To transmute suffering into strength

We all strive for perfection, in whatever form it may take for each of us. An effortless loving relationship, an enriching profession, or limitless freedom to do what is dearest to us are goals we all strive for at some point.

Unfortunately, this striving will be eternal, since nothing is perfect. We are doomed to pursue the impossible. Evermore daunting challenges at each new turn and an always increasing suffering will be very loyal companions in our journey.

“It never gets easier, you just get stronger.”

The Greek Myth of Sisyphus is often used to help visualize the idea of a neverending task

And along the way, you will break. Repeatedly. Growth implies fighting back the inertia of a static state of existence. It’s like diving into the sea. As you go deeper the pressure of the ocean keeps pilling upon you the more you go down.

Perhaps at some point being broken will seem like fate. And maybe it will be. It’s up to us to decide. We are strange creatures, at times even the tensest environments will paradoxically feel like home, given enough time and sufficient resignation. Would you trade in the certainty of discomfort in your daily life for an unknown level of pain? Most of us wouldn’t.

It may get boring after some time, to play it safe and manage the same stagnant self. Yes, you’re safe since you’ll know what happens, but is that what you want for yourself? To meekly patch up every time, only to keep breaking in the same stage?

Mediocrity.

Man, have I made this gloomy, huh?…

Well. Some of us choose to pick up the pieces and try again. It will take time and patience, to mend the self back to a point where it can get on track again. This is perhaps the right phrase to employ acceptance of where it is, and take the time to properly rebuild.

Joining with Gold

This is the basic principle underlying the Japanese concept of Kintsugi, or Kintsukuroi.

A metaphorical ideal originated through Zen Buddhism, Kintsugi refers to the repair of broken ceramic pots using a special paste made with gold, silver, or platinum powder. It literally means ‘to join with gold’ (tsugi – joining; kin – gold), and at no point may you mask the fact that it was broken, to begin with. So important is this motto, that even the veins resultant from the conjunction of the broken bits were purposefully protuberant so that another of the senses (tact) could participate in understanding the principle.

It’s related to another cannon of Zen thought called Mushin, which literally translates to ‘no mind’ and ascertains its main connotation of non-attachment and equanimity amid a changing environment.

The purpose is to make the object useful once again while exalting its fault lines as features worthy of merit.

Sen no Rikyū, a Buddhist monk is said to be the father of the Japanese Tea Ceremony

The concept belongs to a current of Zen called Wabi-Sabi, which cherishes simplicity and the importance of the flawed nature in the imperfect.

In the Namporoku (1690), a record of the written saying by Sen no Rikyū, when speaking of the idea of Wabi the tea master states: “There are those who dislike a piece when it is even slightly damaged; such an attitude shows a complete lack of comprehension.”

In fact, it is inherent to this way of understanding the world, seeing value in that which has a tint of experience. That object or person that has lived through a number of trials and challenges, gains a certain rustic ‘patina’ that reflects calm and insight. This is the essence of Sabi.

Origins

The practice’s origins are thought to date back to the Muromachi period of Feudal Japan (14^th and 15^th centuries).

One day the shogun’s favorite tea bowl broke. When it returned to the owner from being repaired, it left him agasp as it had been fixed with, what he felt were ugly metal staples.

He, therefore, charged his craftsmen to devise a more appealing method of repair. One which would honor the object.

The brushes used to apply Urushi are often made from rat hair, as they are finer and allow for greater precision in doing so

Eventually, they adapted a long-lived noble art in the Far East, the use of lacquerware for decorative purposes, a practice that had been in use in China for more than 1000 years.

Its descendant, named Urushi lacquer, is a paste produced from the raw sap of a Lacquer or Japanese Varnish tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum), which grows naturally in Eastern and Southeastern Asia.

This paste, in essence, a synthetic polymer made from natural materials, has the ability to absorb vibrations at a greater rate than the surrounding ceramics (vibrational damping). This in turn will translate into a decrease in stress experienced by the original material, and therefore help increase its life expectancy.

The stirring of the lacquer stabilizes the luster and thickness of the solution while helping to draw out moisture

The processing of the sap to produce the lacquer is, however, not without its downsides.

Not only are its fumes hazardous for humans, but the sap itself is poisonous and must be handled very carefully so that it will not endanger whoever is working with it.

In order to safely produce Urushi, the know-how of the craftsmanship has been safeguarded for many centuries and taken to unparalleled refinement.

In good Japanese fashion, mastery requires time, patience, and dedication.

The same ingredients are needed for individual growth.

Expansion by Paige Bradley

We tend to hide our flaws. It’s instinctive to not call attention to weakness.

What this concept and its underlying philosophy show us is that if approached with the method, the pain will always be able to nurture strength.

It’s quite a beautiful way to contemplate failure. Just a moment on the path to somewhere else. And this time you’ll be able to begin anew with a valuable scar as the step forward.

Whichever way you look at it, as a metaphor or literally, the pot is now of greater value.

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