Customer Reviews

Landscape as Spirit: Creating a Contemplative Garden

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Mosko is a Zen teacher and Landscape Architect and this book seeks to explain his philosophy by showing and describing how the teachings and practice of both disciplines relate to each other and with the external world.

Most people when they think of Zen and gardens can only think of the immaculate stone and gravel gardens of Japan. Mosko shows that the true understanding of the basic principles of harmony and balance leads to the creation of gardens that delight the eye and the soul.

Taking each element of the garden individually, Mosko explains the spiritual balance between the opposites and the harmony of that balance which, when translated successfully into a real garden, results in an immediate sense of 'rightness' when the garden is experienced. This 'rightness' is beautifully captured by Noden's photographs. The testament to Mosko's brilliance is that the gardens are 'right' for a spectrum of clients not just 'right' for Mosko. The superficial disparity between The Adobe and Flowers in Space lessens the closer you look and you can see the underlying principles of harmony and balance are exactly the same for both.

The beauty of this book for me is that I have found it wildly instructive and inspirational despite having little or no knowledge or understanding of 'Eastern' religion. I found that certain phrases and design concepts would arise in my mind long after I had read the book, infusing me with a desire to express those thoughts in my work.

This book is a must for anyone considering a contemplative garden and a very worthy reference for anyone wanting to design a garden of any sort.

In this time of shortening days when everything but us hurry up humans is sensibly quieting down, what a pleasure and a treasure to sit down in a comfy armchair and open this book. Turning the pages is stepping into a contemplative garden and wandering the paths. Letting the colors and shapes and scents and sounds take you in. A beauty feast - massaging your worried mind, snatching speedy thought, soothing your bustling spirit.
And when, a timeless while later, you close the book and stand up in your feet again, you are changed.
Restored, refreshed and more in love with life.

How does a book do all this?
I don't know.

That is part of the delightful mystery and what I love about it.

Clearly, these two authors have been having a good time. Working hard, paying attention in their own lives to what it is that creates harmony and balance. Playing with rock, water, plants, and light. Listening deeply to the voices that seem to encourage us to stop arguing with reality and relax back into our natural sanity. Now, with gorgeous photographs and wise words, they are sharing with us what they've discovered along the way.

I suggest "reading" Landscape as Spirit once through just for the images. Turning the pages slowly and letting the gardens enter and speak. Then, a second time, for the words - inspirational and practical, for the professional gardener and layperson alike.

Thank you to Mosko and Norden for what you have given birth to and your generosity of spirit in offering it out into the world.

This book is remarkable in at least three regards. First, it is so finely produced that we, as readers, can actually feel our way into the gardens it is showing us. Second, the principles of garden-making it offers us are profound, simple and flexible: we can see how the Mosko gardens emerge from them, and how our own might too. Third, and most unusual, it is deeply spiritual, coming from years of meditative practice in the Zen and Tibetan tradtions, as well as in unnamed native traditions of spirit. In the deepest sense this book is beauty as instruction.

This gorgeously made and printed book will inspire ANY gardener or person who enjoys gardens. The photos take you into a world of amazing gardens. I'm not a garden nut, but I love a beautiful book and this one is on my coffee table. The writing is clear, creative, and very informative. This book is an excellent gift to anyone who loves architecture, design, or landscapes.

Before even mentioning anything about this book's ideas and teachings, I'd like to simply say that the production values (the quality of the printing, the paper, the layouts) are second to none! I feel it is important to acknowledge this fact for a book like this.

As an American, my teachings never included any Zen. From the beginning, the information in this bood was foreign to me. I had never even heard of a "mandala." Still, Mr. Mosko's approach was so easy for me, he allowed me to understand the principles without fear. This is a true accomplishment! And after my introduction to a totally different way of relating to the world, it became easier to embrace more and more details of how this world functions. The water features, the "rocks as skeleton of the garden," the way the air flows through the garden--these ideas and more are very new ways of thinking for me, and I love them! Anyone who appreciates the human spirit, who loves art and wants to access (or design) a physical space that affects mood......you are in luck. This book does all that.

Noden's photographs exactly illustrate the points made by Mosko. I feel so fortunate to have discovered this fine book. I will carry these principles with me whenever I am at work in my own garden. And on my 52 acres, there is plenty of space to create. If I can emulate only a bit of Mr. Mosko's principles in my own gardens, I will feel fulfilled and will be able to have a haven for my mental well-being.

Thank you, Mr. Mosko and Ms. Noden for this truly wonderful and instructional book.

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This book is not Landscape as "Spirit" but Landscape as "Symbolism". Which is ok but that is not why I purchased this book. I wanted a book that taught or "pointed" towards how to create or how a Zen garden is created. To see what the inner Zen world looks like when projected outward into a Zen garden.

The book starts out with the idea that a garden designed from the Zen perspective is a Mandela. Then the Mandela is created using elements in the garden to symbolize Heaven, Earth and Man. Then the book goes on to say that one level down, the garden can be created using garden elements to symbolize Earth, Fire, Water, Fire, Air and Space. For me this "Spirit" theory was very incoherent. A Zen Master experiences "The Tao" and reacts intuitively. This Spirit theory seemed to contradict Zen teachings. In fact the arrangement of stones in many of the photographs and plans are "too" ordered; too balanced and unnatural; unintuitive.

Don't get me wrong, it is a beautiful book with many beautiful "details" to learn from. But good eastern minded landscaping "responds" to the site NOT created things like miniature mountains, miniature trees that represent fire, perfectly placed stones, perfectly placed plants in between perfectly placed stones and so on and so on???

Nature and Zen are natural not contrived. Zen is natural or consists of "a suchness" or an experience of "The garden IS" not something that reflects levels of symbolic hierarchy.

This is a great book that one can return to time after time. It presents landscaping principals in the context of the garden as a place for reflexion and meditation. As gorgeous as the photos are, I find the text even more meaningful.

this book's title, if the picture of the cover is real, is different from the Amazon title. who proof's this stuff?