{"product_id":"gardens-of-awakening-isbn-9781645472056","title":"Gardens of Awakening","description":"\u003cb\u003eRenowned artist Kaz Tanahashi reveals the deep, inner spiritual connections that Zen gardens can foster, with over 75 stunning full-color photos of the masterpiece gardens of Kyōto, Japan.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eImagine yourself in Kyōto, Japan, gazing at an ancient temple garden. How would you contextualize what you are seeing? What is the history of this centuries-old contemplative art form of Zen gardening? What are its symbols and concepts?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRichly illustrated with full-color photographs, \u003ci\u003eGardens of Awakening\u003c\/i\u003e guides you through a series of Zen temple gardens, most of which were created from the fourteenth through seventeenth centuries. Some are teeming with plants and flowing water, while others have only rocks and sand. All share in the Zen aesthetics of awakening.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThrough essays and commentary on Mitsue Nagase’s striking photographs, beloved Zen artist and translator Kazuaki Tanahashi presents the gardens in terms of seven qualities that arise from Zen practice: direct, ordinary, vigorous, gleaming, pivotal, nondual, and inexhaustible. Relating these qualities to the development of Zen culture and its influence on Japanese art, \u003ci\u003eGardens of Awakening\u003c\/i\u003e invites you deep into the heart of Zen.“This gorgeous book reflects the rare and beautiful art of gardens in Japanese culture. A treasury of insights and images that will inform and delight the reader and viewer.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eJoan Halifax\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eBeing with Dying\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eStanding at the Edge\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“At heart, Kyoto is a city of gardens; many are centuries-old and masterpieces of Zen principles and aesthetics. Countless books have been published about them, yet this one is quintessentially different. Here, these gardens are interpreted through Tanahashi’s life experience—his practice of Zen, his deep knowledge of temple and garden history, and, most significantly, his own unique view as an artist. Supporting his chosen aspects of each garden are the clear and beautiful photographs of Mitsue Nagase.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eJohn Einarsen\u003c\/b\u003e, founding editor of \u003ci\u003eKyoto Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Remarkable in scope and breathtaking beauty, the writing and photographs in Gardens of Awakening transmit the ineffable and timeless serenity, stillness, and wonder in the incomparable Zen gardens of Kyōto. The combined expressive talents of Tanahashi and Nagase help readers to awaken these same qualities within themselves. Complete with Tanahashi’s exquisite rendering of the historical intertwining of Zen gardens, aesthetics, and art, there is no other book on the subject quite like this. What a gift!”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003ePeter Levitt\u003c\/b\u003e, cotranslator of \u003ci\u003eYin Mountain: The Immortal Poetry of Three Daoist Women\u003c\/i\u003e and author of \u003ci\u003eFingerpainting on the Moon: Writing and Creativity as a Path to Freedom\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Whether you are new to Zen or a longtime student or practitioner of Buddhism, you will cherish \u003ci\u003eGardens of Awakening\u003c\/i\u003e. With a rare combination of high erudition and charming familiarity, Kazuaki Tanahashi displays an intimate knowledge of Japanese Buddhism and aesthetics in general, and of Zen in particular. Beyond mere knowledge, however, the pairing of Tanahashi’s text with Mitsue Nagase’s exquisite images is itself an invitation to awakening. In the quiet heart of a clamorous world, there is a garden of gardens. Let this book take you there.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eSean Kelly\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eBecoming Gaia: On the Threshold of Planetary Initiation\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Gorgeous words, generous photos. Walk in the mind garden, Zen garden, Japanese garden. All the same in this wonderful book. Transforms how to think, not grasp, not two, not one, at peace with it all. Thank you, Kaz and Mitsue. We all bow.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eNatalie Goldberg\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eThree Simple Lines: A Writer’s Pilgrimage to the Heart and Homeland of Haiku\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eGardens of Awakening\u003c\/i\u003e takes the reader on a wonderful journey through the serene Zen gardens of Kyoto. . . .  An invitation to understand the deep roots of Zen Buddhism and its timeless principles.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eBuddhistdoor Global \u003c\/b\u003eKAZUAKI TANAHASHI is an artist and Buddhist scholar active in the United States, originally from Japan. He has visited Zen gardens in Kyōto almost every year for the past three decades. His many publications include \u003ci\u003ePenetrating Laughter: Hakuin’s Zen and Art\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eSky Above, Great Wind: Life and Poetry of Zen Master Ryokan\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMITSUE NAGASE is a photographer, dividing her time between her native Japan, Germany, and the US. Her photography is based on her studies in Zen Buddhism and of Miksang, a contemplative approach to photography as a spiritual practice, which she also teaches. For further information about her work and activities check: www.mitsuenagase.com.","brand":"Shambhala","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303519113445,"sku":"NP9781645472056","price":26.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781645472056.jpg?v=1767727877","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/gardens-of-awakening-isbn-9781645472056","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}