{"id":1,"date":"2020-06-04T01:44:04","date_gmt":"2020-06-04T01:44:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/?p=1"},"modified":"2020-07-15T17:03:18","modified_gmt":"2020-07-15T17:03:18","slug":"zen-philosophy-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/zen-philosophy-of-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Wabi-Sabi, the Zen Philosophy of Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='full_slider_1'  class='avia-fullwidth-slider main_color avia-shadow   avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_section  avia-builder-el-first   container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div   data-size='featured'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='288'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='false'  data-slide_height=''  data-handle='av_slideshow_full'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id=''  data-scroll_down=''  data-control_layout='av-control-hidden'  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment=''  data-min_height='0px'  data-src=''  data-position='top left'  data-repeat='no-repeat'  data-attach='scroll'  data-stretch=''  data-default-height='28.666666666667'  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-1  av-control-hidden av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-featured av_slideshow_full   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 28.666666666667%;' ><li  class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-1' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><img src='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Wabi-sabi-Zen-phylosophy-of-life--1500x430.jpg' width='1500' height='430' title='' alt='Wabi-sabi Zen phylosophy of life'  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"   \/><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n<div id='av_section_1'  class='avia-section main_color avia-section-small avia-no-border-styling  avia-bg-style-scroll  avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_slideshow_full  el_before_av_section   container_wrap sidebar_right' style='background-color: rgba(10,90,130,0.19);  '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-1'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div  style='padding-bottom:0px; margin:0 0 0 0; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h1  blockquote modern-quote modern-centered  avia-builder-el-2  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  '><h1 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Wabi-sabi, The Zen Philosophy of Life<\/h1><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='av_section_2'  class='avia-section main_color avia-section-small avia-no-border-styling  avia-bg-style-scroll  avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_section  avia-builder-el-last   container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-1'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_four_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-4  el_before_av_one_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><p><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p><a href=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/91494695_121166409507901_8598305886986829824_n.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-269\" src=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/91494695_121166409507901_8598305886986829824_n.png\" alt=\"Japanese pottery\" width=\"250\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/91494695_121166409507901_8598305886986829824_n.png 473w, https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/91494695_121166409507901_8598305886986829824_n-300x280.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a>Since pottery is one of my passions, I love looking at photos of ceramics. The cup here caught my eye right away. It is old and faded and has cracks, yet all these imperfections seem to add to its beauty instead of taking away from it. The cracks on the back are highlighted and not hidden, as if to celebrate and bring forward the richness of the cup\u2019s long life. A new cup may look better, but this one has depth and the wear and tear of the years has given it a character that a new cup won\u2019t have. If I had to describe it in Japanese I would say it is very\u00a0<em>wabi-sabi<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h1>Finding beauty in imperfection &#8211; the core of wabi-sabi<\/h1>\n<p><img alt=\"japanese spiritual tours\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-271\" src=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/91480478_121177306173478_6574847945168912384_n.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"111\" height=\"194\" \/>The roots of wabi-sabi can be traced to Zen Buddhism and its philosophy about life. According to Zen, all things (our selves included) are impermanent and imperfect and the way to satori, or enlightenment is through embracing this imperfection. We can see this philosophy reflected in the aesthetics of wabi-sabi: while Western art values perfection, symmetry and and ideal proportions, Japanese aesthetics appreciates the beauty of the imperfect, the impermanent, and the rustic. It derives not from love for the flawlessness but from respect for what is passing, fragile and modest. Wabi-sabi believes that things are always more beautiful from bearing the marks of age and individuality.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/92307888_121258316165377_3346203381021540352_n.jpg\"><img alt=\"japan tours\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-272\" src=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/92307888_121258316165377_3346203381021540352_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/92307888_121258316165377_3346203381021540352_n.jpg 640w, https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/92307888_121258316165377_3346203381021540352_n-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/92307888_121258316165377_3346203381021540352_n-600x450.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a>A great example of the <em>wabi-sabi<\/em> principle is the Zen garden of the Ryoanji temple in Kyoto. Its simple beauty is unpretentious and clear from all but the essential. What is interesting is the effect the earthen wall surrounding the garden has on how we perceive it. The brown and orange colors of the wall, faded and stained by the elements add \u2018rustiness\u2019 and a depth of age to the garden, that speak to us about the centuries of its existence. How we experience the garden would be quite different, if the wall was freshly painted.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  style='height:15px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-6  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h1>Finding beauty in simplicity<\/h1>\n<div id=\"attachment_273\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-273\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-273\" src=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/91613555_121269419497600_7507923255148150784_n.jpg\" alt=\"Traditional style room (washitsu)\" width=\"400\" height=\"266\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/91613555_121269419497600_7507923255148150784_n.jpg 640w, https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/91613555_121269419497600_7507923255148150784_n-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/91613555_121269419497600_7507923255148150784_n-600x399.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-273\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Traditional style room (washitsu)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Because <em>wabi-sabi<\/em> esthetics favor simplicity, some may see it is a kind of minimalism. To me it goes deeper than that. It is about stripping away everything that is non-essential until what is left is the pure essence. The unadorned beauty of an empty space, the grace of the precise movement of the hand of a tea master, the simple elegant shape of a pottery piece &#8211; all these have one thing in common: their outer layers have been peeled away so what we see is the beautiful core. Perhaps it is this lack of external distractions that makes traditional Japanese art forms so captivating and enchanting.<\/p>\n<p>Haiku poems are another exercise of wabi-sabi, this time using the medium of words. Consisting of three short lines that do not rhyme, haiku is more than a poem. It is a way of looking at the physical world and seeing something deeper, an expression of the very essence of the scene.<\/p>\n<p><em>A summer river being crossed<\/em><br \/>\n<em>how pleasing<\/em><br \/>\n<em>with sandals in my hands!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The lamp once out<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Cool stars enter<\/em><br \/>\n<em>The window frame.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  style='height:15px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h1>The wabi-sabi philosophy\u2019s message<\/h1>\n<p>It is always interesting to observe how art mirrors the spiritual values of the people who create it. In our Western world if something is broken, it is either thrown away or if possible when repaired the breakage would be artfully concealed.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/wabi-sabi-japanese-pottery.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-285\" src=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/wabi-sabi-japanese-pottery.jpg\" alt=\"Japanese cracked pottery\" width=\"300\" height=\"308\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/wabi-sabi-japanese-pottery.jpg 702w, https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/wabi-sabi-japanese-pottery-293x300.jpg 293w, https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/wabi-sabi-japanese-pottery-36x36.jpg 36w, https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/wabi-sabi-japanese-pottery-687x705.jpg 687w, https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/wabi-sabi-japanese-pottery-600x615.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In Japan, quite the opposite happens. The object is not only kept and repaired, but the areas of breakage are mended with lacquer mixed with powdered gold or silver so they stand out. The breakage and repair are treated as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. Looking at the beautifully mended cup on the picture I am thinking that is a symbol of the most powerful messages of the <em>wabi-sabi<\/em> philosophy: embrace yourself as you are and do not be ashamed of the cracks you carry. They are the witnesses of your life\u2019s events and show you have lived. They give your life both depth and richness.<\/p>\n<p>When visiting Japan, some of your most vivid memories may be born from the contact with the expression of the <em>wabi-sabi<\/em> philosophy in every aspect of life in the country: from the unique brand of Japanese hospitality to the attention to detail of how food is prepared and served, the mannerism of people and the design of spaces and buildings. If you pay attention you will see Zen\u2019s love for the harmonious, the natural, the humble and the simple everywhere! Opening to it may give you a very transformative and deep experience of the soul of Japan.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  style='height:15px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-10  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_image '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n<div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-  noHover  av-overlay-on-hover   avia-builder-el-11  el_after_av_hr  avia-builder-el-last  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><div class='av-image-caption-overlay'><div class='av-caption-image-overlay-bg' style='opacity:0.1; background-color:#000000; '><\/div><div class='av-image-caption-overlay-position'><div class='av-image-caption-overlay-center' style='color:#ffffff; font-size:13px; '><\/div><\/div><\/div><img class='avia_image' src='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/91796220_121386699485872_6274838346330013696_o.jpg' alt='' title='91796220_121386699485872_6274838346330013696_o' height=\"720\" width=\"960\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p><\/div><div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-12  el_after_av_four_fifth  avia-builder-el-last  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><div  class='avia-builder-widget-area clearfix  avia-builder-el-13  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '><section id=\"archives-3\" class=\"widget clearfix widget_archive\"><h3 class=\"widgettitle\">Archives<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2025\/05\/'>May 2025<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2024\/08\/'>August 2024<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2023\/05\/'>May 2023<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2022\/07\/'>July 2022<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2021\/09\/'>September 2021<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2021\/03\/'>March 2021<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2021\/02\/'>February 2021<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2021\/01\/'>January 2021<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2020\/09\/'>September 2020<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2020\/08\/'>August 2020<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2020\/07\/'>July 2020<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2020\/06\/'>June 2020<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2020\/05\/'>May 2020<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li><a href='https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/2020\/04\/'>April 2020<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\n\t\t\t<span class=\"seperator extralight-border\"><\/span><\/section><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='after_section_2'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-1'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since pottery is one of my passions, I love looking at photos of ceramics. The cup here caught my eye right away. It is old and faded and has cracks, yet all these imperfections seem to add to its beauty instead of taking away from it. The cracks on the back are highlighted and not hidden, as if to celebrate and bring forward the richness of the cup\u2019s long life&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":288,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1901,"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions\/1901"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritofjapantours.com\/staging\/8667\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}