1
00:00:07,060 --> 00:00:14,170
Welcome to the Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast. Our intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich, 

2
00:00:14,170 --> 00:00:17,800
and inspire a simple and uncomplicated life.

3
00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:27,520
Discover the benefits of mindful living with your host, Timber Hawkeye. 

4
00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:34,320
Perfection. Is it a gift? A curse? Or a little bit of both? I used to think that striving 

5
00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:37,620
to be a perfectionist was a positive personality trait 

6
00:00:37,620 --> 00:00:42,850
because it meant paying great attention to detail, working hard, and diligently aiming 

7
00:00:42,850 --> 00:00:45,580
for what is best without settling for less.

8
00:00:45,580 --> 00:00:51,930
But what is Perfection, and according to whom? The entire concept implies a hierarchy

9
00:00:51,930 --> 00:00:57,830
and a constant judgment of better and worse, comparing everything to some ideal 

10
00:00:57,830 --> 00:01:03,280
or standard to which we are all subjected since birth. Our obsession with perfection

11
00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:07,590
starts with getting perfect grades, or having the perfect body, perfectly round or

12
00:01:07,590 --> 00:01:13,930
sharp corners, perfect teeth, architecture, a perfect score, perfect pitch or tone, 

13
00:01:13,930 --> 00:01:17,280
and terms like "Proper" and "Inappropriate."

14
00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:21,280
We tend to be drawn to symmetry and balance, and I didn't even realize

15
00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:26,420
I was judging the world this way until I heard the Japanese term Wabi Sabi, 

16
00:01:26,420 --> 00:01:32,160
which actually celebrates asymmetry, rough edges, the incomplete, the simple,

17
00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:37,720
and the natural integrity and impermanence of everything and everyone.

18
00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:41,780
Something isn't deemed beautiful because it's perfect or everlasting,

19
00:01:41,780 --> 00:01:45,280
its beauty is embedded in its very transience.

20
00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:49,030
After years of trying to measure up to one idea of perfection,

21
00:01:49,030 --> 00:01:54,000
Wabi Sabi is a refreshing practice that embraces what is slightly marred, scarred, 

22
00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:58,840
aged, nature-made, and jagged. I'm not just talking about aesthetics, either.

23
00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:02,910
The more I think about my old definition of perfection, the more I realize

24
00:02:02,910 --> 00:02:07,620
how I've been measuring everything and everyone against impossible standards.

25
00:02:07,620 --> 00:02:10,320
And I know what you're thinking: don't we need some standards 

26
00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:11,880
and to set the bar somewhere?

27
00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:17,130
Well, Wabi-Sabi doesn't lower the standard or does away with it, it changes it. 

28
00:02:17,130 --> 00:02:20,380
For me, the shift was from looking at something and contemplating 

29
00:02:20,380 --> 00:02:25,910
whether it was perfect, efficient, or ideal, to simply asking: Does it work?

30
00:02:25,910 --> 00:02:30,250
Never mind if it's a little wobbly or doesn't match, slightly uneven, 

31
00:02:30,250 --> 00:02:36,000
isn't built to last for decades, or is slightly off-center. If it works, then it's perfect.

32
00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:41,340
There is no English term for Wabi Sabi, I could only come up with rustic or makeshift, but

33
00:02:41,340 --> 00:02:44,380
neither of those captures the magic of it all.

34
00:02:44,380 --> 00:02:48,780
When I took a ceramics class last year, and the cereal bowl I made didn't turn out

35
00:02:48,780 --> 00:02:53,940
identical to the perfectly round bowls I could buy at any store, I threw it away.

36
00:02:53,940 --> 00:02:58,660
I know... I completely overlooked the fact that my bowl's uniqueness is not only what

37
00:02:58,660 --> 00:03:04,320
gave it value, it would have served its purpose just fine, if only I had kept it.

38
00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:08,910
I now consider Wabi Sabi an invitation to ease up, loosen my grip,

39
00:03:08,910 --> 00:03:14,580
forget the conventional idea of perfection, and stop judging anything as subpar 

40
00:03:14,580 --> 00:03:19,000
just because it doesn't measure up to, dare I say, Western standards?

41
00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,850
It took traveling to a third-world country and witnessing Wabi Sabi

42
00:03:22,850 --> 00:03:26,940
as a guy on a motorcycle with a broken headlight, holding a flashlight in his hand

43
00:03:26,940 --> 00:03:28,280
to see the road at night. 

44
00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:32,900
Farmers spreading unhusked rice grains from the fields onto the hot pavement 

45
00:03:32,900 --> 00:03:37,290
to dry in the sun. The elderly revered and honored instead of tucked away 

46
00:03:37,290 --> 00:03:40,810
in retirement homes so we don't have to be reminded of old age. 

47
00:03:40,810 --> 00:03:45,200
Mismatched utensils, hand-drawn street signs, and huts that are built 

48
00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:47,410
entirely out of old plastic bottles.

49
00:03:47,410 --> 00:03:51,850
It's like everyone was a modern-day MacGyver or a genius out of necessity,

50
00:03:51,850 --> 00:03:56,360
and guess what? It works. So stop expecting perfection from others.

51
00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:58,960
I mean, it's not like you can offer it in return.

52
00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:02,420
A few people at our recent Buddhist Boot Camp Discussion Circle

53
00:04:02,420 --> 00:04:06,680
mentioned Native American tribes, the Quakers, and many other traditions, 

54
00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:11,170
who purposely add so-called imperfections to artwork, for example,

55
00:04:11,170 --> 00:04:13,800
as a reminder that only God is perfect.

56
00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:18,300
The overwhelming response to this invitation was that we need to set some standards

57
00:04:18,300 --> 00:04:22,720
for the sake of safety, for example, but that we can all afford to loosen up a bit.

58
00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:26,960
I can't tell you where to set your standards, but you can ask yourself if your standards

59
00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:30,680
are working FOR you or AGAINST you, because at the end of the day, 

60
00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:33,310
only you know the answer to that question.

61
00:04:33,310 --> 00:04:38,050
I only share this with you in hopes that Wabi Sabi offers you as great of a relief from

62
00:04:38,050 --> 00:04:40,720
the burden of judgment as it has given me. 

63
00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:44,770
And this will either be a tiny shift for you or a massive undertaking, 

64
00:04:44,770 --> 00:04:50,710
but either way, let's practice Wabi Sabi to transcend perfection.

65
00:04:50,710 --> 00:04:54,430
Timber Hawkeye is the bestselling author of Faithfully Religionless 

66
00:04:54,430 --> 00:04:56,020
and Buddhist Boot Camp.

67
00:04:56,020 --> 00:04:59,980
For additional information, please visit BuddhistBootCamp.com,

68
00:04:59,980 --> 00:05:04,120
where you can order autographed books to support the Prison Library Project,

69
00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:08,730
watch Timber's inspiring TED Talk, and join our monthly mailing list.

70
00:05:08,730 --> 00:05:10,800
We hope you have enjoyed this episode, 

71
00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:14,730
and invite you to subscribe for more thought-provoking discussions. 

72
00:05:14,730 --> 00:05:20,290
Thank you for being a Soldier of Peace in the Army of Love. 🙏🏼