Zen Garden
Over the last 15 years, after seeing my first Zen Garden, I so resonated with this unique art form that originated, of course, in Japan, that I am still drawn to its images now. A Zen Garden, although questionably linked often to collective symbolism, is nonetheless art much as are Christian stain glass windows. However, there is not preset or doctrinal message that prescribe meaning to the Zen Garden as is done with sacred art in other practices.
Why Zen Garden?
This site is dedicated to bringing a shared reality to this art form. Although there may be many that will ascribe the “sacred” status to many aspects of Zen Gardens, there is certainly nothing contained therein that has any inherent meaning any more than a chalkboard has meaning unless one applies chalk. I believe this is the aspect of Zen, in and of itself, that has the most durable aspect of the enduring world’s spiritual blueprints. I believe that simplifying lives is the highest service that you can pay to yourself and others.
Lao Tsu and the Zen Garden
Many of you are aware of the Chinese sage known as Lao Tsu. As we have received the wisdom of Lao Tsu from China in sixth century B.C., it teaches us that we are to accept what is in front of us without wanting it to be other than it is. What is there more to say? Further on Lao Tsu’s mind he stated the following:
The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named is not the eternal name
The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth
The named is the mother of ten thousand things
Ever desire-less, one can see the mystery.
Ever desiring, one can see the manifestations.
These two spring from the same source but differ in name;
this appears as darkness
Darkness within darkness.
The gate to all mystery.
A Zen Garden is the embodiment of the mystery spoken by Lao Tsu. When it gets right down to it, there is really nothing to look at in a Zen Garden except rocks, sand, and occasionally some plants, put together with no particular apparent order. However, the timeless and spaceless aspect of the presentation brings out the more enduring in the observer.
You and Zen Garden
I love the language of Lao Tsu above. It basically says that anything worth worshiping needs no worship. And that anything requiring worship, will be a lot of work, but you will eventually see the beauty through the tension between the two. So, we can relax our reverence glands and enjoy what occurs for us as we experience all of what is brought to us in our lives.
This is what I hope may happen for you when you experience a Zen Garden for the first or successive time. Take a look at the picture at the top of this page for instance. Does it evoke for you something that has meaning only for you? It is indeed a blank slate onto which are projected many named and unnamed entities in our lives. There are many great Zen Gardens throughout the world and some of them will be shown in pages below.
I hope that you love this site as much I have enjoy creating it. Come often, bring only yourself.
