Looks can often be deceiving! Looking at this garden you would think it was in China, but you would be mistaken. This is the Chinese Garden of Friendship in Sydney, Australia. It is a small garden space and a nice spot is you have an hour or two to sit and explore.
This interior is dominated by the Chinese scholar’s rock. These rocks are usually placed in Chinese gardens, but this one is placed here inside. These rocks were meant (to my understand) as a contemplation focus. A place to undoubtedly gaze upon natural beauty and use quite to bring insight. This is he interior of this fantastic building on the outskirts of Yuyuan Garden.
A quick photo for today. I took this in Jardin Majorelle in Marrakesh, Morocco. I was surprised to find how incredibly splendid the gardens are in Morocco. I love touring gardens (not gardening myself) and this one was absolutely an interesting place!
I have come to realize something about myself in this life. I deeply appreciate and love gardens. I love nature in general, and find a peaceful place where I can still my mind as I wander the natural world. I also realized I deeply dislike the actual art of gardening (and I strongly believe this is an art form). This is something I gave year after year of effort too when Pamela and I purchased our home, but the older I become, the more I realize you need to spend more time doing the things you love, and less time doing the things you do not love. That seems like common sense, but for so many of us, such a difficult thing to master. I know I was deeply moved by the gardens at Tenryu-ji, but raking this zen garden is not the same as communing with it.
This beautiful little scene was waiting quietly for us one hot May afternoon. It was a welcome respite from the blazing sun and a serene spot to sit and contemplate. When you find spots that seem like a gift, this can be a great time to stop, and smell the proverbial roses, metaphorically or in this case the real thing!
From the deep cold darkness the lotus awakens. It’s beauty perhaps only surpassed by it’s journey and determination to survive, to blossom. It fights to spend what time it has in the glory of the sun. It grows to sway in the gentle warm breeze. I can see why Buddhists find such inspiration in this, beautiful little flower.
You cant miss this river stone walkway. The moment you step foot on it, you notice the irregularity…its more natural feel. You notice the uneven-ness of nature, but you also know it is anything but natural. This fits perfectly with the way I feel about Chinese gardens in general. It always seems to me the Chinese are looking for some harmony and connection with nature (in their gardens), but it’s always seems a more “perfected” nature, taking the good, discarding the bad…molding to find a perfect form. This is neither good nor bad, and only my interpretation which is course is always changed itself.
Another Chinese garden design element. This window at YuYuan Garden in Shanghai is another example of those great natural forms that Chinese artists bend to their will.
Chinese gardens are dizzying places full of zigzag paths, raised stairs, many, many buildings…it all leads to confusion. Their path madness is said to bewilder evil spirits who must travel in a straight line. I must have a lot in common with these evil spirits. Most of the time I am confused if I have visited a particular area of Yuyuan Garden. I have been there several times and each I have forced myself to surrender to the chaos and just let myself be…to flow though the place.
This dog, lion or spirit guards (with its companion flanking the other side) one of the entrances to Yuyuan Gardens in Shanghai. You see these statues all over China guarding places from evil spirits or marauding bandits. I always grab a shot of their fierceness and love trying to find new ways to see them when processing.
