perfectionism as a Barrier to Growth
One of the most challenging aspects of yogic practice is how humbling it can be. Growth mandates a certain level of discomfort, and that discomfort often comes from the realizing that we’re often not doing our practices very skillfully. For instance, a supremely ironic aspect of shamata (calm abiding) meditation is having to come to terms with how non-calm our minds are when we sit for meditation! But it’s only by accepting our mind’s tendency to wander that we can make any meaningful evolution towards serenity. Celebrating imperfection is an essential part of the journey to anything resembling perfection.
The Heart of Compassion
Perhaps one of the most famous examples of the wabi sabi aesthetic is the art of Kintsugi, or gold joinery, where a broken ceramic bowl is repaired using gold to glue the pieces back together. Talk about celebrating imperfection!
No one can empathize with a broken hearted person better than someone whose heart has also been broken, but later skillfully repaired. There is a certain unmatched beauty in the compassion of a person who can truly relate to the suffering of others, and Kintsugi is a visual representation of this phenomenon.
Heal the world with your beautiful broken self.
Love,
Tako