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8. Zen Gardens - The Japanese Art of Gardening
from:The origin of Zen gardens landscaping has its base in Japan. Basically the warriors of Japanese samurai, who were the followers of Zen Buddhism, perfected the art of Zen gardens landscaping. They believed that by leading a simple and humble life they will achieve their way to enlightenment. The gardening skills of Zen priests were very developed and thus they developed Zen garden landscaping, which corresponds with their humility and also shows the power which nature possesses. Yin and Yang are the two essentials of any Zen garden. Yin and Yang are believed to be complimentary forces and either Yin or Yang is always present in each and every element of Zen gardens. The biggest challenge in creating a Zen garden is to create a balance between Yin and Yang. The important five elements of a Zen garden landscaping are space, plant, water, sand, and stones.
The most important part of any Zen garden is stones. Stones are considered as Yang elements and their placement in the garden as well as their size and shape have specific rules. Stones represent mountains and islands. Any stone can be characterized by their age and size. For designing a Zen garden landscape stones, which are horizontal or vertical, are used. Generally 3-5 stones are used to make a design.
Sand has Yin elements and in any Zen garden landscaping, water is represented by sand. Gravel is also used instead of sand. Gravel can be white or darker. White represents the Yin and darker gravel represents Yang.
The idea behind using plants is to create an aesthetic design in the garden. Pine trees are used quite often in Zen gardens because they can survive on low maintenance. Bamboo is also an important part of a Zen garden. Bamboo trees are invasive in nature so they are very carefully used in the design. Moss is also used if the climate is humid because moss grows really well if the climate is humid. Japanese maples in Zen garden landscaping represent life cycle.
In Zen gardens it is believed that the movement of water creates positive energy so water is always used in its natural shape. Water represents the Yin element and waterfalls are an integral part of Zen garden landscaping. Cluttered spaces are believed to be not good as they do not allow the flow of positive energy, so open spaces are a must in Zen gardens.
These days Zen gardens are a rage in the West. Zen gardens are environmental friendly as well as healthy for you, are low maintenance and easy to create. Besides they are believed to relax your body, soul and mind. Zen gardens created in small boxes also known as small Zen gardens are widely used in offices where stress levels are generally high.
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