Always display rocks to feature their best sides.īefore adding the gravel material, anchor the rocks by burying them under the ground so the rock looks like it is naturally emerging from the earth. Planting a naturally horizontal stone in a vertical position is the ultimate faux-pas in Zen garden, so taboo it is comparable to raising the dead into an upright position. Likewise stones with misshapen features are not desired. A stone that does not fit in will cause disharmony in the garden design. In nature there is usually a blend of vertical and horizontal stones of varying height. Smaller chips are more prone to shifting like sand, while larger chips retain raking lines longer.Ĭhoose a variety of rocks to be the central landscape features. Most Japanese Zen gardens use chipped limestone gravel, which is available in different sizes measured in millimeters, sometimes called mils or mm. Bricks and tiles are the most durable, but wood and other landscape edging will work too. The first step is to build a perimeter that will contain gravel at a depth of two inches. Even the smallest yard has room for an obelisk surrounded by raked limestone. Fortunately most properties have at least one level spot even if it is near the entrance, or back door. Zen gardens are almost always on a level site. Although formal Zen gardens rely on rules and historical styles, it’s possible for a home Zen garden to be any shape or size. Think of it like a tray or shallow sandbox that is filled with gravel. Many Asian landscaping relies on negative space for a calm, clean, and modern landscape.Ĭonstructing a Zen garden is easy. Psychologists have even studied the calming effect of Zen gardens, determining that the subconscious is able to see shapes, like trees, in the stones without being consciously aware. The Buddhist monks would sit in meditation rooms inside the temple viewing the garden in a state of calm. Other interpretations symbolize the soul, body, and heart.Īlthough tourists love to walk through and snap pictures, the original purpose of Zen gardens was for meditation. Often the largest rock represents the Buddha and the smaller rocks represent his disciples. Historically the Zen priests were the only ones who could interpret the secret meaning hidden in the placement and shape of the rocks. The placement and size of the rocks also has a secondary symbolic meaning. This element of change is what makes Zen gardens into a living landscape that is never totally finished. The beauty of the patterns is they continuously change, symbolizing waves and movement in the water. The raked patterns in the sand were traditionally made by the Zen priests who managed the temple and used the raking as can exercise in concentration. In a dry landscape the rocks becomes little islands of landmass in the sea symbolized by the sand or gravel. The key elements in a Zen garden are rocks and chip gravel or sand. The Zen garden at the Ryoanji Temple is easy to recognize by the long and skinny 3:1 rectangular layout. The dry landscape at Ryoanji is the quintessential Zen garden, surrounded by mid-height wall with an overhanging roof. The most famous and identifiable Zen garden is at the Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto, which was constructed in the 1400s. Like most things Japanese, there is a deep symbolism in all the elements of a Zen garden. These gardens are called Karesansui in Japanese, which literally translates to a dry landscape. Wouldn’t it be great to have one those novelty desktop Zen gardens right outside your window? Japanese Zen gardens are a tradition over seven hundred years old.
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