Putnam Zen Garden - Peterborough, NH - Japanese Gardens on Waymarking.com

This Zen garden was funded by the Putnam Foundation, designed as a donation by Lindsay Johnson of Harrisville, and implemented by Simpson Landscaping. It is dedicated to the memory of Francis “Steve” Carr of Peterborough. Visit our library to read more about Zen gardens!

A Zen garden made of nothing but rocks and sand may not sound like much of a garden! until you realize that it is enchanted. It is enchanted because it asks you to use your mind and your imagination to see a deeper reality within these simple objects: mountains and rivers in the arrangement of rocks and gravel, or even the whole world in a grain of sand.

Follow the path from one end of the garden to the other, and notice how even a simple stone seems to change shape as you look at it from different points of view. (Some stone gardens were actually designed so that no matter where you stood one rock was always hidden from you!) Or rake the sand into perfectly straight lines. Then rake it again into spirals or waves or circles around the rocks. All of these activities remind you that the world can be seen in many different ways, and that you have the power to shape what you see.

Now try sitting still and paying attention to your own breathing. Do you feel you are a part of what you created?

The tradition of creating a garden where nothing grows is probably rooted in the ancient Shinto religion of Japan. When Shinto priests built a shrine, they purified the ground and welcomed the spirits, or kami, by spreading a layer of white gravel. The Shinto religion also has great reverence for rocks and other natural objects.

Then, about 800 years ago, Zen Buddhist monks made the first kare-sansui or “dry style” gardens. Zen is a branch of Buddhism which combines meditation with every-day experience as a way to reach enlightenment. To the monks who chose and arranged the stones, the creation of such a garden was an act of contemplation. Others visited the garden to gaze at the rocks and swirls of sand and to meditate in silence.

What do you see when you look at the stones and the raked patterns surrounding them? Many people see mountainous islands rising from a wavy sea of sand. (Some gardens were designed as miniature maps of real places.) Others see ripples spreading out in concentric circles from each stone as if it had just been dropped into a quiet pool. Since dry gardens do not change with the seasons as a flower garden would, they can also symbolize eternity. So some people see the shapes of the tortoise (which is said to live 10,000 years) and the crane (said to live 1,000 years) in the horizontal and vertical rocks.

Zen gardens were originally meant to be viewed from the outside. Only the gardener would rake the sand or approach the stones. But in our garden we invite everyone to share in this active meditation. Keep in mind the words of Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh:

“Whatever the tasks, do them slowly with ease, In mindfulness. Don't do any tasks in order to get them over with. Resolve to do each job in a relaxed way, with all your attention.”
Whether you are raking waves in the sand, washing dishes at home or working on a math problem at school, the spirit of Zen is to see beauty in each simple task and to rejoice in the tiny piece of eternity that you are living right now.

Name: Putnam Zen Garden Location (specific park it is located within): Beside the Mariposa Art Museum City: Peterborough, NH Designer: Lindsay Johnson Date of Creation: 2002 Garden Website: http://www.mariposamuseum.org/outdoors.html Fees: Not Listed Parking Coordinates: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
To help give a different perspective and to better the waymark for future visitors please tell us about your visit and upload a favorite photograph you took while visiting the garden. Although visiting this waymark in person is the only thing required of you to receive credit for your visit, taking the time to add this information is greatly appreciated.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   08/11/2008 Telomere visited it

View all visits/logs