Make Your Own Zen Garden

Zen is a term now often used (perhaps too often) in the culture of the West. The Japanese pronunciation of a Chinese word derived from Sanskrit, indicating consciousness following the meditative concentration. in a simplistic sense, one might say that Zen means meditation. The objective of this philosophy is reaching the stage of enlightenment (satori) that springs from the highest level of consciousness.

Zen doctrine was developed by various Buddhist schools which appeared first in China (from the VII century) and then in Japan (XII century). The period of Zen (Chan in Chinese) has entered the West just a little time, fascinating the intellectuals, led by the famous philosopher Carl Jung.

A Japanese garden is to represent the universe and its elements: fire – in the form of flashlights (columns) of stone or iron, earth – in the form of stone and water, air, plants and animals in their natural forms. Japanese gardens are divided into two types: dry garden (without water) and those with lake, although the “dry” water exists in the form of small ponds or fountains.

The Alley of the garden, called in Japanese ROJI , is not only a functional item and is not only the entrance of the garden. It is a philosophical alley that separates the viewer, step by step, from the hectic and exhausting world of which he came. The stones of the alley are placed in a careful way and lead to irregularities more often indirectly, to hidden or obscure areas. The places where the path turns in one direction or another are popular and the visitor is tempted to stop and is, they represent, at another level the meditation periods of life .

The stones form in general the framework or the support structure of a Japanese garden and should be viewed as they were always there. Rugged stones suggests the mountain area and river stones, with fine and rounded surfaces are used in river beds or along riverbanks. The effect of the landscape elements are symbolic rather than realistic. For example, there is usually a lake or river island in the middle of the garden, which is the “island of eternal life” or Nirvana – a quiet place, outside time and space.

It can be represented by a turtle-shaped stone or a tree, symbols of longevity and a prosperous life. The stones which form an island are picked with a lot of attention, becoming the fulcrum for Zen meditation. Number of stones should not be even, because Japanese culture, general, avoid symmetry. The stones should be arranged according to their sensitivity, helping to remove the one that reflects the anxiety and daily stress. Should be well polished in nature, devoid of corners and arranged in such a way as to be viewed from any angle of the garden, positioned in the asymmetric groups.

The most famous Zen garden is one of Ryoan-ji, the temple in Kyoto , the work of an anonymous author. Garden, called “Garden of Toranko-watashi” is a composition of 15 stones / isles placed in a large white sand surrounded by a wall of clay.