bonsai tree superstition

superstitions and symbolism of the bonsai tree

Many of us have probably heard, but do not fully understand what the bonsai tree means, about which the sellers of souvenir shops tell so much. what is the Bonsai tree symbolize and what are the different superstitions about bonsai, A bonsai tree is nothing more than a miniature copy of the large trees that surround us in reality. Bonsai leaves are small, have a green juicy color and a beautiful crown,

Dwarf Japanese trees have gained great popularity in many countries around the world, giving pleasure and enjoyment to people.

bonsai tree meaning in feng shui teaching

Such a miniature beautiful tree perfectly complements any interior, and according to feng shui, it also brings positive energy to the house, provides a favorable environment for creating an even and smooth flow of energy. It is believed that if the energy flows correctly in the house, then the well-being of the people in it will be good and joyful, positive, and optimistic. Slow, oblique energy flows are a sign of a bad situation in the house, the reasons for the occurrence of various problems, both in everyday life and in personal life. With the help of bonsai wood, you can mask the sharp corners of furniture and walls in a room, attract energy to dark corners. It is important to understand that only healthy bonsai plants can emit positive energy, and if you want to achieve home harmony, place a miniature tree in your living room, dining room, study,

• bonsai acacia tree symbolizes protection, invigorates;

• bonsai lemon tree - longevity, health, and love;

• Juniper bonsai - has an antimicrobial effect, protects against the evil eye;

• pine bonsai - spiritual development and prosperity.

According to feng shui bonsai, a tree does not have to consist of only one plant, but it can be a mix bonsai: on one tray there are several types of miniature trees surrounded by rocks, grottoes. Such a composition causes not only great aesthetic pleasure but also a spiritual pleasure.

Bonsai - the mystery and charm of the East

Bonsai, with its deep, historically established polysemy for the Japanese, can be understood by everyone on one level. But, in fact, any work of art by the bonsai is addressed only to initiates who own its deep meaning. This meaning is expressed in bonsai in a special language of images-symbols that are not understandable to everyone - in the form of a very complex symbolism of geometric shapes and numbers inherent in Japanese culture.

Thus, the bonsai seems to include you in some kind of intimate spiritual brotherhood.

Bonsai art is fundamentally opposed to superficial (and therefore false, devoid of true meaning) mass art forms. It is by its nature dialogical - it is addressed to “its” viewer, who will understand it at a glance.

In the original religion of the Japanese ( Shinto ), there were no images of deities in the form of a person. The deity for them is Something that does not have a human appearance. The Japanese could worship wood, flower, water, and stone. But there was no idea in Japan to pray to a humanoid image of God.

And even the emperor - a living Shinto god - was not accepted to portray. If necessary, the emperor of Japan was painted hidden behind the clouds. This continued until the reign of Emperor Meiji (1868-1912), whose portraits appeared in every Japanese home.

The basis of bonsai art was the belief in the living spirit of plants and an understanding of the source of this life-giving spirit, on which the entire universe rests. Therefore, we can assume that the miniature bonsai tree visibly and man-made embodies the foundations of the national worldview of the Japanese. This is both a world tree, and its hypostasis is a mountain, and a bowl is a symbol of teaching; and the trunk and branches are whole and part of the whole.

From the beginning of the seventeenth century, Buddhism became the only officially permitted religion in Japan. But, like all "overseas" spiritual values, Buddhism was turned by the Japanese into "broadly speaking, Shinto of this period" (quote from Motoori Norinaga). Thus, the Japanese did not oppose their primordial faith to Buddhism, but only included the Buddha in the host of their omnipresent Shinto deities,

The tree and its branches are considered ritually pure in Buddhism. The Buddhist cult of the Bodhi tree (under which, according to legend, Buddha Shakyamuni attained enlightenment) largely predetermined not only the features of the structure but also the deep symbolism of the bonsai.

The Buddhist shrine, called Pasana Vedika, is a Bodhi tree surrounded by a stone fence. In a broad sense, this shrine was the prototype for the creation of bonsai.

In Buddhist mythology, which was actively woven into Japanese traditions, the supreme ruler acts as the builder of a sanctuary with a garden and a “tree of life” growing in it.

The whole world is the Buddha's garden, and the ruler in it is the gardener. Growing bonsai, the Japanese felt powerful, like an emperor.

The Japanese also have a tree associated with the cult of a female deity (or a married couple). Sometimes in legends, this deity is the daughter of a tree. An important semantic load in this cult is carried, in particular, by a tree with a split in the trunk or a tree with a forked trunk chosen for worship. Therefore, trees with such distinctive elements were used by Japanese bonsai masters in their works as form-making.

The most important geometric shape in bonsai is the triangle in all its variants. The triangle symbolizes:

the fruitful forces of Mother Earth;

mountain, the sacred Buddhist mountain Sumer (Sumeru, Japanese Shumisen);

trinity, triad (Heaven - Earth - Man);

trikaya - the three bodies of Buddha (sambhogakaya, nirmanakaya, dharmakaya);

birth - life - death;

body - mind - soul.

The triangle inscribed in the square represents the divine and the human, the heavenly, and the earthly. The triangle within the circle expresses the idea of ​​the trinity in one.

For the cultures of the Far Eastern region, the mountain is the most common transformation of the world tree. Here the image of the world is a mountain, most often with a tree on top; or a mountain covered with forest or garden. At the top of the mountain are the gods, below are the spirits of the earth, in the middle is a man.

Likewise, the "initiate" divides the structure of the bonsai and comprehends the meaning of its three levels (upper, middle, and lower).

The image of the mountain determines not only the shape of the bonsai but also the experience of its perception. The gaze contemplating the bonsai should slide upward, as when looking at the mountain - from its foot to the top.

The structure of bonsai grown according to the rules of medieval culture is correlated with the macrocosm. Here is a real image of the inner unity of spirituality and living flesh.

Bonsai is designed to instill in a personal faith in life and cheerfulness, despite all life's disappointments and in spite of them.

In the Japanese mythological tradition, the potter creates a person (or even the whole world) from clay, so pottery was perceived as a divine creation. Thus, the clay vessel in which the miniature tree was grown, when perceived by the Japanese, also acquired a symbolic meaning.

Despite the religious symbolism inherent in bonsai, Japanese tradition considers it to be a more "down-to-earth" art form compared to ikebana. This is due to the fact that bonsai still represents a very specific miniature landscape, while ikebana is completely symbolic and conditional.

The actual age of the tree in bonsai does not really matter, since the concept of "ancient" in the Japanese tradition is not associated with the time of the creation of a specific form from a specific material. In fact, the only true value in bonsai is the artistic idea itself that underlies this living work of art.

Mossy stones, dwarf crooked trees, lichen-covered branches are signs of antiquity and an example of high taste. And simple herbs - the embodiment of artlessness and temporality - enhance this impression.

In traditional bonsai, the foundations of Japanese classical aesthetics appear in a kind of materialized form:

mono no avare - the hidden charm of things;

yugen - deep beauty of the secret;

shibui - the beauty of modesty and naturalness;

yojo - the art of response, echo or hint;

wabi - inner perfection with outward inconspicuousness and simplicity;

sabi - the patina of antiquity, abandonment, the sadness of loneliness.

These foundations of Japanese aesthetics are now known to many.

On demonstrating and understanding bonsai

In Japan, rules for the demonstration of bonsai have developed, which are currently used all over the world, especially at exhibitions and in public places.

Bonsai can be shown as a single plant (or landscape fragment) on a special stand, the height of which is determined by the style of the bonsai itself.

But the most powerful impression on the audience is made by the artistic composition of several bonsais and decorative elements. The composition can be expanded (demonstrating a beautiful natural look) or very laconic (conveying only the mood of the artist).

I think that in order to understand the Japanese art of growing miniature trees, one should listen to O. Mandelstam's words about the Japanese poetic genre of tanka :

“She (tanka) is not a miniature, and it would be a gross mistake due to its brevity to mix it with a miniature. It has no scale because it has no action. It has nothing to do with the world because it is the world itself ... ” (from the book“ On Poetry ”).

… Perfection is more beautiful than perfection; completion more fully embodies life than completion. The beauty of understatement is that beauty that lies in the depths of things, without breaking out to the surface. It may not be noticed at all by a person devoid of taste or emotional sensitivity.

The secret of the Japanese art of bonsai is to listen to the untold, to admire the invisible.

The meaning of bonsai according to Feng Shui

Having decided to "call" the bonsai into your home, you need to decide on several points. The first is whether you want to grow it yourself. And here it will not be superfluous to say that this is a very laborious process, much more complicated than the usual chores of a home amateur grower. Of course, home-grown bonsai is much more in line with the concepts of continuity and longevity. But very busy people can buy ready-made bonsai in a flower shop. In any case, when choosing a bonsai - regardless of whether you will grow it yourself or buy it, it is important to know the symbolic meaning of certain plants. Here the choice is yours - think about what area you need to strengthen and harmonize. Read the relevant literature, "surf" the Internet.

Here are examples of the most common bonsai plants.

Azalea represents confidence and strength. She creates positive energy in the house. If there is no peace in the family, quarrels constantly occur over trifles, azalea will help restore an atmosphere of love and understanding, find the strength to solve difficult issues.

Acacia symbolizes immortality, as well as protection, foresight, subconsciousness, it gives people vigor, promotes meditation, and the development of mental powers.

Gardenia is a plant of love, friendship, and spirituality.

Lemon personifies longevity, love, health, purification, good luck.

Juniper has very strong cleansing properties, in-home magic it is used as protection from the evil eye, therefore, it is able to energetically harmonize space.

The pine tree symbolizes spiritual development, wealth, prosperity (its needles are used in money conspiracies).

With the help of a bonsai tree, you can create a miniature model of your dream garden at home (best of all - in the living room), where there is a place for a small fountain, the melodious murmur of water soothing the soul. Beauty and harmony can be achieved everywhere, even in the slightly harmonious space of an ordinary city apartment.

What the bonsai tree symbolizes

Different styles of bonsai have their own secret meaning, which is understandable only to the initiated.

Descriptions of some styles and symbols:

hokidati is a symbol of calmness and stability, the branches of the tree are evenly directed to the sides, resembling a broom;

fukinagashi - resistance to all elements, a tree growing on the coast, its branches and roots are directed towards the inclined trunk;

khankengai - a symbol of plasticity at the edge of an abyss, the tree is tilted downward, forms a semi-cascade of short thickened branches;

neagari - a strong connection with the earth, the tree rises on the roots, as on stilts;

isitsuki - indestructibility and omnipotence of life, a tree growing on a rock;

sokan - a connection between generations and traditions, two trees of different sizes growing from the same root, etc.

So, we can safely say that bonsai is an attempt to express inner philosophy through the contemplation of the surrounding world.