Zen Gardening: A Down-to-Earth Philosophy - Softcover

Ray, Veronica

3.77

13 ratings by Goodreads

9780425152997: Zen Gardening: A Down-to-Earth Philosophy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0425152995 ISBN 13: 9780425152997

Publisher: Berkley Trade, 1996

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Our relationship with our garden mirrors our relationship with all the world - nourishing, reciprocal, deeply connected.
Taking inspiration from the words of writers, artists, and great Zen thinkers, this book recounts the incomparable satisfaction we can achieve by working in harmony with nature instead of battling against it...and reminds us of the lessons we can learn, and the joy we can reap, through gardening.

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From Publishers Weekly:

whole Gardening Gardening as work and play and as an activity that involves the soul are topics considered in Zen Gardening: a Down-to-Earth Philosophy by Veronica Ray. In essays that are refreshingly free of prescription or how-to advice, Ray captures the essence of gardening as a restorative, instructive process that offers more valuable rewards than just the anticipated harvest. Addressing an outdoor statue of St. Francis of Asissi as "Frank" and calling for gardeners to work with?rather than in?their plots of earth, Ray reminds us of the joys as well as the demands of gardening. (Berkley, $10 192p ISBN 0-425-15299-5; June) In Growing Myself: A Spiritual Journey through Gardening, Judith Handelsman draws on her personal experience with growing things to offer advice to others. Notable here is her conviction that the gardener can?and should?communicate with plants to establish a nurturing bond that will facilitate their mutual growth. The book includes accounts of the author's travels and environmental tips, e.g., philodendrons can reduce the amount of formaldehyde in the air. (Dutton, $21.95 192p ISBN 0-525-94057-X; June)
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Ray's meditations ponder the chores, pursuits, and dreams that many readers who enjoy gardening will find exceedingly familiar. Woven together with these thoughts are reminders of Zen practice, in particular the basic principle of living mindfully in the moment at hand. If integrating this precept into an activity such as gardening is a way to achieve peace of mind, it is also a notion recognizable to gardeners looking to relieve stress, among other benefits. But when that relaxed state slips away, only to be replaced by a dogged ambition that threatens the natural rhythms of tending one's garden, turn to any page in this book for gentle words of encouragement. Ray points the way toward regaining a peaceful attitude while turning the soil for a flower bed, pulling out unwanted weeds, or even welcoming unwanted garden pests along with each wondrous new sprout. Alice Joyce

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