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Zen Gardens
Zen gardens are not designed to excite the senses in the way that Western plots do, but are
places for the spirit to find peace and tranquility in which to grow. Zen Buddhism requires
that every task is performed with love-and it is the love and care that is put into them that
gives them a serene and kindly atmosphere. "Zen" means meditation, and gardens that have been
designed along Zen principles are places where contemplation, prayer, and meditation are
possible, and encouraged. All of these involve mindfulness, which involves positive thinking
in daily activities.
The aim of the Zen garden is to create a perfect harmony of yin and yang. Everything in the
universe is influenced by these two forces; yin is the feminine, dark, negative, cold aspect
of nature, while yang is the masculine, light, positive, active, hot aspect. All things can be
divided into either yin or yang, although everything contains an element of the other since
neither can exist alone.
In a Zen garden, there is water and land. Water is yin and land is yang. In a dry garden,
the raked gravel or sand represents water and the rocks represent islands or mountains.
Without understanding the importance and symbolism of sand and rocks in a Zen garden, many
discount karesansui, or dry sand and rock gardens. In fact, this type of garden has an
emotional and spiritual depth rarely found in most gardens today. To be enjoyed and understood
to the full, a very different mental, emotional, and even physical approach from that used to
appreciate a typical garden is needed.
The art of the gardener is to create a garden in which
the two elements are in perfect balance. It is because the gravel or sand in a dry garden
represents water that it is raked into patterns. These patterns are not abstract, but indicate
the ripples or waves of water lapping around the island rocks. Those gardens that incorporate
shrubs (which not all of them do) use azaleas, cut-leaf maples, conifers and bamboos to
represent land, or yang. Moss is sometimes used as a substitute for yin, water.
Although all of this makes the creation of a true Zen garden a challenging task, there is
still one more factor to consider. The finished garden must celebrate nature, and even
transcend it if possible. Understanding of this type of garden requires a change of attitude.
It challenges one to answer the question, "what is a garden?" The intent is to encourage new
ideas, embrace different concepts, and "think outside of the box", but mostly relax, enjoy,
and be happy.
Namaste' (in honor of the divine within you)
Footnote:
Mahayana Buddhists are one type of Buddhists. They honor the death of Buddha on February l3,
a festival called Nirvana Day. For them, this is not a day of sadness, but a time to remember
that Buddha moved from one state of being to the next. It is an observance of tranquility and
evolution. Most gardens (and gardeners!) continue to be a work in progress; changing with the
seasons, the universe, and ourselves. What better way to celebrate a new beginning, than with
a festival of simple serenity?
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