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2 articles, Last Updated 6/5/2009
Zen and Tranquility
They can fit in your hand or they can take up the area of a tennis court. There's more to this mystic art than meets the eye.
Of course, a zen garden doesn't have to consist of a sandbox and a rake. Any garden can be transformed into a place of serenity and tranquility.
The traditional zen garden was developed by Zen Buddhists and are seen within their meditation temples. Much larger than the typical zen gardens of commoners, these gardens feature an ever-changing landscape of trees and plants which change with the seasons and are carefully sculpted to provide the maximum in tranquility. The more common approach to the zen garden, at least in Western cultures, can be found sitting atop a coffee table or desk, and is usually small enough to be handheld. These mini-refuges of the mind can be a very effective way to unwind in high-stress times when zen feels miles away.
As the article below makes quite clear, a more traditional garden can be a place of zen too, with just a few alterations. Adding water to any landscape can be an enormously effective method of bringing tranquility to the area. Adding shrubbery to "wall out" the surrounding world can also bring a sense of zen in isolation. Simply put, any garden can be a zen garden if it brings the user serenity.
Gardening for Peace: Creating a Serene Landscape - You don't need sand to have a "zen garden."
The Zen Garden Aesthetic - Don't quite "get" the whole thing? Read this!
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