The Peace Garden, Samye Ling Monastery, Scotland
The Peace Garden is a little garden on an island within a very much larger garden at the Tibetan Buddhist Monastery of Samye Ling.
Samye Ling
The monastery is located in southern Scotland, between Lockerbie and Hawick.
This little garden is a place where people can go just to be peaceful. It is called a Peace Garden on the logic that inner peace is a first step to peaceful living with others and a peaceful approach by society as a whole.
- The island is in a circular pond and is reached by an arched bridge.
- On the island are a couple of trees and several bushes. There are seats, benches and rocks to sit on.
- There is a Buddha image under a Chinese-style canopy. Candle-lanterns hang from the corners of the canopy.
- From the trees hang windchimes, prayerflags and candle-lanterns. Together with the rocks and surrounding pond, the four elements are well represented.
Bushes and grass are left with a natural look. The Peace Garden looks across the pond to elaborate stupas, statues and tall, colourful prayer flags in the much larger garden beyond. Nearby is the Wishing Tree, which was mentioned earlier.
It is a very simple, natural garden. Nothing more is needed.
Visiting
Samye Ling is in Eskdalemuir, Langholm, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. The monastery is open to visitors much of the time.
www.samyeling.org/ - See the website for visiting arrangements and for half-day guided tours for school parties round the temple and monastery.
Continue reading: Designing your own Buddhist garden.