Moss, bamboo & Buddha at http://www.zenideas.co.uk

Organic growth of a Zen Garden

Of course there are many alternatives to establishing a Zen area.
In fact infinite alternatives.... As many as in: the jewel of the eye of the lotus!

One might simply select a space that is to become a garden and clear unwanted, plants, bushes or objects.
Herein lies the intention and the rest will follow naturally.

Maintaining the cleanliness of the spot will then be a simple case of periodic maintenance / weeding.
By weeding, we mean paying attention to what is growing in our garden and removing what is unwanted, to create the perfect space.
A space which, when one spends time there, should leave one with a feeling of calmness, peace or bliss.

In establishing a Zen garden or area, or even space in your mind, we should have a clear intention as to this space, which needs preparation, cultivation and then attention.
I will be addressing these topics individually over the next few weeks.

Cleanliness in the above regard is important.
If you look at any Zen garden you will notice that the borders are clearly defined and that the areas have clean lines, shapes and areas.
It wouldn't do to have a pebbly area full of weeds, unwanted random plants or a sandy area untidy or a murky pond or a clouded mind.
So you can see that continuous maintenance and supervision will be needed to accomplish this clean area, free of leaves, weeds or dust.

Medtronic Patent Garden

Designed by oslund.and.assoc., this little courtyard garden uses pure, powerful forms and abstract symbolism to achieve a sense of calm contemplation as well as celebrating the collective achievement of the company's researchers.

Detail of the Corten wall, mediating between the hard and soft surfaces of the garden space.

A simple Zen garden concept is that of using contrasting or different sizes and textures / materials, to divide areas.
Examples are sand and pebbles, gravel and large stones/ pebbles, bamboo and grass, short grass and leafy long grass.

Welcome to our new blog spot.

We have seen the need for a continous idea page for zen gardens
and so have started this blog to generate and suggest ideas for your zen garden.

Please feel free to comment, suggest and submit your own ideas, pictures, links and achievments.

regards

zenideas.co.uk