The Zen Community of Oak Park - Empty Sound
Temple is undertaking a three year garden project to construct
a Japanese contemplative gardens on the grounds of the Zen Community.
The vision of this garden is to create a sacred
space that is restorative and healing. It will help people reconnect
to the healing energies of nature and the universe. It will do
this by utilizing and integrating what are known as the five
wisdom energies (Five Buddha Families). This sacred space will
proclaim the sanity of the Buddhist teachings and make visible
the Zen experience of awakening in a way that is transformative
and healing. Such an experience has the power to transform confusion
and chaos into wisdom and clarity.
The elements of the garden are as follows:
A Raised Hula Mound - The
sacred dance of hula is taught and practiced at the Zen Community
of Oak Park. The teacher, Kumu Hula June Kaililani Tanoue studied
with Michael Pang in Hawaii. She is an ordained Zen Buddhist
priest in the White Plum Lineage tradition and teaches hula
both in Chicago and New York.
This raised mound will have two levels and
will be designed in a yin-yang pattern on two different levels,
one level being approximately 18" high, and the other being 30" high.
Dance, music, rituals, services and rites of passage will be
preformed on this hula mound.
Back Porch - The back porch
to the temple will be extended in such a way that it will step
down in different levels until the bottom level connects directly
to one side of the hula mound. In so doing, the garden space
and the temple will be integrated as one design.
Large Pond - A large pond
will be situated in the back of the temple grounds. Large boulders
within and around the pond will convey the power of the Dharmakaya
Buddha experience. The whole design of water, rocks and earth
will unify the elements of heaven, earth and man.
Bamboo Fence and Customized Gates -
The garden will be contained with a six foot high bamboo gate.
This special bamboo is called "Iron Bamboo" and was harvested
and put together as fence panels in Yucatan, Mexico and shipped
to Chicago. This bamboo is very hard and strong and will last
for over 20 years. Two customized bamboo gates will grace the
front and rear sides of the temple grounds. By containing the
garden with this fence, the intimacy, much prized in Japanese
gardens, will be evoked for people in the garden.
Rock Pathways - There will
be many rock pathways throughout the garden. Beginning with
the front walkway, the visitor will be guided along a pathway
that leads either to the temple, or to the side into the temple
grounds. Leading into the temple grounds will be a custom designed
Bamboo Gate. The rock pathway will lead through the gate into
the main garden.
Trees - There will be many
different conifers and trees in the garden, such as different
varieties of Juniper and pines. The garden will also contain
many bushes, some of which would be found in a traditional
Japanese garden. Moss will also be introduced in sections of
the garden.
Rock placements - Many
rocks will be placed throughout the garden. Great attention
will be given to their placement and relationship to other
elements within the garden.
This garden has been designed by Martin Hakubai Mosko with
input from Rev. Robert Joshin Althouse and his students. Martin
Mosko is a Zen Teacher and world renown landscape architect.
He is co-author of the book, "Landscape as Spirit" which contains
many of photos of his gardens from all over the world.
Martin Mosko has donated his time and talents
to the Zen Community to design this garden. He has a unique
sensibility that is perfectly in sync with many of the teachings
of our Abbot, Rev. Robert Joshin Althouse, Sensei. Both Hakubai
and Joshin studied with Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche who taught
them about the five wisdom energies (Five Buddha Families).
The Zen Community is honored and fortunate to have Hakubai
design this garden. We are confident that, once completed, this
garden will convey a strong sense of sacred space will nurture
many people bringing with it, much joy and inspiration.
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