Oct 9, 2010

Dou'unji - Cave Cloud Temple 10


The waterfall looked very interesting so I went out of the back of the garden and approached it. Up close it was quite pleasant and I stood there quite a while just enjoying the quiet view.Reentering the garden, I could see the pavilion from the back.

Japanese gardens always have paths that are made from irregular stones and are very hard to walk on. I never understood why they did this, but recently I have discovered that the answer lies in Buddhism. One of the main goals of Buddhism is to be present in the present, the now, the moment. By forcing the walker to pay careful attention to his or her feet as they walk along the path, that person is forced to be completely present in the moment, or fall flat on their face.

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