Wabi-Sabi, Japanese Secret Of Happiness

The Wabi-Sabi is the Japanese philosophy of the beauty of imperfection and the transience of existence. An expert explains this current that she discovered and lived in the first person, and advises how to begin to apply in our daily life.

The Wabi-Sabi is described as an aesthetic vision and a way of understanding the world inspired by Buddhism and based on the beauty of imperfection, in the transience and non-permanence of existence, which could be synthesized as "Nothing lasts, Nothing is complete and Nothing is perfect. "

This aesthetic and philosophical point of view is present in Japan in everyday objects, architectural elements and artistic designs, of natural or rustic appearance, which are characterized by asymmetry, roughness or simplicity, and by being sometimes worn or cracked. It is a concept that can also be applied to our way of understanding life and living it.

"'Wabi-Sabi' is the concept that seeks beauty within the imperfections of life and that accepts peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay of every living being or object.

It is a type of Japanese aesthetic that could be summarized as simplicity and tranquility ", inform Efe from the language school and space of dissemination of Japanese culture, Espai Wabi-Sabi.

A trip to Japan to open horizons

The illustrator Amaia Arrazola discovered this way of understanding and conceiving beauty and life, which has given a new perspective to her own existence, during a trip to Japan to enjoy a scholarship for artists, in the who was taking experiences in the form of drawings.

In this diary of visual travel full of stories, observations and astonishment, which originated a book entitled "Wabi Sabi" (without a script between both words), Arrazola describes Japanese culture from its gastronomy, traditions, and beliefs, to urbanism, character of the people, the collective solitude, the vision of sex, the peculiar words and the arts.

When Wabi Sabi is the transcription of a Japanese word, both forms of writing it are valid, with a hyphen and without a hyphen between the words Wabi and Sabi, they explain to Efe from the Embassy of Japan in Spain.

"Wabi-Sabi is a Japanese concept that refers to the beauty of the imperfect, the incomplete and the changeable, of modest and humble things, of unconventional things, and its philosophy consists of enjoying the present and finding peace. and harmony in nature and small things, " she says.

Direct experiences

Arrazola explains that her book is called "Wabi Sabi" because it has been inspired by that word, as in another homonymous book written by Leonard Koren in 1994, and it is "imperfect and unconventional as dictates this current aesthetic and philosophical."

Asked about how the Japanese Wabi-Sabi lived and experienced in the very cradle of this current and in the first person, Arrazola points out that "finding that which isn't perfect is also valid, it was a huge respite for me".

"Accustomed to having to have a 'life ten points', where everything has to go well, shine and be perfect, and also have to prove to others (thank you, social networks!) How good everything is, happy that you are, the perfect 30 years that you have, is an anguish, a kind of prison, "explains Arrazola to Efe.

Therefore, "Meeting the aesthetics of the Wabi-Sabi, characterized by the love of the crack, the used, the object licked by time as if it were a used pottery, I fell in love," she says.

"In general the whole trip was a Wabi-Sabi experience: it wasn't perfect, not everything was hilarious and happiness. I faced Matsudo, a very big city, full of people, absolutely unknown to me, " she explains.

Fears are part of us

Arrazola says that from her experience she wouldn't change a single moment of any feeling of anguish or loneliness she might have, since "Those fears are part of who I am today."

"A Wabi-Sabi experience was one night that I went out to have a few beers and I took the risk of taking the last meter," she tells Efe.

"The human tide that I found in Shinjuku had no name. Hundreds of people trying to get into meters that were already overcrowded. It was everything, except a perfect moment, " she recalls.

Arrazola understands the Wabi-Sabi experience as the enjoyment of small things and details: for example "Enjoy my breakfast every day: the cereals tasted different in Japan. It costs me 100 yen for a cub"

"It was my morning Wabi-Sabi, a strange mixture of loneliness and freedom. It made me happy! " She emphasizes.

The beautiful imperfection of everyday life

Asked about what positive effects on our well-being requires applying this way of thinking, the illustrator comments: "If we all had more in mind things like living now, or going more quietly through life, we would be happier and sleepless distressed."

"I realized at one point in my life, I almost didn't enjoy food because I ate in a hurry. We have to stop, know how to use the five senses that we have for something. Learn to breathe. Be more aware, " she advises.

Based on her brief but intense experience, Arrazola points out - without the intention of entering the field of professional psychological counseling- that we can apply this philosophy in our daily life "Beginning with very simple appearances, nevertheless, can have a great impact on our wellness".

She also provides three tips

• Stop feeling!

"Using the five senses we have and stopping to think, what sounds do we hear?, what does the food we eat? what does it smell?, it may seem small but it makes us feel more aware of where we are and who we are, " she says.

• Breathe with attention!

"Learn how to import air through your mouth, reach your stomach, breathe out, feel oxygen reaching your entire body... If oxygen arrives, we don't get nervous. We don't lose control, we are owners of ourselves, and we aren't afraid of anxiety attacks" she says.

• See the positive side!

"This may sound hippie, but you have to try to focus on the positive aspects of things, not to fall victim to, and not lose sight of the idea that life is one and it is better to enjoy it. In addition, surrounding ourselves with people who love us and value us will also make us value what we have ", Arrazola concludes.