From Wikipedia (itself having distinctly wabi-sabi characteristics):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi


Wabi-sabi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Wabi-sabi represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic system, and is difficult to explain precisely in western terms. According to Leonard Koren, wabi-sabi is the most conspicuous and characteristic feature of what we think of as traditional Japanese beauty and it "occupies roughly the same position in the Japanese pantheon of aesthetic values as do the Greek ideals of beauty and perfection in the West."


Wabi-sabi is the beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete.


It is the beauty of things modest and humble.


It is the beauty of things unconventional.


The concepts of wabi-sabi correlate with the concepts of Zen, as the first Japanese involved with wabi-sabi were tea masters, priests, and monks who practiced Zen. Zen was first introduced from China around the 12th century. It emphasizes "direct, intuitive insight into transcendental truth beyond all intellectual conception." At the core of wabi-sabi is the importance of transcending ways of looking and thinking about things/existence.

All things are impermanent

All things are imperfect

All things are incomplete



Material characteristics of wabi-sabi:

suggestion of natural process

irregular

intimate

unpretentious

earthy

simple



Western use

During the 1990s the concept was borrowed by computer software developers and employed in Agile programming and Wiki wiki to describe acceptance of the state of ongoing imperfection that is the product of these methods.

I always loved imperfection.

Heavenly said:

Me too, it's much more interesting

tackam said:

Okay, I not sure what that first sentence means, but I understand the second. I REALLY like this word! I'd love to read more about Zen, too.

Thanks!

[Edited 2/13/05 16:08pm]

not to be confused with wasabi, which should not be confused with a bit of avocado



ever!

Sweeny79 said:

It gives a uniqueness to a person. something that only they have and that's what makes them special

Heavenly said:

Yuppers

But beauty is empty of existence.

Wabi-sabi sounds like something from a sushi joint!
[Edited 2/13/05 21:55pm]

Is wabi-sabi and Wiki wiki.....

like sticky iky iky....

damn bubonic cronic...got me talkin jive.....

UptownDeb said:

No prob.

Yeah, I think what they meant to say with that first line was, "It's about soul, baby. Soul."

tackam said:

Have u read Nagarjuna's Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way?

I'd definitely recommend it.

Fauxie said:

No, is that Taoist, or. . .? I'll check it out.

Fauxie said:

Only in the sense that love and joy are empty of existence. What difference does existence make?

I love this concept. Thanks for making it into a thread Tackam

tackam said:

Not exclusively. It's just Nagarjuna's systematic addressing of philosophical arguments, but does tie in with what u're talking about in this thread.

tackam said:

Well it just comes down to whether u believe the world to be full of objects and concepts that have independent existence, or whether u believe they are empty of this existence, meaning there are only processes and that there is only conventional, dependent existence.

Nagarjuna is someone who breaks down the apparent abitrary distinctions made between objects, concepts, processes and the like, for example analysing the relationship of the doer and the action.

Melisa,

I sware to you the Sushi place by my house is called Wabi Sabi!

They must have barrowed from the concept. Good to know the intent behind the name.

Is this new? That is usually how I pick my men. An imperfection = unique = beautiful

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

It's not new, but the word is new to me.

Fauxie said:

Well, sure, and I think that we don't ultimately KNOW whether there is a meaningful distinction between something that we perceive as existing only in our experience (love, beauty), and something that we perceive as an object existing in the world (rocks, trees), but that we still only know via perception. Or, I sure as hell don't know.

But I don't think it much matters, in this case. The experience of beauty is valuable to us regardless of its metaphysical status.

Muse2NOPharaoh said:

Do they make imperfectly beautiful sushi?

Fauxie said:

Thanks to this word, tackam I think I'm going to buy "Living Wabi Sabi: The True Beauty of Your Life."

From the Publisher:

On a deeper level, Wabi Sabi is the profound awareness of our oneness with all life and the environment. It includes a deep awareness of the choices we make each day, the power we have to accept or reject each moment of our lives, and to find value in every experience.

I can get with this!

Thanks for your recommendation too, Fauxie. It sounds deep.

"Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience" is also on my "to read" list.

UptownDeb said:

Let me know what you think of the books.