Stones are so important in Japanese gardens and Zen gardens that much has been written about the subject and indeed it is something I have posted on quite a few times – infact, I have recently put some articles in one publication on the subject of stones and rocks in Japanese gardens on Amazon’s Kindle service CLICK HERE. Also my pretty in-depth Japanese garden manual is available on Kindle  CLICK HERE - if you haven’t got a Kindle , no problems just CLICK HERE. All have a lot of information on stones and rocks in Japanese and Zen gardens.

Japanese gardens make a lot of use of stones – not least because they are natural and have specific meanings in certain types of gardens. Stones look great on their own, in clusters and even in running water, if you are feeling adventurous! You will have noticed in some western gardens stones can be painted. In Japanese gardens this is not done – the key is their natural appearance and form.

Statues and pictures of Buddha have been used in gardens and temples for thousands of years and Japanese gardening has strong associations with Buddhism. A temple is percieved as sacred and an expression of wisdom. Soil in the garden represents the grounds fetility and a ‘sangha’ is a community of flowers or shrubs in the garden.

Stone pathways represent the ways to enlightenment , planting denotes fertile and blossoming ideas. Seasons reflect the changing moods of the mind.

If you are thinking of a Buddha statue in your Japanese garden one golden rule is that it must not face SOUTH ( this relates to a Hindu god Yama and select in the dead). North facing is always the way to go in your design – either for one or a number of statues.

Japanese gardens were inspired by something called Pure Land Buddhism and a movement and belief that originated in China. In China a garden ofetn had a temple as a centrepiece and the Japanese copied this basic design and were inspired by their symbolism.

If you are more interested in a Zen garden then you can use the same positioning of the staues as in Japanese gardens. Zen Buddhism teaches that enlightenment and contentment can be increased by making a Zen garden space. A perfect area to relax with a coffee and a newspaper or book!

To Zen Buddhism gardening and its design is considered a religious pastime – a great deal of skill is needed to create a garden but keep it simple on the eye with all the right ingredients.

These types of gardens tend to have beautiful tranquil areas for sitting quietly and meditating. A lotus pool containing a Buddha statue ( facing South!) , pathways for doing ‘walking meditation’ – clearly, the space you have available for your garden space will dictate whether this is possible as it is NOT essential. Zen gardens also have a ‘spot’ set aside for feeding birds, animals or fish.