Wabi Sabi: The Japanese Art of Impermanence

The phrase Furyu monji (literally “not standing on words or letters”) denotes the Zen concept that no deep understanding can be transferred by the spoken word: “Those who do not know speak, those who know speak not.”

The types of pottery made today, including Bizen, Hagi, Raku, and Shigaraki, are still based largely on the aesthetics developed centuries ago,

Whether he hit the bull’s-eye or missed the target there had to be complete equanimity, for it was not in fact Herrigel that was loosing the shot but the unspoken powers that guide men’s lives. It was only by accepting this that Herrigel could then allow the arrows to be shot through him rather than by him.

Music has been described as the spaces between the notes, and in art, too, the areas that are not actually used can be just as important as those that are.

wabi sabi rarely strays from the boundaries of subdued colors and lighting, for it is through these that the atmosphere of intimacy can be transferred.

It was the influence of Zen that had promoted the ideas of mute colors, simple utensils, and economy of expression,

WABI SABI is in many ways like the bittersweet taste of the last strawberry in this old Zen tale. It is an expression of the beauty that lies in the brief transition between the coming and going of life, both the joy and melancholy that make up our lot as humans.

To be at one with the Tao, one must practice wu-wei and refrain from forcing anything to happen that does not happen of its own accord. To be at one with the Tao is to accept that we must yield to a power much greater than ourselves. Through this acceptance of the natural flow of life, and by discarding all learned doctrines and knowledge, a person

Dogen founded the Soto sect of Zen Buddhism in 1227 after experiencing enlightenment in the Chinese monastery on Mount Tiantong in 1225. On returning to Japan,