My friend and I attended Four Seasons of Gardens in Kyoto, Photographs by Mizuno Katsuhiko, an exhibit at the Japan Foundation, Toronto, which runs from June 17 – August 27, 2009. The exhibit consisted of the photographs, as well as two documentaries: Japanese Gardens,1993, 25 minutes and Dream Window: Reflections on the Japanese Garden, 1992, 57 minutes. Japanese gardens do not have many flowers, but instead have moss, rocks, water elements, plants,  and pebbles which look like sand. And, most importantly, each element in a Japanese garden has a special meaning, so great care is taken when designing the garden.

I was enthralled by the imagery,  and what I liked most about Katsuhiko’s photographs, was that he took photographs of the same gardens during all four seasons, so that you could compare and see the stark differences.

Did I really hear what I thought I heard?

The documentaries were a great complement to the photographs. During Dream Window: Reflections on the Japanese Garden, they mentioned a zen priest who was a Japanese garden designer from the 14th century whose name sounded  to me like Mooso, and they recited one of his many poems which I was intrigued by. I wrote down as much of the poem as I could, to research later for this blog post. They also mentioned what sounded to me like Riku, a  16th century Japanese tea master, and talked about the concept of emptiness. I was piqued by what I saw and heard and wanted to learn more. I never knew that there were tea masters.

I went to the office at the Japan Foundation and asked them how they would spell “Mooso” and “Riku.” It turns out that the designer’s name was Muso Soseki and Riku was in fact Rikyu. So I actually did not hear what I thought I had heard. Has this ever happened to you? Can you swear by what you think you have heard?

Here is the poem by Muso Soseki mentioned in Dream Window: Reflections on the Japanese Garden:

The sounds of the streams splash out the Buddha’s sermon,

Don’t say that the deepest meaning comes only from one’s mouth,

Day and night, 80,000 poems arise one after the other,

And in fact, not a single word has ever been spoken.

What does this poem mean? Was the Buddha delivering a silent sermon since  ”not a single word has ever been spoken?” Is this poem really about contemplation? I think it is, but I also think that we can make it what we want it to be. Does the deepest meaning comes from one’s heart? What are your thoughts?

5 Important Takeaways from Dream Window: Reflections on the Japanese Garden

1. Be creative and take risks. Too many people are copying other people’s work instead of innovating
2. “Gardens float within the imagination of those who experience them”
3. “When you look at a garden, what you see depends on what you bring to it.”
4. Dreams are interior because you look within yourself, gardens are exterior because you look outwards
5. Plants change within the seasons and ultimately dies. Rocks stay the same.  The earth and sky envelop it all

After my experience researching Muso and Rikyu, I decided that I wanted to learn about Japanese Philosophy. I discovered that Japanese Philosophy consists of five elements: wind, water, earth, fire, and void or sky depending on the context. The five elements are also called godai, which are mentioned in the Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi, which we reviewed a week ago (See The Way of Strategy – Review of The Book of Five Rings).

How did I get here? I started by simply attending an exhibit at the Japan Foundation, Toronto and ended up with a book I enjoyed. When I attended the exhibit, I was like an empty vessel waiting to be filled. I expected the unexpected and I was not disappointed. Where will you end up, if you remove the self-imposed boundaries once in a while? As Heraclitus says, expect the unexpected or you won’t find it. And finally, everything is connected.

Photo Credits: John O’Neill, Panoramic view from the Symbolic Mountain Lookout at the Japanese Gardens, Cowra, NSW, Australia, 22 September, 2006.

Related Articles

Japanese Gardens Through the Seasons

The Way of Strategy – Review of The Book of Five Rings

Further Reading

Stress Management and Conflict Resolution via the Way of Tea?

The Psychology of Peace through the Way of Tea

Chado: Japanese Tea Ceremony and the Steps toward World Peace

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