Friday, August 20, 2010

Wabi Sabi

"Wabi Sabi embodies the Zen nihilistic cosmic view and seeks beauty in the imperfections found as all things, in a constant state of flux, evolve from nothing and devolve back too nothing.

Wabi Sabi is an intuitive appreciation of a transient beauty in the physical world that reflects the irreversible flow of life in the spiritual world. It is an understated beauty that exists in the modest, rustic, imperfect, and even decayed, an aesthetic sensibility that finds a melancholy beauty in the impermanence of all things."
-Andrew Juniper


In my own words, the art and practice of simplicity.

No fancy tea ware, just the bare essentials in creating the perfect cup of tea.

A time of reflection and internal cleansing is needed periodically.

I will be moving from my comfortable home in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and braving the world in the state of Indiana.
My dorm room awaits me.

With this state of mind, Wabi Sabi, I think about the necessities that I will need.
Selective packing is on my schedule for the next two days.

Simplicity.

One can only wonder what I shall chance upon in the future.

"Wabi Sabi: it appreciates the fleeting moment for itself, not for what the future may or may not bring."
-Solala Towler

I will take the moments in as they are presented to me.

God willing, I will have opportunity to do His will, work for Him, and trust in Him. Amen.

I shall not be posting for a while, due to the hustle and bustle of modern society and the journey of relocation.
So until then, God bless.



~billy

6 comments:

  1. It seems to be a night of Wabi Sabi posts! But wabi sabi is so much more about how seeing that perfection is actually contained in imperfection.

    If I may share a little story about my understanding of wabi sabi, from actually long before I ever heard of the term.

    Wabi sabi to me is exactly what I experienced one winters day walking home from a school bus. A snow storm had just blown up earlier that day and while it was not snowing all that hard while I was walking, there was a "perfect" layer of snow all over everything in sight. I had walked a short distance, and I had just happened to look back. And in looking back I realized what was amazing was not the pristine of the scenery in front of me, but actually the slight imperfection behind. Somehow my footsteps in the otherwise perfect coating of snow brought the scene to life, and made it seem absolutely real.

    But as that applies to your post, I feel it is the enjoyment of the moment, perhaps you do not have what you would normally consider ideal for that tea, but the tea tasted great in this situation, and isn't that all that really matters?

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  2. Adam,

    Perfectly stated.

    Thank you for sharing your story as well.
    Incredible insight to the mindset that wabi sabi implies.
    Good to hear from you! =]

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  3. Good luck and an interesting article with comparison of tea preparation and life (it reminds me of "life is like a chocolate box").

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  4. Ice,

    Thank you. And yes I do see the comparisons! =]

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  5. Hey Williams,

    Just launched a tea blog this past week. I do interview with other tea bloggers, I would love to interview you for it.

    -Jordan M. Williams

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  6. J.M. Williams,

    Definitely will do that. Contact me on my personal email; sirwill@gmx.com

    I will add a link to your site on mine!

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