Japanese Gardens - Contemplation Inspiring Meditation
The traditional Japanese garden is celebrated for its graceful beauty, from perfectly trimmed vegetation, serene tea houses mirrored in the reflection of the ponds, to the scent of blooming flowers that sway across the perfectly raked gravel in the Zen gardens. It is an art canvas employing simplicity to reflect balance that inspires mindfulness for the observer.
The weaving of the natural elements and carefully developed landscapes invite calm and peace into the visitor’s inner and outer worlds. Influenced by cultural, religious and philosophical ideas, these diverse gardens have a deep history that date back thousands of years.
Weaving of the elements
Japanese gardens are living art and poetry in motion, achieving a beautiful aesthetic by carefully marrying the elements to provide a meditative experience. Water symbolizes renewal, calm and continuity. Some gardens use elevation so that water can circulate in ponds and streams, purifying the air and inviting peace through sound. Water features are often situated using precise orientation to the sun so the reflection is optimized in the water.
Stones and rocks are symbols of duration and omnipresence of the forces of nature, the anchor of the garden to the earth invoking a sense of grounding and presence. Larger stones represent mountains and hills and smaller rocks line water features and paths. ‘Dry gardens’ which came from the introduction of Zen Buddhism, are constructed entirely of hand-picked rocks, chosen specifically to represent islands, mountains and hills, with raked gravel pathways flowing like rivers and waterways throughout.
Islands of all sizes are prominent in Japanese gardens, ranging in size from single rock formations to stand alone islands large enough to support buildings and pagodas. They often represent real islands or are imaged after turtles and cranes, which are symbols for health and longevity. One can find many references to Horai, which is a sacred mystical mountain that projects a perfect world in Taoism, welcoming an energy of balance and harmony to the landscape.
A variety of trees, shrubs, flowers, mosses and lawns are carefully arranged to be aesthetically pleasing, while manicured seamlessly to promote a sense of calm in the overall garden theme. Considerable attention is devoted to every corner of a Japanese garden, carefully bringing the elements together to create a serene experience.
Historical influence of religions
The Japanese garden tradition spans millennia, and has been heavily influenced by the varying cultural periods still reflected in modern times. Religion and spirituality can be seen in the garden architecture, and in Japan’s homegrown Shinto religion, there is an emphasis on nature worshiping with Gods being represented in natural elements like, rocks, bodies of water, trees, mountain and animals. The introduction of Buddhism in the 6th century, brought an influence of symbolism, minimalism, and mindfulness which used nature as a tool for meditative practices. Other Chinese cultural influences like feng shui, the concept of using energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment, also influenced the garden design. During the Kamakura & Muromachi period (1192-1573), Japanese monks brought Zen Buddhism from China to Japan, which had a great impact on garden philosophy. Gardens previously built for recreation, were now attached to temples for meditation and spiritual enhancement. Minimalism and simplicity were emphasized but still applied the same elemental features of prior periods.
Japanese gardens today borrow from all these genres to allow nature to facilitate an inner awakening that connects to a deeper part of ourselves. This atmosphere of contemplation inspires meditation-the more you observe the more you see, and equally the more you go inwards the more you let go of outer distractions. The Japanese garden is a reflection of the inner beauty and calm that can be found within us all, with a philosophy to carry with us as we tread along the garden pathways back into our daily lives.
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