|
|
 |
Japanese miniature rock gardens
|
|
|
Muso
Soseki, a Zen priest and poet known as the father of the
Zen rock garden, was born on the west coast of Japan in
1275, and died in 1351 in a temple on the outskirts of
Kyoto, where he had created one of his last rock
gardens.
This
inner contemplation and calm can lead to a fresh outlook
and clear mind. Like a restorative balm, Zen gardening
is an antidote to stresses of modern living.
A
Zen garden can create a feeling of space in your garden,
home or office - or impart a sense of order and a spirit
of tranquility and calm.
The gardens are a means
to discover the sources and strengths of our natural humanity
which, according to Zen teaching, is poised, calm, sincere
and capable of facing all matters in life with calmness
and perfect composure.
|
|
|
Zen
rock gardens both disarm and empower us.
They
are so radically different from all other gardens we know
that our usual responses must give way to deeper ones.
This
little Zen garden encourages you to create or just play.
It reflects your inner feelings through the designs and
patterns you rake. That
is when small things take on a bigger resonance, when
we have the chance to glimpse the meaning of the world
in a grain of sand, for it has been framed in majestic
simplicity. It
will bring stillness to your nerves, let your mind float,
sweeten your soul, or like a book reach down into some
deeper earthiness of your more secret nature.
Behind
this miniature garden lies centuries of disciplined striving
and spiritual development. For the Japanese it is an instrument
of meditation and relaxation - in the West it is regarded
as a stress reliever.
According
to Zen and Feng Shui beliefs, every corner of one’s
environment is important and deserves respect.
|
|
|
|
Your Zen garden can be
the beginning of a lifelong adventure of seeing things
in a new way. This garden may enable you to enter into a
tradition that goes as far back as 3000 B.C. and is as
near to you in time as your next thought or your next
perception. In the inner appreciation of the simplicity
of a miniature garden one has the ability to reduce all
complexities to a matter of sand and rocks.
To appreciate Zen gardens it is important to understand
why and how the elements used in them came to be of
importance to the Japanese.
They believe that not only was it beneficial to live in
a harmonious or well balanced environment, it also
promotes longevity.
|
|
Japanese
miniature rock gardens make the stress levels slip
away - promoting better health and well-being. |
|
|
| Top
of Page |
|
|
| © 2001 Zen
Garden.co.za |
| Web Site Maintenance - Fyre Interactive cc |
|
|
