Zen Gardening for Not-So-Zen People

The Nature of Zen

If you love the idea of Zen, but can’t fathom taking hours to create endless sand patterns, understanding a bit about the philosophy behind Zen will help you choose the right items for your Zen garden. What is Zen? Where did Zen come from? Why would you want Zen in your garden?

Quite literally, the word “Zen” means “meditation.” Zen is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism that is centered upon achieving enlightenment through meditation. Therefore, all things that are considered “Zen” are meant to help a person gain inner insight and tranquility.

By creating a garden space that incorporates elements of Zen, you may just find that inner peace you have always been searching for. Or, in the very least, you may just discover another way to turn your garden into a harmonic haven.

Elements of Zen

When you think of calm, what do you think of? Japanese Zen gardens incorporate lots of rocks, stones, and sand, but not much else. For these Zen gardeners, minimalist landscapes are the epitome of Zen. You can incorporate some of these elements into your garden too, though it’s also fun to add a modern twist.

Here are some of the things that you can do to add a touch of Zen to your garden:

1 of 3

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Michele W.

12:24PM PDT on May 26, 2012

Thank you

send a green star

jessica w.

10:35AM PST on Jan 12, 2012

thanks

will w.

1:49AM PDT on Oct 9, 2011

peace be with you

dve d.

1:00AM PDT on Oct 8, 2011

if you say so

Elizabeth O.

1:15PM PDT on Oct 6, 2011

Useful information.

mary r.

9:49PM PDT on Oct 2, 2011

Great idea, Thanks for sharing.

Freya H.

1:47PM PDT on Sep 30, 2011

Bummer! No room!

David N.

7:47AM PDT on Sep 28, 2011

Thanks for the article.

Harry L.

12:12PM PDT on Sep 27, 2011

ROCKS, STONE, SAND, WATER, AND A BRIDGE ARESOME OF THE BASIC MAKINGS OF A ZEN GRDEN. WITH THIS SIMPLICITY, I TYHINK IT WOULD BE A REALLY GOOD PLACE TO MEDITATE AND TRY TO REACH SOME ENLIGHTENMENT!!!!

Shalvah L.

4:17AM PDT on Sep 27, 2011

Will file for when I have the land for one. I do like bright colours, maybe I'll have two gardens...