Komorebi — Seek the light
Imagine that you are walking through a forested area in the daytime. As you are passing through the tall dense trees, you suddenly come across a bright beam of sunlight passing through the leaves and branches, throwing a shaft of light all the way through to the forest floor.
This is Komorebi, a Japanese word that means the sunlight filtering through the leaves of trees. There is no equivalent word in English that captures the essence of this word. Komorebi has a wider connotation than just the literal meaning of the phrase. It is not just about the beam of sunlight but also about the interesting interplay of light and shadow amidst the leaves.
Furthermore, Komorebi is about the feeling, not just the sight. For speakers of Japanese, the word evokes a beautiful, warm and silent mental image of a pleasurable natural setting, with the sparkling rays of sunlight dispelling the shadows cast by the trees.
The concept of Komorebi reminds us to look for positivity in little things that can help dispel the shadows of doubt or anxiety. In every situation that appears grim and dark, there are little bright spots that can make the situation more tolerable. Komorebi is about finding those little shafts of light and pausing to get re-energised, before going on.
Western philosophy tells us that there is light at the end of the tunnel. In a very interesting contrast, Komorebi reminds us to find those thin shafts of light in between, while passing through the dark tunnel. Life is a journey, not a destination. Komorebi nicely highlights the point that very often in our mindless pursuit of the light at the end of the tunnel, we fail to recognise many little beams of light that have already passed by.
Very often, we put things off for another day and make conditional promises to ourselves and others…”I will take up painting after I retire from my job”, “Let the children grow up, then I will travel the world”. The recent pandemic has challenged many of these delusions, with people waking up to the reality that the here-and-now matters most, and there is no guarantee of the afterward. We have heard of the new wave of pandemic home chefs and pandemic gardeners, fueled by a passion to explore new interests while being forced to stay indoors.
Komorebi is about weaving your passions into your daily life, learning to look for the light while passing through the shadows, and having faith that each little shaft of light will continue to light up your path.
Life is too short to be lived in the shadows. It’s the little things that give life its magic — the earthy fragrance that comes with the first rain shower, the melodious tones of the cuckoo bird in the morning, the sound of the waves breaking on the beach, or the beam of sunlight cutting through the forest.
Let’s open our hearts and minds to fully experience each moment of every day, shining the light to highlight the perfections in ourselves and others.