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Nicole Antonacci
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64876-550-6 | eBook ISBN: 978-1-64876-718-0
R0
maman, Natasha Fleury,
And to my Zen teacher, Shinge Roshi
CONTENTS
W elcome to Zen Garden for Beginners . From learning to create your own peaceful space to exploring an array of meditative garden designs together, I look forward to sharing the knowledge necessary for you to build your own exquisite Zen garden. You may have picked up this book because you find Zen garden design intriguing, or you may be interested in deepening your Zen practice through gardening. You may simply want to learn how to create a peaceful space to enjoy. All of these, and others, are good reasons for you to learn about, appreciate, and engage in this creative art form.
Zen gardens rose in popularity during the past century and now can be found not only in Japan but all over the world. Although many are still created to accompany temples and monasteries in the traditional fashion, Zen gardens are now also found in homes and botanical gardens alike. In the West, the terms Zen garden and Japanese garden have been used interchangeably, but they are not always the same thing. A Zen garden is a type of Japanese garden, but not all Japanese gardens are Zen gardens. In this book, Zen garden will refer to a Zen karesansui, or dry landscape garden, more commonly known in the West as a rock garden.
My name is Alexandra, although people in the Zen community know me as Rysen, which is my Dharma name. For the past year, I have lived exclusively in Zen communities, first at a monastery and now at a city temple. In these environments, I have been able to devote myself fully to practicing Zen. During my stay at the monastery Dai Bosatsu Zendo, I worked on maintaining the Zen garden and grew fascinated by its meditative space.
There, I was also given an officer role, which involved a few responsibilities. One of these was to play the Han, a wooden instrument hit with a mallet in a specific pattern. I played this instrument every day, three times a day, even on my one day off from the strict monastic schedule we followed. To access the instrument, I had to exit the building and walk along the deck situated alongside the meditation hall overlooking the Zen garden.
It was in these early mornings, when all was still quiet except for the timid songs of the first spring birds and the sound of my mallet hitting the wood, that I became enchanted by the stone landscape that lay before me. Before then, I had never been especially attracted to rock gardens, but as I watched the sun rise and illuminate the stones, I could not help but observe it in awe. On my days off, I sat on the cold wooden deck after playing the morning Han. Mesmerized, I solemnly watched the rising sun drizzle shadows and streaks of warm light on the waves of the gravel that I had raked myself. Watching the light and shadows dance on the gravel, I felt as if I were watching the passage of time itself. Each passing moment felt more precious and fleeting than the last, and in astonishment I observed the garden and the minutes go by. These copper-colored images of the Zen garden have crystallized in my memory and fed my excitement for writing this book, in the hope that others may share the meditative stillness that can come when you take time to truly look at the rocks.
In the pages that follow, I will first introduce the history and philosophy of Zen gardens. We will examine different elements of both traditional and contemporary Zen garden designs. With this understanding of the tradition of Zen gardens and how they have changed over the years, we will explore the different elements that may appear in the gardens, as well as information on pricing for you to start considering which features may be appropriate for your project. You will be given a lot of options that you will be able to choose from, no matter your budget. Finally, you will learn about the necessary steps for planning and building your garden, as well as practices you can follow to enjoy and maintain your space.
This book caters to beginners, and you need no prior experience in Zen, in gardening, or in Zen gardening to complete these projects. The variety of designs, traditional and contemporary, accommodate a multitude of budgets and garden sizes. Even a patio or balcony can become the home of a Zen garden, so do not be intimidated if you have only a small amount of space to work with.
Creating a Zen garden can enhance your yard or outdoor space and give you a tranquil space to retreat to, but it can offer you even more. Every step of creating your Zen garden, from researching rocks native to your region to drawing sketches for your space to raking your gravel in patterns, can be a deeply meditative and rewarding practice that integrates body and mind.
