Landscape as spirit - Martin Hakubai Mosko

Explore the Eastern philosophy-inspired garden design principles that inform the work of landscape architect Martin Mosko.

This book
is a resource for those who want to create a contemplative garden or to
better understand what it is to follow a contemplative path. Mosko's
work incorporates principles of Oriental and Western garden design to
make bold and original statements in his landscapes. Mosko explains how
to deploy the materials of the garden so that their arrangement reflects
the contemplative mind. The chief paradigm he uses is the mandala, a
symbolic picture of the ideal world used in some form in many of the
world's cultures. Rocks, streams, plants, paths, and structures of the
garden each take their place in the mandala as one of its five elements:
Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space. The means to produce a balance of
these elements is the mind conditioned by meditation and a clear
understanding of its own nature. Inner harmony is expressed as outer
beauty.


Mosko's approach to landscaping transforms space into
spirit, infused with magic. It can be used to create anything from a
small courtyard to a country estate, in any environment from the city to
the suburbs. After explaining theory and method, the book leads us into
five of Mosko's gardens, each alive with the energy and excitement he
brings to his designs. Although located in different parts of the
country and created in different styles, each garden is a reflection of
the mind of clarity and calm.