Now and Zen…

With the creation of the Zen Garden in the new library, Susan Wilson, a Japanese lecturer in SALIS gives us an idea of the spiritual values of Zen gardening. The appreciation of Zen, she says, is something that is not immediately apparent ...

I remember visiting my first Zen garden in a temple in Kyoto in 1990 and thinking rather disdainfully that is really wasn't much of a garden. It was so far removed from my image of what a garden should be. There were no flowers. There were no leafy green trees. There wasn't even any grass! I gave it about 2 minutes of my time and left. However, as I rushed away I had a niggling doubt that perhaps I had completely missed the point.

Over a decade later it is still hard to out put my finger on the point, but certainly my attitude has changed quite considerably. I have come to see Zen gardens as a place of refuge that offer time out to the tired over-used mind. In a Zen garden, emphasis is placed on less over more, on stillness over movement, on quiet over noise. Frantic thought and anxiety have no place in a Zen garden.

So, the next time you find yourself rushing back to your library desk or making a mad dash to join the photocopying queue, I invite you to stop and reflect in front of the Zen garden. Who knows, your visit may even provide a moment of needed respite from your busy life.

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The Zen garden is situated under the stairs in the new Library. It was designed by Martin Curran, an expert in Japanese gardens, who used materials from as far apart as India and Finland in his creation.

The library is very grateful to the Visual Arts Committee for its help with the project, and to Mr Joseph Harford and Yamanouchi Ireland for the sponsorship which made the project possible.