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A review by anusha_reads
The Power of Chowa: Finding Your Balance Using the Japanese Wisdom of Chowa by Akemi tanaka
4.0
THE POWER OF CHOWA, AKEMI TANAKA
Invigorating and insightful, I feel energised when I read books on Hygge, Lykke, and Ikigai and now it is about Chowa. I love these concepts and no matter how old one is there is always something we learn from other's experiences and life, be it traditions, customs, or a way of life. In this book, Akemi Tanaka talks about Chowa, while quoting examples from the Japanese tradition and customs and her life. Chowa is a Japanese word which means the pursuit of harmony or the search for balance, a way of life.
The author talks about how humans splurge mindlessly, eat without thinking, and live without finding harmony within themselves and with others, and she talks about being mindful. It can be as simple as aligning your shoes in the direction of the door, so that you easily wear them and walk out, or a complex process of climate change.
It talks about people’s greedy urge to buy more and more particularly clothes etc. Helping people to find themselves, which not only is about living in harmony with others but is also a mutual mood elevator.
The Author has given sweet anecdotes from her life which are quite interesting and motivating.
I was enamoured by the term ‘ITADAKIMASU’ which somewhat means I humbly receive this food with respect. In this world where there are so many poor people, wasting food is a sin! Eating food with gratitude is a beautiful gesture, the food changes hands from the farmer to the seller to the cook and finally satiates our hunger.
Another phrase that I found interesting was ‘MONO NO AWARE’ – “an empathy towards all things”
SHO-YOKU, CHI-YOKU: small desire, wise sufficiency. She says less desire leads to satisfaction, which i totally agree.
“ICHIGO ICHIE”- a term that encapsulates the transient nature of things. She gives an example of a Japanese tea house and says that every meeting with people is special and that moment never returns, which is true. It is like reading a book for the first time and how many times we wish we could go back to that moment. So basically we must enjoy every moment of our life.
I feel some words are not the same when translated. This transformed word loses its beauty as compared to the original one.
Every culture has something unique to teach us. Indian and Japanese cultures exhibit intriguing parallels despite their distinctiveness, be it respect for tradition, spirituality, family values, rich heritages or cuisines.
This is a book for anyone who needs life lessons!
Invigorating and insightful, I feel energised when I read books on Hygge, Lykke, and Ikigai and now it is about Chowa. I love these concepts and no matter how old one is there is always something we learn from other's experiences and life, be it traditions, customs, or a way of life. In this book, Akemi Tanaka talks about Chowa, while quoting examples from the Japanese tradition and customs and her life. Chowa is a Japanese word which means the pursuit of harmony or the search for balance, a way of life.
The author talks about how humans splurge mindlessly, eat without thinking, and live without finding harmony within themselves and with others, and she talks about being mindful. It can be as simple as aligning your shoes in the direction of the door, so that you easily wear them and walk out, or a complex process of climate change.
It talks about people’s greedy urge to buy more and more particularly clothes etc. Helping people to find themselves, which not only is about living in harmony with others but is also a mutual mood elevator.
The Author has given sweet anecdotes from her life which are quite interesting and motivating.
I was enamoured by the term ‘ITADAKIMASU’ which somewhat means I humbly receive this food with respect. In this world where there are so many poor people, wasting food is a sin! Eating food with gratitude is a beautiful gesture, the food changes hands from the farmer to the seller to the cook and finally satiates our hunger.
Another phrase that I found interesting was ‘MONO NO AWARE’ – “an empathy towards all things”
SHO-YOKU, CHI-YOKU: small desire, wise sufficiency. She says less desire leads to satisfaction, which i totally agree.
“ICHIGO ICHIE”- a term that encapsulates the transient nature of things. She gives an example of a Japanese tea house and says that every meeting with people is special and that moment never returns, which is true. It is like reading a book for the first time and how many times we wish we could go back to that moment. So basically we must enjoy every moment of our life.
I feel some words are not the same when translated. This transformed word loses its beauty as compared to the original one.
Every culture has something unique to teach us. Indian and Japanese cultures exhibit intriguing parallels despite their distinctiveness, be it respect for tradition, spirituality, family values, rich heritages or cuisines.
This is a book for anyone who needs life lessons!