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Zen Landscaping
Celebrating Natural States
History
Zen gardens offer a mystical retreat into quiet refinement. Entering
the gates creates opportunities leaving all one’s concerns behind,
relaxed while worries simply vanish. The meandering paths offer
impressionistic treasures that propel gliding tranquil expressions. The
Far East garden mood provides natural order of heaven and earth,
balanced by elements “Yin & Yang”. An ordinary person can have an
extraordinary experience discovering groundedness and reassurance.
The first Zen gardens were believed to be
orchestrated by Shinto's. Even though Shintoism was not a written
order, its ways was through living art of landscape. Shinto’s approach
to landscape became an universal expression to warmly inviting
outsiders. The garden space of stillness calms the mind so it can open
the imagination and liberally free oneself no matter anyone’s
orientation.
A garden theme purpose promotes vitalizing
of one's being and reminds living in immortality. In fact, Shinto's
viewed all things as living, therefore include every material aspect in
staging detail. Shinto's expressions were designed to promote deep
contemplation for vitally to rise an ethereal like experience. This
elusory experience of protruding rocks were believed to pulsate a
masculine "CHI" to feel "Qi" (known as vital breath), acquiring spirit
of Zen. The spotted rocks represent an ancient folklore "Sacred String
of Islands" that brings immortality and longevity. The symbol of the
classic red arched bridge fuses gaps within the crossing seas of
islands. This "cross-over" theme within islands was believed to string
a unifying awareness of transitioning separate worlds.
It was not until later around 6th century
that Zen landscaping begin evolving for the purpose of enhancing
worship. Zen priests use the fluid medium of dry landscape,,
"Karesanui", to better enhance their ways of being. These Zen gardens
transform easy into meditation for practicing monks. At nights, they
would move the candle lit lanterns from the temples into the gardens so
to appreciate evening open skies. As an semi-outdoor meeting hall, a
Tea Room was staged with a waiting bench for the purpose of spiritual
ceremonies in the garden. Whether for spiritual or art, today the
classic expressions of these gardens allows everyone to appreciate the
impressions these environments served, echoed through timeless years.
Methods
There are no methods or rules to garden planning other than trusting
intuitive spirit of meditation with design. If it feels great, then it
promotes the vital source to balance of well-being. Creating comfort as
a restorative theme is easily accomplished through means of backdrops.
These scenery's optimally frees the spirit as it allows one to drop all
negativity and disturbance so contemplation is grounded in presence.
Simplistically, as far as choosing design elements, what you leave out
is more important than what you leave in. Letting go of classic
European gardening rules or any other hindered references will
eventually free the mind and allow clean-slated reference in design.
The goal is to provide an honest theme of palatable materials conducive
to the surrounding. These include materials that are mostly indigenous
in type. Plant material can authentically be chosen based on climate of
area, aware with environmental aspects and honoring limited water
resources where applicable.
Landscaping may quietly be ornamented with accessories that splash and
punctuate garden zenergy. Using concrete lanterns, arched bridges,
stupas, bamboo ladles, and forged metal bells personalize space to
contribute with the theme. Even indigenous rocks can be sculptured by
leaving impressionistic chisel marks delivered by the human hand.
Calligraphic carvings and chiseled stone monuments offer crude
groupings thta comlementary mix modern with ancient contemporary art
forms. Through time, letting all landscape accessories weather
naturally and developed green moss carpet offers a soft velvet-like
feel.
Fencing materials can be tethered bamboo
pieces of different assortments of flats and rounds that can bring
implied boundaries, lines and textures of interest. At smaller spaces,
adjusting fence heights with false accentuated vanishing points at
opposite corners give gardens a sense of larger space while natural
carved hedge liners become a lower profile to frame space without
making it closed or forbidden.
Water basins, ponds and streams add tranquility and purity by both
sound and visual form. Having a fishpond adds to the ecosystem while
drawing visual attention. Taking account with gravity, water cascading
from top shelves offers different sound variations from an aggressive
sheet flow down to a subtle trickle. Such acoustic design variations
can be manipulated as water drop sounds range from babbling, splash,
gargling, pattering, etc.,, Where water is not possible, dry waterfall,
dry river and dry ponds can be sculptured into a static softscape, then
sound added by an obscured speaker system. Other sources that emulate
water dynamics are wind chimes or selecting trees which leaves glitter
to brisk of winds. Even playing with the shade and light beams through
canopy of trees generate feel of flickering water as the dappled
impressions of dark to light dance in contrast within settings of Yin
and Yang. Using rain gutters and rain chains to cascade into stone
troughs also add seasonal tranquil sounds
Plant elements can offer a spirit all their own. The subtle and simple
palette of planting materials can give gardens micro illusion that
bloom into the macro world naturally all through exercising scale. The
trimming of soft sensuous masses of bushes could offer a cloud like
feel. Perhaps on less dense shrubbery, the exposed base limbs can be
trimmed emulating a miniature forest so to create depth and distance
backdrop for composition. Conerfours trees have dignity aura with their
pointed needles reaching the ground to sky. These trees reverend
longevity, endured through time as believed in surviving thousands of
years. As in "Bonsai" tying bamboo splines to small bushes exhilarate
time of an old weathered contorted coniferous tree, assimilating
expressions of surviving heavy gusted winds. Also, accenting with
bamboo shoots may mask unwanted visual surroundings from neighboring
yards. .
Contact: John Salat at freeingwinds@earthlink.net or call 949-235-4847