5 Teachings From The Japanese Wabi

Sabi Philosophy That Can Drastically

Improve Your Life
Objectives:
• Identify concepts of wabi
sabi
• Determine five principles of
wabi-sabi
• Wabi-sabi is an elegant
philosophy that
denotes a more
connected way of
living—a lifestyle,
where we are deeply
connected to nature,
and thus, better
connected to our truest
inner-selves.
• Wabi is about recognizing
beauty in humble simplicity
• Sabi is concerned with the
passage of time, the way all
things grow, age, and decay,
and how it manifests itself
beautifully in objects.
• Together, these two
concepts create an
overarching philosophy for
approaching life: Accept
what is, stay in the present
moment, and appreciate the
simple, transient stages of
life.
Principles of Wabi-Sabi
1. Through acceptance, you find
freedom; out of acceptance, you find
growth.

• The first teaching of the wabi-sabi philosophy,

is to practice gratitude and acceptance. It’s
not about giving up. It’s about surrendering to
the gravity of the situation at hand and then
actively playing a role in deciding what
happens next.
2. All things in life,
including you, are in an
imperfect state of flux, so
strive not for perfection,
but for excellence instead.
• Wabi-Sabi philosophy
teaches us that all things,
including us and life itself, are
impermanent, incomplete,
and imperfect. Perfection
does not exist because
imperfection is the natural
state of life—you are whole,
the entirety of you, as you
are. Strive not for perfection,
but for excellence instead.
 3. Appreciate the beauty of all
things, especially the great beauty
that hides beneath the surface of
what seems to be broken.

• There will be many times in your

life when you will feel
broken. There will be events that
will leave you with emotional or
physical scars. Do not hide in the
shadow of your own
sunshine. Do not dim your own
light with the darkness of a
cloud. Instead, let those scars be
redrawn with gold.
4. Slow and simple, is the
only way, to feel the joy of
what it means to be alive.

• Slowing down is the antidote

to living in a rhythm of rush.
Simplifying your life is the
antidote to living a complex
one. Slow and simple is the
only way to feel the joy of
what it means to be alive.
5. To be content exactly
where you are with all
that you already have, is
to be happy.
• To be content with what you
have and where you are is to
be grateful. To be content
with what you have and
where you are, while working
toward what you want, and
fully trusting that you can
achieve it, is to be intentional.
And through gratitude,
intention, and action, you find
happiness. Acceptance is
contentment and
contentment is acceptance.
 Prepared by:
Jett C. Nisola
US MS QA
Reference: https://www.omaritani.com/blog/wabi-sabi-philosophy-teachings