Getting Our Zen On at Ryoanji

We were excited to go to the Ryoanji Temple and see the infamous Zen rock garden!  Caitlin and Tayla had learned about this garden at school and when the kids were making our Kyoto itinerary, they told the boys that it was a "must see".  Upon arriving, the first thing we saw was this large pond.

In the middle, there was an island, but you could get there by walking over a stone bridge....

On the island, we found a small shrine.

As we made our way back over the bridge, we noticed some plum blossoms in bloom.

Finally, we made it to the temple!  This temple was founded in 1450, and the Zen garden was probably created around 1488-1499. 

As with many buildings in Kyoto, we had to take our shoes off and put on slippers before entering the building.  This time, they had kid-size slippers.  Audra and Nathan were happy!  They hate shuffling around in adult-size slippers.

And then, there it was!  One of the most notable works of art — some say it is the highest expression of Zen art and teachings and perhaps the single greatest masterpiece of Japanese culture.  And, here we were sitting right in front of it.

The Zen garden is a simple arrangement of 15 rocks resting on a bed of white gravel, surrounded by low walls.

The moss-covered boulders are placed so that, when looking at the garden from any angle, only 14 are visible at one time.  The walls are made from clay boiled in oil.  As time went by, a peculiar design was made by the oil as it seeped out.

A panoramic view of the entire garden courtesy of Caitlin.  In the Buddhist world the number 15 denotes completeness. So, you must have a total view of the garden to make it a whole and meaningful experience; and yet, in the conditions of this world, that is not possible.

We took our time sitting and viewing the rock garden.  As we sat, we all felt something: Zen, peace, tranquility, the Lord's spirit...there are many words for it.  I think Logan felt it the most, and he was pretty amazed by it. 

Viewing this garden reminded me of the scripture: "Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;"
God is a God of order.  When things are clean and orderly, God's spirit dwells.  We felt the Lord's spirit in this garden, but I think it was because it was organized.  Every rock, down to the very last pebble, was in its place.  As we talked about this, I told the kids to always remember this feeling, and to seek for this very same feeling when they cleaned their rooms! 
On a deeper level, we talked about being prepared in our lives for whatever we may be called upon to bear.  If we are organized, prepared with knowledge, and obey His teachings, we will have the tools and faith necessary to weather any storm that rages our way.  Just like the rocks in the Zen garden that stay firm in their place through many different kinds of weather, we too can stand firm in what we believe is right if we are prepared and organized.

On the other side of the wooden alcove where everyone sits to view and ponder the Zen rock garden, is the head priest's former residence.  It was roped off, but open so the public could view it.  It was very traditional in that it was one great room that could be divided up into smaller rooms with sliding doors.  The floor was covered with tatami mats.  It was very beautiful.

Here is a small model of the original, so that you could see the rocks and their positions.

Behind the head priest's former residence is the wash basin for the tea room.  It bears a simple but profound four-character inscription: "I learn only to be contented." This is the heart of Zen philosophy.  Love it!  The brochure that we got from the temple stated that "he who learns only to be contented is spiritually rich, while the one who does not learn to be contented is spiritually poor even if he is materially wealthy."  We loved this because we believe the Jesus Christ taught the same concept. 

As we walked around the temple gardens on our way out, we noticed some gardeners.  They had small brooms made from grasses and they were sweeping the moss.

The moss that grows here is very delicate and can be damaged very easily.  It was beautiful.

Found this small, white pagoda among the moss gardens.

This was a very wonderful place to stop for a short time!  Beautiful gardens, the infamous Ryoanji Zen rock garden, and the Zen peace/Lord's spirit that came with it....this place is one that we have often talked about since.  We feel so blessed that we were able to come here.