Tea Ceremony at Living Light
My empty white tea bowl on a white paper saucer held so much potential that I found myself smiling. It seemed to smile back like a happy full moon with a secret.
After the swirling tea was poured and my bowl was filled, I gazed into the steamy pool like a clairvoyant. With a meditation cushion tucked beneath me, I sat, letting my mind be transported to a mountain valley creek. To the tune of a monk's chant, I watched the dance of floating sticks and the shift of mud mixed with clear mountain rain.
Cakes, dark chocolates, sweet potatoes were served in silence. The song of a singing bowl rang us into the present.
Outside in the misty afternoon, the top of Buffalo Mountain was obscured in fog. Our collective attention turned to the dedication of the newly constructed mediation garden, designed in Japanese tradition by local artist Lora Giessler.
The boulders in the center represent the stillness within, unchanged by the waves around it. Around the garden wheel we stacked rocks, each one a testament to the living moment and the balance it takes to live it.
Post note: Floyd's Living Light Japanese Garden is open to the community for meditation and contemplation. More about Living Light HERE.
Comments
I can feel the tranquility all the way over here.
Book Review #5 - Merle's Door
Posted by: Nessa | November 2, 2009 12:03 PM
Sometimes I can get to that stillness, and it is always such a treat! That rock garden is really pretty, I love it!
Posted by: Poe | November 2, 2009 1:55 PM
Oh how beautiful Colleen! Your words always transport me into imagery. Imagine that!
BTW, in my research I learned that there is no such thing as a "Zen Garden". It is a western term. I follow the Tao and do not purport to be Zen; however, my art and my spirit embrace simplicity and tranquility. The term Japanese Garden is more accurate. Visit http://learn.bowdoin.edu/japanesegardens/origins.html for more info.
OXOXO
LL
Posted by: Lora leigh Giessler | November 2, 2009 2:09 PM
Thanks for the clarification, Lora. It was a sweet couple of hours spent.
Posted by: colleen | November 2, 2009 2:40 PM
Your area of the world gets more fascinating every day!
Posted by: Tabor | November 2, 2009 2:57 PM
What a beautiful tranquil space. I would be using that if I lived near by...
Posted by: Sara | November 2, 2009 5:14 PM
I'd like to come to this place and spend a day for my "me time". :)
Posted by: kikit | November 3, 2009 3:00 AM
That Garden looks very very Beautiful, Colleen. I LOVE the swirly pattern, like sand....Very Beautiful and Elegent, too!
Posted by: OldOldLady Of The Hills | November 3, 2009 4:30 AM
I just love Japanese gardens. It's very elegant and soothing to look at. I am planning to make my garden something like that!
Posted by: Charles Ravndal | November 3, 2009 4:54 AM
The rock garden is very pretty! Where is it located. I could even meditate there. xo
Posted by: Sherry | November 3, 2009 7:39 AM
It's just a couple of minutes from downtown on Penn Street, by the Schoolhouse Fabrics building. We can go there when you visit next time.
Posted by: colleen | November 3, 2009 8:54 AM
It seems like the rock garden would take a lot of effort to build. Netchick sent me. :-)
Posted by: Thebluestbutterfly | November 5, 2009 10:46 PM