Wabi Sabi - Learning the ancient japanese art of imperfection with thoughtfulness and peacefulness. Conceptual art and Minimalism

by Hinata Kobayashi

Would you like to be at peace with your imperfections and to find happiness in the tranquility life has to offer? Wabi-sabi is for you! With Japanese and Buddhist roots dating back hundreds of years, wabi-sabi is a worldview that centers on the acceptance of the changeability and imperfections of life, of self, and of the world around us. Finding beauty in that imperfection and in that changeability has been the key to thoughtfulness, peace, and tranquility for many since its use has become more widespread. By embracing the unpredictable nature of life, many have been able to channel that acceptance into an artistic aesthetic, bringing beauty to the world in unexpected and imperfect forms. In this book, you will learn about the origins and uses of wabi-sabi, you will find practical applications for the mental and aesthetic calm it has to offer, and you’ll find ways to connect with others who share your views and philosophy on a simplified lifestyle. Presented in logical order, this book covers critical topics
Don’t let yourself be tired and stressed over the pressure to be perfect. Embrace the imperfection and the calm that life and nature have to offer you and start enjoying life the way you were intended to.

Genres: Nonfiction

212 pages, Paperback

Published December 4, 2019

Reviews

[Liisa Aavik · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did this book give me new knowledge and understanding of wabi-sabi? Yes. Is the wabi-sabi concept something cool that I will integrate into my life and my zero waste // minimalism teachings? Yes. Did I enjoy the book so much that I would recommend someone else to read it. Sorry, but no. I listened to it as an audiobook and maybe this had something to do with it. I tended to get really repetitive: wabi-sabi was defined what seemed like 13 times in different but same ways. And the text was also... what seemed repetitive.

[Patrick Hanlon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a self-published book that is utterly incomprehensible at times. I'm left with the impression that text was run through Google translate or written in a second language and left unedited thanks to the Dunning-Kruger effect. The book attempts to cover all the bases on the subject wabi-sabi, but meanders in such a way that creates redundancies and internal contradictions. The author seems to be running around in circles and, among other things, revisiting the challenges defining wabi-sabi several times over. The attempts to give historical context are undermined by a failure to structure sentences with the syntax required to know how the people being discussed are associated with one another.

If you are unfamiliar with the subject of wabi-sabi, start with the books by Leonard Koren, Andrew Juniper and, if you can still find them in print, Richard Powell. Kobayshi does make occasional and poorly cited) comment on the works of these three authors and others. If you have read these authors, give this a pass, it cannot offer anything that complements what these three authors have provided on the subject.