Zen of Watering Your Garden

By Matthew M. Cohen

This 152 page book is a collection of 145 full color photographs (contributed by some twenty photographers from all over the world) juxtaposed with nearly 70 aphorisms, sayings and poems (from many... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0924381256
• ISBN13: 9780924381256
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Sunbelt Publishers-Sunbelt Med
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Age Range: 15 years and up

Customer Reviews

Soothing Space

Art, among its many purposes, mediates for us the divide between memory and the present. In an instant, Mary Cassat puts back in our arms the child now grown. For a brief, sweet moment, Matisse carries us back to the Mediterranean honeymoon cruise and Monet returns us to our grandmother's garden. Picasso shoves into our face the writhing, mangled brutality of war - so that we never forget, try as we might. In these such encounters with art, our fading past is recreated in the mind, restored to us as we rush through the present moment into the inexplicable. Remembering, we travel gladly - or fearfully - forward through time, pulling with us those memories which then shape our unformed future. For some, this way be madness. The Zen meditative experience, among its many purposes, holds at bay all that would detract us from the vitality of the present moment. Its goal is to immerse us completely in the here and now, to drive past and future from our consciousness and reintroduce our senses to the only moment of our life that is substantively real. We are allowed to settle, to rest, to reshape and reform our tattered selves, to open ourselves to the inexplicable. And eventually we learn to take these wholly present moments as our companions through time, allowing them to sooth the remembered past which distracts and threatens to undo us. In his book Zen of Watering Your Garden, Dr. Cohen merges both these experiences into a powerful, yet peaceful, gift. With photographs - his own and others - which often rise to the level of art, Cohen lures us into our own memories of two of life's essential encounters with nature: the growing plant and the soothing shower which sustain. He accompanies these photographs with gentle, poignant, and at times breathtaking passages - his own and others -- which pull the reader even deeper into the encounter. This alone is sufficient commendation for the book, which should be in everyone's library. But Cohen's gift to us is greater than just his book, rich though it is. In his introduction (don't miss it!), Cohen describes the heart of the Zen experience which awaits us in the garden, the experience of transcendence, centeredness, and tranquility. He deftly uses the powers of art and language to capture our imagination, pulling us along the path into the healing garden which can be found in diverse forms wherever we are. He offers us the secret of the garden's healing power, the quiet engagement with the plant not only in its beauty but also in its nurture. In sharing with the plant the water it needs to survive, the same water we must have to survive, we become companions in life's renewing moment. In return, we receive surcease and peace. Dr. Cohen speaks of what he knows, the risks of deep engagement with a world filled with pain, confusion, and need. In his own medical practice, he learned what many of us have learned, that without a safe place for retreat and renewal, that way be madness. He t

Great garden gift book

I just love this book! I really enjoy looking at all the pictures and reading the quotes for a quick escape from a stressful day. The picture of the azaleas remind me of the flowers that used to bloom on my birthday, as I was growing up. I think this book would be a great gift for anyone who is looking for a little zen in their lives.

Stress Relieving Experience

This beautifully illustrated book reminds me of watering our garden. I recalled the feeling of peacefulness of watering the garden. Everyone always says that you get a certain high by running or exercise but rarely discuss the stress release of garden keeping. Scanning the book quickly for the first time I felt I needed to stop and examine each picture more closely like the saying- "Start your day watering by hand. Allow your senses to rekindle your core. Watch for surprises." Matt Cohen. The aphorisms added to my understanding and delight of the pictures from his garden and gardens from around the world. I am truly impressed by the wide range of locations of gardens. Run to get this great gardening book for yourself or people that need an aesthetic stress relieving experience!

A Literary Garden

After reading Zen of Watering Your Garden I found myself regretting that I live in a neighborhood where, by design, each and every house has been equipped with an in-ground, automatic sprinkler system. Sure, it's a convenient amenity; as programmed, it waters the entire yard at 4:00 am on Thursdays and Sundays, long before I would even consider getting out of bed. But the introduction of this book reminded me that nurturing your own plants and lawn by hand can be very rewarding. Simply put, "hand-watering brings you closer to nature" (Cohen) and, as a result of my yard's self-irrigation, I'm pretty sure I don't enjoy the same kind of intimacy with nature as this author does. The most striking feature of this book is indisputably the dazzling photographs, which exhibit not only the magnificent color and form of a variety of plants but also, and probably most important, the many ways in which flora accentuates the beauty of water and vice versa. The pages are filled with images of plant life illuminated by globes of dew and sprinkles of rain, making each flower petal brighter and each leaf greener. The text, including many quotes handed down by older, wiser, and closer-to-nature generations, serves to illuminate each photograph and enlarge its beauty beyond the eye and towards the intellect. From E.B. White's admonition that man spend less time trying to "outwit Nature" and "more time respecting her seniority" to Aristotle's simple observation that there is always "something marvelous in nature," the words complement the images and furnish the book with a larger meaning. Some quotes match the photographs perfectly, such as Shelley's "ten millions gathered there/ to tremble, gleam and disappear" juxtaposed with the image of a dandelion populated by countless drops of dew that will soon "disappear" as the sun rises. Other famous quotations are mirrored by the author's own words in a sort of call-and-response style. For instance, Emerson says, "the rain comes when the wind calls," and Cohen ("mmc") responds, "the branches bow; the bark stalls." Later, the author also answers a line by Mark Twain. This technique, along with the author's weaving of his own phrases (as well as his friends' and family members') throughout the book with legendary quotations, creates an interesting connection between the world of famous writers, thinkers, prophets, etc. with a more personal and contemporary sphere of life. Zen of Watering Your Garden is a pleasing combination of thought-provoking text and colorful images of garden life. It is one of those books to be tasted and slowly reflected upon, especially when one finds him or herself in need of a bit of inspirational gardening poetry (and prose). Sarah Clarke Stuart Writing Program Instructor Univeristy of North Florida

Escape for 10¢

Escape from the frenzy of contemporary life is a big market. Escape for $30,000 to Pago Pago. Escape for $15,000 to an Arizona spa. Escape for 10¢ and the cost of this book to your own backyard and stroll with the author down the garden path to serenity. (The 10¢ pays for the cost of the water.)