Wabi-Sabi is the most conspicuous and characteristic feature of what we think of as traditional Japanese beauty.....wabi-sabi can in its fullest expression be a way of life. At the very least, it is a particular type of beauty (21)
The initial inspirations for wabi-sabi's metaphysical, spiritual , and moral principles come from ideas about simplicity, naturalness, and acceptance of reality found in Taoism and Chinese Zen Buddhism. (31)
Wabi refers to:
* a way of life, a spiritual path,
* the inward, the subjective
* a philosophical construct
* spatial events
Sabi refers to:
* material objects, art and literature
* the outward, the objective
* an aesthetic ideal
* temporal events" (23)
The Wabi-Sabi UniverseWabi-Sabi can be called a "comprehensive" aesthetic system. Its world view, or universe, is self-referential. It provides an integrated approach to the ultimate nature of existence (metaphysics) sacred knowledge (spirituality), emotional well-being (state of mind), behavior (morality), and the look and feel of things (materiality). The more systematic and clearly defined the components of an aesthetic system are - the more conceptual handles, the more ways it refers back to fundamentals - the more useful it is. (41)Metaphysical Basis - Things are either devolving toward, or evolving from, nothingness
Spiritual Values - Truth comes from the observation of nature; "Greatness" exists in the inconspicuous and overlooked details; Beauty can be coaxed out of ugliness
Moral Precepts - get rid of all that is unnecessary; Focus on the intrinsic and ignore material hierarchy
Material Qualities - The suggestion of natural process; Irregular; Intimate; Unpretentious; Earthy; Murky; Simple" (40-41)
all things are impermanent - The inclination toward nothingness is unrelenting and universal. Even things that have all the earmarks of substance = things that are hard, inert, solid - present nothing more than the illusion of permanence. We may wear blinders, use ruses to forget, ignore, or pretend otherwise - but all comes to nothing in the end. Everything wears down. The planets and stars, and even intangible things like reputation, family heritage, historical memory, scientific theorems, mathematical proofs, great art and literature (even in digital form) - all eventually fade into oblivion and nonexistence. (48-49)
all things are imperfect. Nothing that exists is without imperfections... Every craftsman knows the limits of perfection: the imperfections glare back. And as things begin to break down and approach the primordial state, they become even less perfect, more irregular. (49)
all things are incomplete. All things, including the universe itself, are in a constant, never-ending state of becoming or dissolving. Often we arbitrarily designate moments, points along the way, as "finished" or "complete". But when does something's destiny finally come to fruition? Is the plant complete when it flowers? When it goes to seed? When the seeds sprout? When everything turns into compost? (49-50)
get rid of all that is unnecessary. Wabi-sabi means treading lightly on the planet and knowing how to appreciate whatever is encountered, no matter how trifling, whenever it is encountered. (59)
the suggestion of natural process. Things wabi-sabi are expression of time frozen. They are made of material that are visibly vulnerable to the effects of weathering and human treatment. They record the sun, wind, rain, heat, and cold in a language of discoloration, rust, tarnish, stain, warping, shrinking, shriveling, and cracking... Though things wabi-sabi may be on the point of dematerialization (or materialization) - extremely faint, fragile, or dessicated - they still possess an undiminished poise and strength of character. (62)
intimate. Things wabi-sabi are usually small and compact, quiet and inward-oriented, They beckon: get close, touch, relate. They inspire a reduction of the psychic distance between one thing and another thing; between people and things. Place wabi-sabi are small, secluded, and private environments that enhance one's capacity for metaphysical musings. (67)
simple. Simplicity is at the core of things wabi-sabi. Nothingness, of course is the ultimate simplicity. But before and after nothingness, simplicity is not so simple... The simplicity of wabi-sabi is probably best described as the state of grace arrived at by a sober, modest, heart-felt intelligence. (71-72)
This is actually a good place to start to talk about what I've been reading and considering within my practice, project and exegesis research..... as all the points I've carefully quoted in full above find a ready example in my current work.
Over recent months I've been digesting a great deal of writings in and around pragmatic philosophy (primarily as espoused by John Dewey, but also recent re-interpretations of his advocacy for 'life as art', by Shusterman and Sartwell.....) As I've read, I've began to envisage how pragmatism may be used as a connector for the disparate elements in my current project, and as a counter-point to deconstructionist theory/philosophy (and post-modernism in general) that I see as the antithesis of my praxis. The more I've read of pragmatism the more I've found parallels to Zen ..... and the more I'm envisaging parallels with permaculture ...... it's in this context that I'm re-imagining my exegesis.
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