Thought-provoking and inspiring

books:


	• Wabi Sabi: The Art of Everyday Life Diane Durston Storey Publishing, LLC, 2006 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 5 reviews view larger image
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Thought-provoking and inspiring

Wabi Sabi introduces the perspective that old, worn and often-used items have an intrinsic beauty and value. Their value lies beyond their usefulness and/or beauty...just as some old people have an inner glow that shines through, old, worn items offer something more...beyond their use. Stories and quotes exemplify the ideas offered in this fine little book. Melinda L. Crawford

A different opinion

I did spot this book while waiting in line at the bookstore. And later went back and bought a second copy for a friend. Yes, it is a little light and cutsey. And it does contain western quotes. Who says Zen masters have lock on the idea of Wabi Sabi? Aren't antiques valued for their patinas? Don't Quaker and Shaker beliefs tout simplicity? I think this little book is a good bridge for Westerners to help them understand the ideas behind Wabi Sabi. I believe that Wabi Sabi is an idea which should expand throughout many cultures, not be tightly bound to just one. And, oh yes, I have read Leonard Koren's Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers. Hummm....he doesn't sound Japanese to me.

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Something real for a change

Readers of this beautiful little book should consider that perhaps this author understands Wabi Sabi better than most of those who have written at length about it. Rather than analyzing it from a Western perspective, Diane Durston uses quotes from many famous Japanese authorities on art. literature and the tea ceremony, as well as from Western authors to convey a feeling that even Japanese refuse to try to define. The many quietly elegant photographs also make this point. Wabi sabi is a mood, an atmosphere, an experience, and in the author's own passages, which she has clearly written from the heart, she evokes a clearer sense of this abstract idea than any other "gaijin" book I have read on this subject.

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With ?slow living? as the newest incarnation of the simplicity movement, the search for fresh inspiration on ways to live a more authentic life is as pressing as ever. Turning to Eastern traditions, people are discovering the Japanese concept of wabi sabi.

The perfect antidote to today?s frenzied, consumer-oriented culture, wabi sabi encourages slowing down, living modestly, and appreciating the natural and imperfect aspect of material culture. While defying definition, wabi sabi is best expressed in brief, evocative bites.

In The Little Wabi Sabi Companion, Diane Durston, a noted writer on Japanese art and culture, presents a collection of reflections, along with classic poetry and verse from both Eastern and Western traditions, that capture the wabi sabi moment, and inspire readers to do the same. The subtle beauty of nature, the simplicity of a found object, the impermanence of an autumnal flower arrangement, the solitude of a single fisherman in his boat are all celebrated and reflected upon in this easily browseable book. The text is complemented by photography and calligraphy inspired by the wabi-sabi spirit.

This collection of simple, yet profound insights in an irresistable, hold-in-the-hand package offers readers the opportunity for integrating moments of contemplation and meditation into their daily lives, and to discover the essence of wabi sabi.

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