Spirituality and Religion in Japanese Gardens
Lee_ME
19 years ago
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LouisWilliam
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agoHerb
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Who killed Japanese garden forum?
Comments (46)Yama and others, I hope you will start this forum anew. I would like to have a small Japanese garden area in my backyard, but I don't know where to start. I am originally from Hawaii but now reside in Kansas. Needless to say, the plants are very different. I am quite accustomed to Asian styles and would love to begin a small Japanese garden. I will keep checking back to see if this is still alive. I do have many healthy peonies. Alas, my Japanese Maple of nearly ten years had to be removed this past year. We had a late killing frost last year and it was lost along with apples and peaches and all the peonies. The frost was unexpected so no one could prepare. A tragedy....See MoreThe Modern Japanese Garden
Comments (26)So what's the real issue here. I wonder if it is connected to a loss of spirituality (or perhaps unacceptance of forgeign spiritualities) in the West(I dare, say American Society) This distain and attitude to Japanese spirituality has grown and been seeded by a segment of the Western population. An abvious case is JOJG. They have consistantly knocked the existance of Zen, spirituality and religious beliefs. To the point of denying factual history and its' obvious influence on the Japanese arts. This spirituality is also feared, misunderstood and under fire in Japan. Perhaps one of the main reasons being, is how the leadership used religion to con the population during the last world war (1933 - 1945 in Japanese years). There is more to this though, and not the question here. But why is there such an overt anti Western move against Japanese spiritualism. What is Douglas Roth, editor of JOJG and others so afraid of. Is it connected to pedifile priests and a breakdown of the local beliefs, forgeign terrorists cloacked in perverse spirituality, a fear of facing oneself, or just a simple I don't get it, so its' bad. Gerald...See MoreAnimism in the Japanese garden?
Comments (7)Hi It is sad that Jgarden forum is not active anymore. I answer to your post. Instead of Japanese style garden, I am writing about Japanese garden. Instead of scientifcly I write histrical fact of Japanese garden. It may take for awhile to answer or replay to all of your opinion /thought. I will try one by one. Most of you have christianty background. In past gw Jgarden reader din't like talk about relegion in Japanese garden forum. Unlike any other form of garden in the world, Japanese garden had relegion in jgarden. Garden was created becourse of Buddhism , particularly Puueland buddhism in beginig. Garden was created according 3 main sutra of pureland sutras. Zen was there too but zen as part of all Buddhism schools and had nothing much to do until 1200's. Zen sect was created as independent sect. All buddhist practice zen either zen secet shools or not. Whereever Buddhism is zen is always there. just matter of what line of buddhism. One of old sutra" Braman net sutra" said everything has Buddha's natutre. insect, bird, annimal , human or a peice of twig or stone. Japanse garden was created by concept based on Buddhism sutras. Not one but 3000 or so sutras and some rule of Sanga/temple and monk and comentary of hi priest are also part of sutras . all togather Buddhism has about 7,000 of sutras. While you are judging everthing about Japanese garden baseed on your christiany mind, many things are hard to understand. When Buddhism came to Japan in mid 500's officialy( Buddhism came to Japan probably long before) Some Korean Monks Chinese monks brought other thins same time. aslo before Buddhism came to Japam there was also Shinto was already there. You have mentioned about sanzon seki( seki= stone). There are 3 sets of sanzon seki. One has great influense of jodo shu/ pureland buddhism and Shingon sect and Buddhism general. There are many other buddhism schools at the time. Many stone have name of diety of Hindo gods and Buddhism god. All based on story in sutras. Most Today's top landscape archtect never read sutras, gardeners who are working on Japanese garden never read sutra and don't know manythings explaind in mordan gardening books. Most Japanese can't read sutras , Korean can't read sutras even Chinese can't read sutra even written in Chinese. They,chinese can pronance chinese characters in sutra, but most of Chinese can't understan meaning. Because Sanskrit word were pasted in Chinese sutras unless so that they learn buddhism systematicly and study sansakrit, it is hard to understand sutras. It is not easy as Bible. It is enought for today ^^. most peoples who post and questions, they are not intrested deep root of Japanese garden. sunset book, Ortho book, or some one spend few day or weeks in Japan and took class and write book about Japanese garden by his /her limited knowleg. Also Many website informations are wrong, inacurate. Some of you took wrong,inacurate information else where and making judgement or think Japanese garden based on those wrong,inacurate information. Peoples who had different opinion and express he/her opinion is ok as long as he/her can provide histrical facts.. If I din't bord you, I will write again later days. Please forgive my poor English. yama...See MoreInnovation in the Japanese garden
Comments (22)Inky, I think I'm going to have to take issue with your description of the sand cone at Ginkakuji as "tacky" and closely related to seaside sand castles, although you seem to be right in describing them as having little to do with Zen. [Disclaimer: the following is based on what I, a Westerner, have read in various sources in English, and probably reflects the inaccuracies and misunderstandings endemic to studying any subject at such a remove.] If I understand this correctly, the truncated sand cone at Ginkakuji (known officially as the Moon-Reflecting Mound) has a specific purpose - it is only in the cone configuration when the Emperor in not in the garden. When an Imperial visit is scheduled, the sand is raked out flat for the Emperor to walk upon. Some Shinto ceremonies are associated with this (the job of being Emperor of Japan seems to include a great deal of performing Shinto ceremonies). A few other gardens, including Daisen-en, use pairs of pointed cones of white sand, and I have read that those in Shinto shrines are periodically raked out flat in order for certain ceremonies to take place on them. In between ceremonies or Imperial visits, the sand is raked together to keep it from being walked on by those less venerated and on less lofty pursuits. The Japanese tendency towards tidiness and order is based in Shinto ideals of purity - it seems almost blasphemous to say that cleanliness could be so far dissociated as to be merely "next to" Shinto Godliness. (This evocation of purity is also why *white* sand is used.) I dont know why a cone particularly, except, as Liviu has noted, what other shape are you going to rake a sand pile into? [Since the natural angle of repose of sand and molten lava are not that different, a sand cone will resemble a volcanic cone.] Note that, while the ceremonies are religious, they are Shinto rather than Zen Buddhist. These two different religions co-exist, and are practiced side-by-side by the majority of the Japanese population, but are essentially quite different in nature. For example, the Emperor of Japan perhaps can be viewed as being to Shinto what the Pope is to Roman Catholicism, or possibly even what the Prophet Mohammed is to Islam (Until 1946,the Emperor was officially considered divine, the Japanese title "Tenno" translating better perhaps as "Godking" than "Emperor". In the aftermath of WWII, official divinity was dropped, leaving the matter for each individual to decide for himself). But, as I understand it, to Buddhism His Imperial Majesty Akihito is no more or less than another soul rolling the great wheel of reincarnation along the path to enlightenment, not entirely unlike you or me. Thus, as a non-Shintoist, I would consider it not my place to determine whether GinkakujiÂs Moon-Reflecting Mound is "tacky". Neither would I, as a non-Catholic, venture an opinion on whether the Popemobile should have tailfins or not; nor would I, as a non-Buddhist, comment on how often the Dalai Lama should shave his head :) However, I feel perfectly free to judge whether I would want a similar (but non-sacred) sand cone in my garden (I wouldnÂt; it just doesnÂt do that much for me aesthetically). And IÂd probably feel just fine about deciding whether such a sand cone was "tacky" in your garden :) But (at the dreadful risk of criticizing the etiquette of another poster on the forum) I donÂt really feel itÂs within my, or any other non Shintoist's, purview to make that judgment about GinkakujiÂs Moon-Reflecting Mound. (I'm assuming that you're not Shinto, Inky. If you are, please ignore all of the above:) - Evelyn PS: Bambooo, I'd love to see how you'd make the square corners on a pyramid with those round cobblestones :)...See MoreJohn_D
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agoLee_ME
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