What is Wabi-Sabi?

By Linda Merrill, Networx

Have you read or heard the term “Wabi-Sabi” recently? If some of the design blogs are to be believed, it’s becoming a “thing” in interiors. Yet, the very act of force, of trying to make something a “thing,” opposes the essence of Wabi-Sabi.

To truly understand Wabi-Sabi, one likely has to spend years studying Zen Buddhism and the social and cultural mores of the traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony. Wabi-Sabi has developed from two different philosophies, and can be (sort of) summed up by Richard R. Powell, who wrote in his book Wabi Sabi Simple, “It nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect.”

What’s “Wabi”?

“Wabi” can mean loneliness or distance from society, a sense or remoteness that is grounded in the natural world. The four seasons, most especially autumn, are deeply connected to the spirit of Wabi. Unlike Western cultures, which celebrate autumn as the season of bounty and harvest in preparation for the long winter ahead, Japanese and Zen Buddhist cultures see the autumn as the unavoidable path to death, the ultimate distance or separation from all we know. However, this is not a state to feared, but to aspire too. It is the shucking off of worldly possessions to live in an other-worldly state.

What’s “Sabi”?

“Sabi,” while closely related, is focused more towards the transience of life and the inherent beauty of change. In the BBC Four Documentary “Searching for Wabi-Sabi,” an elderly Japanese woman describes herself as an example of Sabi. She is who she has always been, even as her outward appearance has changed over time. In Eastern cultures, the elderly are revered for their knowledge and wisdom and the natural aging process is seen as beautiful. It’s the process of transformation, the celebration that nothing is permanent and perfection cannot be achieved. “Wabi is a guiding principal of life, the stripping away of anything that is unnecessary. But it’s ultimately indefinable as words are not adequate when trying to understand the world,” says a monk in “Searching for Wabi-Sabi.”

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Gita S.

12:39AM PDT on Mar 19, 2012

Very interesting, beautiful and thought provoking , Wabi-Sabi.......I thoroughly enjoyed reading the article. Thanks.

send a green star

Danuta W.

2:03AM PST on Jan 9, 2012

thanks for sharing

Phyllis Ida C.

2:23PM PST on Jan 8, 2012

This book sounds like it has a lot of important ideas that I would love to read about and share with my newleywed daughter and her husband. (I was married and dovorced very young.) My daughter was married less than a year ago and I worry! And I constantly am searching for wise words to help her and her husband love each other and stay together endlessly!

ii q.

1:09PM PST on Jan 7, 2012

intersting...
more, please...

Aleksandra L.

4:11PM PDT on Sep 19, 2011

nothing lasts, this i understand. everything being perfect, on the other hand...

Johny A.

6:54AM PDT on Sep 18, 2011

in regards to Patricia's concern about using Wabi Sabi in Design .... there is a really nice book that talks about the concept being used in Design.... WABI SABI STYLE by James and Sandra Crowley..... the problem with using it as a concept for creating a living space is that you really need to fully understand what it really means before you embark on using it, and that can be done by reading lots of articles and books on the subject.... but the real understanding will come when you have that AHHHH moment, when you finally go OH I GET IT ... in reality, it is something that takes time... I have been studying the concept for years and still today I am not always sure I get it... it is really something that takes a life time of learning and understanding...

Patricia W.

9:08PM PDT on Sep 15, 2011

Very interesting philosophy. I hope Wabi-Sabi dose not lose its meaning when used as design. TY for the post :)

martine t.

7:30PM PDT on Sep 14, 2011

another word for recession,times are tough.

colleen p.

4:17PM PDT on Sep 14, 2011

but letting your yard and house "go to crap" is not Wabi Sabi. it is just "being lazy and careless". there is no astetics in some things.

Tim C.

12:26PM PDT on Sep 14, 2011

tks