The earliest roots of the formal Zen type garden were in the Shinto
shrines enclosing some sacred natural object such as a tree or a rock
where it was felt deities or spirits either inhabited, or visited.
Buddhism first
came to Japan via Japanese visitors in Tang China in the mid/late 7th
Century A.D., in the form of an esoteric and intellectual religion that
appealed to some of the upper strata of Japanese society. That version,
lacking in emotional appeal, was largely superceded in the Heian period
(794-1185 A.D.) by Amida Buddhism which, despite its Chinese roots,
came to Kyoto via Korea, as did a large number of Korean artists and
craftsmen. Amida Buddhism offered escape from the endless life cycle
by piety and prayer, not meditation and study, and hence was accessible
to all. Escape from the cycle led to salvation in a Paradise known as
either The Pure Land or The Western Paradise.
Though it is
said that Zen Gardens were created to help contemplation, one wonders
if Zen meditation and the concept of emptiness was not also an inspiration
in creating these gardens. They are truly Japanese gardens; there is
no way that they could be mistaken for Chinese (or any other type) gardens.
Dry landscape gardens are the quintessential essence of the Japanese
appreciation of simplicity, conveying a universe beyond the world.
Every garden
may contain a thousand different symbols that a thousand different people
will see. It is what you think it is and what that is, is defined by
your whole past, your whole being and your spirit at the moment you
see it. And, as you change, so to the garden will seem to change. So
too it is with many of the golf courses of Scotland.
In some of the
most exquisite gardens, we can experience the art of layering trees
so that the eye climbs toward the “borrowed scenery”, mountains
in the background. The “borrowed scenery” (shahkei) appears
to be used to enhance your vision of the expanding horizon. How often
in Birdie we have seen examples of this same “borrowed scenery”.
Indeed, many of the most beautiful golf courses in Scotland “borrow”
the scenery of faraway mountains (see Boat- of-Garden), nearby mountains
(see Corrie) or even oceans (see Turnberry).
You
can read the entire chapter in our book "A Birdie for Buddha"
