Zen and Morikami Gardens #AtoZChallenge

 Take a deep breath, participants in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Breathe in.  Breathe out.

We've reached the final letter, Z.

The word Zen has many meanings.  I understand that we in the United States don't always use the word "Zen" the way it is meant to be used but my understanding is that the word "Zen" comes from a " school of Mahayana Buddhism asserting that enlightenment can come through meditation and intuition rather than faith."

Perhaps, what better place to pause, sit, and meditate for a while is at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, Florida, which I had the pleasure of visiting with my spouse in January of 2019.  

If you search on their site, you come up with several results of Zen, including a Zen Garden kit for your tabletop.  Maybe I'll buy one one day to help me escape from the world's troubles for a few minutes.

In the meantime, here are some photos from my visit.  Sit and relax a while.  Meditate if you are into that.

Let's go in.

Buddha.

Outdoor bonsai.  That's an art form in itself.  Morikami has a nice bonsai collection; some are hundreds of years old.  They are meticulously taken care of.

A little philosophy.

It was so relaxing watching water flow through this pipe.

I'm guessing this is a rhodedendron.

Lantern art.

Waterfall.

Finally, a stone formation.

I hope these photos brought you peace, which we need so much in these times.

My final post, for "Z" day in the 2024 Blogging from A to Z Challenge. My theme for 2024 was:  Gardens, History, Art and The Unexpected.