Why do Zen gardens feel so good?

In 2023, I had the privilege of visiting the Ryoanji rock garden in Kyoto. I sat staring at the garden, journaling for well over an hour. I couldn't understand why it felt so peaceful...

I had sat in plenty of other places before, admiring nature and my surroundings elsewhere, but nothing matched the feeling I had while admiring this seemingly random design of rocks.

3 years later, I now understand it was anything but random. The feeling a Zen garden evokes is no accident. It's an intentional design.

𝘈 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.

In the case of Ryoanji, the 15 intentionally placed rocks, the moss, and the gravel pattern.

The garden asks the viewer: what happens to your mind when you remove everything that isn't essential?

Some will call it minimalism. But I see it as timeless design, with the observer's experience at the center of every choice.

This is what inspires me in my own process.

𝘈 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.

Clarity, by design.