Spirit of Zen outdoors

Many people like gardening to relax. Many more like gardens to relax in. There is nothing quite like a beautiful, well tended garden to fill you with peace and serenity. Gardens create the sensation that there is a protective layer between you and the rest of the world and that nothing can penetrate it without your express approval. Japanese gardens are particularly good at creating that stillness and that atmosphere of reflection. They are hard work to design and even harder work to create but the rewards are boundless.

It is commonly thought that Japanese gardens are designed as tranquil getaways that allow you to escape from the chaos of life, but the fact is that they are designed for many purposes. It is true that most are designed for quiet contemplation and meditation but some are meant for recreation, or for displaying rare plants or unusual rocks.

There are different types of gardens Kaiyu-shiki or Strolling Gardens, which contain a premeditated path, which takes observers through each unique area of the garden so that it can be fully appreciated. Uneven surfaces are used to catch the eye so that you will look at particular points. Ornamentation is used, which when seen, is designed to enliven and revive the spirit. This type of design is known as the landscape principle of “hide and reveal”.

Other landscape gardens can be categorised into three types: Tsukiyama Gardens or Hill Gardens, Karensansui Gardens or Dry Gardens and Chaniwa Gardens or Tea Gardens.
Tsukiyama Gardens: refers to the creation of artificial hills, they vary in size and in the way in which they can be viewed. Small gardens can be viewed from one viewpoint, while larger gardens may be best experienced by walking a path i.e. the strolling gardens mentioned above. These garden use ponds, streams, hills, stones, trees, flowers, bridges and paths to create a mini reproduction of a famous landscape in either China or Japan.

Karensansui Gardens are often used for meditation, as they are strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism. They also reproduce natural landscapes but in a more abstract way, by the use of stones, gravel, sand and occasionally moss. These represent mountains, islands, boats, seas and rivers.

Chaniwa Gardens are built for the tea ceremony. They contain a tea house and are designed according to the aesthetic simplicity of sado – tea ceremony. Typical features of these gardens include stepping stones leading towards the house, stone lanterns and a stone basin – tsukubai – so that guests are able to cleanse themselves before the ceremony.

Traditionally the Japanese believe that stones are beings with spirits that need to be treated with reverence. They are used to create paths, bridges and walkways and are used to represent mountains. They are placed in odd numbers and most of the groupings are triangular in shape.

There are no fountains in traditional Japanese gardens because they believe that a water source should appear to be a part of the natural surroundings. They build their streams with curves to create a serene and more natural appearance. You will often find lanterns next to prominent water basins to represent the female and male elements of water and fire or yin and yang. Some gardens contain a dry pond or stream; this is because they have just as much impact as ones filled with water.

Japanese gardens contain three elements, stones, water and green plants. According to Japanese tradition, gardens contain little colour so there are very few colourful flowers. If there are colourful flowers, they are usually found near the entrance to the garden.

Japanese gardens are hugely popular internationally. There are experts on Japanese gardens in virtually every country in the world. But consider that some Japanese Gardens have been in existence for centuries. They have withstood weather, war and all manner of other human follies. There is only one nation that has the right to call themselves experts on their own tradition of gardening and they don’t have the audacity to do that. They still spend years learning their trades from the masters, guarding their secrets, carefully studying and adding what they can to the knowledge base. They remain students their entire lives and take pride in it.

Recommended Sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_garden
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2099.html