Book Description
This carry-along version of our enormously popular Zen Gardening Kit provides a touch of tranquility on the go. Packaged with a 32-page introduction to the aesthetic enlightenment of Zen gardening, it includes a tray, fine sand, decorative rocks, and a miniature wooden rake.
Customer Reviews:
A little bit of zen in a little box.......2004-04-01
If you are a zen master, or just a stessed out person, Get the zen garden. It features a base, sand, a rake, book and rocks to calm down all of your nerves, Chinese style.
The authentic feel of this zen garden is great. It feels very authentic, with all real parts that will make you feel like a real gardener. A good travel product, although not for bumpy and jerk trips, because the sand would come out.(sand out= big mess.)
Other zen gardens are to big to take along. That's why this is a great product. Get it so you will be relaxed, home or away.
Overall a great product. Makes a great gift for a zen master who travels alot.
Compact and Cool.......2003-01-01
This mini Zen Garden is definitely something for people interested in the gardens. It is a great way to have the beautiful garden on your desk or bedside or anything! Although the box is cardboard and they really aren't rocks, the Mini Zen Garden kit is something lovers of Zen and Gardens will enjoy!
an itty bitty bit of zen.......2001-06-19
when they say "mini," they're not kidding. the zen box that comes with this little book is pretty tiny - this, in turn, makes it hard to make truly zen-like patterns in the sand.
also, a word to the wise... don't leave the box too close to the edge of your desk, least some malicious co-worker knock it on the ground... this happened to me, and i was only able to recover about 50% of my sand...
but in the end, it is a good "conversation piece"
You've got to be kidding!!!.......2001-05-17
I know the saying you get what you pay for but this is ridiculous. The "kit" comes w/ a small bag of sand and 3 miniature rock chips, they can't be considered rocks in my opinion. They're just too small, they get lost in the sand. The "tray" is nothing more than a cardboard box top! And the miniature rake is so small and delicate that it fell apart the first time I used it. The kit is reasonably priced I guess for what you get, but w/ ... s&h it is not even close to being worth [the price]. If I wouldn't lose money by sending it back I would. Don't waste your time and money w/ this one, you can make your own for about the same price by going to a garden shop and buying a bag of sand and gathering your own choice of rocks. The rakes are harder to come by so I made my own out of old wooden chopsticks and my homemade garden is much nicer than this ...
A little bit of Zen.......2001-03-25
The mini Zen gardening kit it really a cute little kit. I've always wanted a Zen garden, but I'd never seriously considered getting one until I saw this one. The kit, with it's little box, a wooden rake, rocks, sand, and a small book is a lot more than I was expecting.
The Zen Garden included with the book is cute, and more functional that I thought it would be. While the garden is 2.5 inches by 3 inches, there's a surprising amount of sand included, which gives you a pretty full garden, and if you have cats like I do, you have enough sand to still be able to rake around the rocks after they've knocked a lot of it out. The rocks are dark and shiny, and actual rocks, not some kind of plastic blob molded to look like a rock, and the little rake is a miniature of the wooden rakes I've seen in larger Zen gardens.
The little book included in the kit is cute, and contains quite a bit of information on Zen gardens. There are a few pages of Chinese lettering included as separators between the chapters, and the lettering is a nice change from the pages of black text on white paper. I am a bit disappointed in the book though, when I finally opened it wide enough to comfortable, I could see the thread they used to bind the book. This concerns me a bit, I don't want to wreck the book by simply reading it.
Book Description
The Japanese Zen garden is a triumph of simplicity, a space in which balance is emphasized to create a place of stillness and sanctuary.
Zen in Your Garden offers readers a comprehensive and practical guide to creating a sacred space for meditation and contemplation. Learn how your garden can stimulate your senses to either energize or soothe you, and discover what type of garden you need, as well as how to convert your existing garden to one designed on Zen principles. Boxed features, illustrated with detailed drawings, show you how to build specific features such as gravel and rock landscapes.
Zen in Your Garden includes beautiful photographs of outstanding gardens from around the world to help you consider the various styles you might wish to work on --rock and gravel; water gardens; shade, moss, and woodland; courtyards; and nature and wildlife gardens. Planting is explored in detail so that you may choose a landscape that has something for all seasons and creates a pleasing form and balance. This book beautifully illustrates and clearly details the many elements of gardening from a Zen perspective and offers you both the creative inspiration and the practical guidance to develop your own.
Contents: Introduction; Zen gardens: a modern interpretation; Water gardens; Nature and wildlife gardens; Planting guidelines; Zen in a small place
Customer Reviews:
limited usefulness.......2006-09-21
This book has more in common with a glossy gardening magazine than a book of either oriental style landscaping or zen philosophy. There's lots of pretty pictures (which you may find inspirational) but the advice in the text if fairly shallow. The connection to zen is a bit nebulous... and seems to exist mostly to add some sort of deeper legitamacy to the book.
A pleasure to read........2005-09-06
After reading this as a library book I wanted it in my personal library. A Japanese garden is not my goal - a serene and calm landscape is. I found inspiration and sound principles to work with in ZEN IN MY GARDEN. A pleasure to read.
Excellent guide to Zen for Western gardens........2002-09-03
I am a beginner at Zen, but from what I know of the underlying ideas and principles from reading several authors, this book captures the essence of what one would need to create a place for quiet contemplation. Stunning pictures!
Amazon.com
A Zen garden can be an oasis in a busy world, a space of calm, tranquility, and beauty, a thing apart from the hectic pace of our lives. Whether a tiny courtyard or larger outdoor space, Zen gardens have in common their few, simple elements arranged to honor nature and celebrate its changing seasons. The design of Zen Gardening contributes to our understanding of the aesthetic, as it is as artful and focused as a Zen garden itself.
How to create such harmony and peace outside our own doors and windows? Sunniva Harte's book inspires with numerous large color photos showing whole landscapes devoted to rocks, sand, and water, or cozy gardens with a few vital Zen elements. But Zen gardens are more than raked sand and a few carefully placed rocks: an entire chapter is devoted to plants for Zen gardens. It begins with a quote from the Japanese poet Kikaku--"Full autumn moon on the straw mat, pine shadow"--and goes on to explain how plants have long been valued in Japan for their changing with the seasons and their sensuousness and textural qualities. Ornamental grasses, pines, Japanese maples, iris, bamboo, mosses, and even hostas are shown used in the Zen manner, with instructions on placement, care, and pruning. Harte also gives instruction on design, architecture, pathways, and materials for Zen gardens.
Those who would like to incorporate a bit of the Zen feeling of tranquility into their everyday gardens, but who don't want to do a total garden remodel, will appreciate the chapter on ornamentation. Lovingly chosen ornaments enhance the Zen atmosphere, serving symbolic purposes as well as working as focal points and humanizing the garden. A variety of simple additions--such as stone urns and lanterns, carved Buddhas, trays of special rocks, decorative wrappings, water basins, and bonsai--personalize and lend an aura of Zen tranquility, much as Zen poet Ikkyu's poem does: "When, just as they are, white dewdrops gather on scarlet maple leaves, regard the scarlet beads!" --Valerie Easton
Book Description
Zen Gardening places every aspect of creating a Zen garden at the hands of today's gardeners. This unique book simplifies the complex principles adopted centuries ago by Buddhist monks, explores their aims in creating outdoor spaces along Zen principles, and reveals the meaning of the different elements and their juxtaposition.
Gardeners will learn to create a controlled and harmonious environment-and, in the process, to nourish the spirit and allow anxiety to gently subside, making room for quiet reflection.
Customer Reviews:
Why rather than how........2004-07-14
This book will not tell you how to build a Japanese Zen garden. What this book will do however, is tell you what should be in your garden, where it should be and why it should (or shouldn't) be there.
Sunniva Harte does a fine job of explaining the concept of Japanese gardening (Zen being one style), ably assisted by a veritable trove of glossy photographs showing Zen gardening at its best.
Purchase this book if you wish to understand the concepts behind Zen gardening. Don't purchase this if you're looking for a 'how to' on Zen garden creation. Nice book.
Beautiful book..........2002-10-05
but not the only one to own. Wonderful images and good explanation of philosophy, but if you are wanting a nuts and bolts, this is how to do it, this book is not the one. I would add it to a collection of several. I have read it a number of times times and get more out of it each time.
Visual Zen.......2001-10-28
One of the most beautiful photographic representations of oriental garden design available. The photographs and writing are both of excellent quality. The format of the book is put together in a very appealing manner and the overall impression is of a writer who is sensitive to the style and philosophy of the gardens. A sense of quiet and calm pervades throughout. Sunniva loves gardens, people, photography and writing. She is multi-talented and it shows.
inspirational book.......2001-09-15
The strength of this book is it's illustrations. It is not a this is how to do it book. It is one to understand and appreciate the aesthetics. I would recommend it.
A good introduction book for Japanese garden.......2000-06-16
If you are a beginner of japanese garden, this is a good book to start. It introduces different garden styles and the spirit of Zen.
Book Description
IN THE TRADITION OF JAPANESE TOUCH FOR YOUR GARDEN, THE PERFECT BOOK FOR CONTEMPOLATING A ZEN-STYLE GARDEN FOR HOME OR TOWNHOUSE, YARD OR BALCONY.
Japanese gardens are renowned for their serene and peaceful ambiance. The New Zen Garden presents the Japanese garden as it exists today, with all its traditional qualities joined to modern architecture and viewed from a modern perspective.
This book takes the concept introduced in the best-selling Japanese Touch for Your Garden and, focusing on the more contemplative gardens that are drawing greater and greater attention, blends it with a more practical approach.
Lavishly illustrated with many previously unpublished photographs and featuring the works of contemporary garden designers and landscape architects, The New Zen Garden begins with a brief introduction of the history of the Japanese garden and its spiritual roots. It then guides the reader through
the basics of garden concepts, layout, and personal needs.
With a focus on small- and medium-size home gardens, author Joseph Cali introduces a visually explicit process in which anyone can conceive their own home garden, whether for a single-family residence or the balcony of an apartment or townhouse. Cali also includes a handful "spotlight sections" that
feature guidance from prominent Japanese garden designers, each of whom steers the reader step-by-step through a specific building technique, including the making of textured clay walls, traditional stone walkways, and stone settings.
The New Zen Garden provides a wealth of information on designing a garden to harmonize with any home or private space. It is a provocative eye-opener both for the serious Japanese garden enthusiast and the weekend gardener.
Customer Reviews:
A wonderful book!.......2004-10-04
This book is itself a work of art, the best I've ever seen in the field. The photographs convey the quiet, peaceful, beauty of small Zen gardens so well, that it is a joy to look at. Mr. Cali's text clearly introduces and explains both the historical background and the philosophical/aesthetic concepts behind Zen gardens. The traditional techniques to create your own garden space, large or small, are explained clearly enough to give anyone the confidence to create even a tiny oasis of natural peace within their home environment. This is best book on zen gardens to come out in a long time. Highly recommended.
Average customer rating:
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Zen Gardens: Kyoto's nature enclosed
Thomas Wright
Manufacturer: Mitsumura Suiko Shoin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Photo Essays
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Zen
| Buddhism
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 4838101112 |
Book Description
Kieran Egan had a fantasy. Inspired by a visit to a friend's miniature Zen garden on a balcony in Nagoya, he returned home determined to build his own Japanese garden. Like many men his age, with kids grown up and moved away, he was ready to tackle something new and tackle was the right word. Even before he began, he had to spend days hacking at the overgrown thicket where his garden would be. At night, dreaming of roots with nothing to do but grow, he thought less about Zen masters than about Dorothy Parker, who observed, "Every year, back comes spring, with nasty little birds yapping their fool heads off and the ground all mucked up with plants." In spite of the running conflict between Zen philosophy and his own rather slapdash methods, he succeeded in creating "a treat for the eye and spirit." Like Michael Pollan's A PLACE OF MY OWN, BUILDING MY ZEN GARDEN will appeal to men, and to women as a gift for men. In these prosperous times, when men of the baby-boom generation are often looking for something new, building a Zen garden could very well be it even if, after reading and laughing at the author's adventures, they never build one themselves.
Customer Reviews:
fun book.......2006-09-21
While this isn't an all inclusive guide to japanese gardening, its a fun and inspiring read. After reading this book I set about building my own japanse style garden; and while I didn't find myself referring to it for specifics of actually building the garden - I did find myself referring to it for motivation. Egan's self-effacing sense of humour is particularly enjoyable, as he struggles with such tribulations as moving a large rock, or dealing with a leaking pond (problems that I also found myself dealing with). I would highly recommend this book to any do-it-yourselfer thinking about building a japansese style garden.
Go to Amazon dot com and get it!.......2000-11-30
Get this book if you have been suspicious about the hype surrounding the Zen of garden building or if you want a hilarious account of a brave amateur confronting the sham purity of Japanese garden design. But this is also a serious and wryly understated account of how to confront the task armed with the basic philosophy of the design of a garden and teahouse, and as well, a humorous introduction to the kind of characters you might meet if you go past the DIY stores to meet the suppliers.
Book Description
The Japanese dry landscape garden has long attracted—and long baffled—viewers from the West. While museums across the United States are replicating these "Zen rock gardens" in their courtyards and miniature versions of the gardens are now office decorations, they remain enigmatic, their philosophical and aesthetic significance obscured. Reading Zen in the Rocks, the classic essay on the karesansui garden by French art historian François Berthier, has now been translated by Graham Parkes, giving English-speaking readers a concise, thorough, and beautifully illustrated history of these gardens.
Berthier's guided tour of the famous garden of Ryoanji (Temple) in Kyoto leads him into an exposition of the genre, focusing on its Chinese antecedents and affiliations with Taoist ideas and Chinese landscape painting. He traces the roles of Shinto and Zen Buddhism in the evolution of the garden and also considers how manual laborers from the lowest classes in Japan had a hand in creating some of its highest examples. Parkes contributes an equally original and substantive essay which delves into the philosophical importance of rocks and their "language of stone," delineating the difference between Chinese and Japanese rock gardens and their relationship to Buddhism. Together, the two essays compose one of the most comprehensive and elegantly written studies of this haunting garden form.
Reading Zen in the Rocks is fully illustrated with photographs of all the major gardens discussed, making it a handsome addition to the library of anyone interested in gardening, Eastern philosophy, and the combination of the two that the karesansui so superbly represents.
Praise for the French edition:
"A small book of rare depth, remarkably illustrated, on one of the most celebrated and beautiful rock gardens of the monasteries of Kyoto."—L'Humanité
"Through Le Jardin de Ryoanji, Berthier teaches us to read the zen in the rocks, to discover the language offered by the garden at Ryoanji. Enigmatic, poetic, and disconcerting, an enriching journey through a work of art of surprising modernity, Le Jardin de Ryoanji is a work that will interest all the amateurs of Japanese art and Eastern philosophy."—Lien Horticole
Customer Reviews:
Better in the French edition........2000-06-25
A Frenchman explaining Zen and Japanese gardens, translated into English, makes for an international headache. Some good insights, yes. A lot of pseudo-Zen philosophical nonsense, yes. Best read with a glass of wine (French) in hand.
A great book to understand Zen spirit.......2000-06-16
It's a good book on the subject of Zen. It introduces the spirit of Zen in terms of the number and location of rocks. You can't miss it.
Customer Reviews:
Don't buy at full price.......2005-04-04
This kit sells for $30 if you buy it brand new at a store. It's not worth it at that price. I got mine for about $7 at an auction, and I'm happy with the expense.
Previous reviews are right: the box has a cardboard base and the sand, because it's so fine, would leak out of it. What I did before I used it was run glue all along the inner and outer edges of the box to seal the gaps. It doesn't leak anymore :-).
Sad Little Garden.......2001-05-25
I got this as a gift for Christmas, and I was really excited because I love Zen gardens, but garden provided is so poor and sad. The little garden has a stapled on cardboard bottom that the sand leaks out of, and the rake was falling apart. Yes I know that the Buddha is everywhere, and he does not need anything more than what was provided, but I had this at work. It stinks to keep having to clean up sand every morning.
The book was wonderful, and I keep it at work to read when things get stressful, but I'm going to go buy my own stuff to make a real, durable Zen Garden.
Wonderful book, mediocre garden kit!.......1999-08-15
If the Zen Gardening Book part of this book/kit combination makes it into your local library, check out a copy and bask in the meditations, creativity and musings of the author. The kit is uninspiring and actually degrades the lofty consciousness inspired by the book. Use your imagination, save the bucks, and create your own Zen garden using sand and rocks and wood that speak to you.
Average customer rating:
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Zen Gardens
Erik Borja
Manufacturer: Seven Dials
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Garden Design
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Zen
| Buddhism
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
Zen Philosophy
| Buddhism
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
New Age
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
| Astrology
| Chakras
| Channeling
| Divination
| Dreams
| General
| Goddesses
| Meditation
| Mental & Spiritual Healing
| Mysticism
| New Thought
| Reference
| Reincarnation
| Self-Help
| Theosophy
| Urantia
| Visionary Fiction
ASIN: 1841881120 |
Book Description
"Chronicles Zen gardens of all kinds. Many are lush, but others reflect the Japanese sensitivity to the 'soul of stones' and their places of honor. Borja writes knowledgeably about the centrality of the garden to Zen practice, provides a wealth of design and construction information, and encourages gardeners to create their own Zen gardens, with suggestions that embrace technical, artistic, and spiritual concerns. Photographs complement the text effectively."--Booklist. "Life begins on the day you start a garden."--Chinese proverb. They're places for meditation, and for pursuing harmony and spiritual peace. Because of their incredible beauty, Zen gardens have also become one of today's most popular styles. From the history and philosophy behind these remarkable landscapes of water, gravel, and plants to practical facts about building your own, this is a remarkable look at Oriental gardens. Filled with magnificent color photos that display the form at its finest, as well as ancient artworks that inspired gardeners, it reveals the design principles that go into creating this paradise on Earth.
Average customer rating:
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In a Zen Garden: Words and Wisdom for the Zen Gardener
Judith Glover
Manufacturer: Frances Lincoln
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Essays
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Garden Design
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Zen Philosophy
| Buddhism
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0711224382 |
Book Description
This delightful book explains the principles of Zen gardening through inspirational words and illustrations by Judith Glover.
Books:
- The New York Times Practical Guide to Practically Everything: The Essential Companion for Everyday Life
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- The Well-Designed Mixed Garden: Building Beds and Borders with Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Annuals, and Bulbs
- The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniques
- Trails for the Twenty-First Century: Planning, Design, and Management Manual for Multi-Use Trails
- Unlimited Access: An FBI Agent Inside the Clinton White House
- Versailles
- Walks, Walls & Patios: Plan, Design & Build
- Windows Vista Inside Out
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