Ryoan-Ji

This is the view of the pond "Kyoyo-chi" on the grounds of Ryoan-ji. It is known as the most beautiful pond of any of the temples in Kyoto, especially in the fall.

Ryoan-ji belongs to the Rinzai school of Zen and was founded in 1450. It is the most famous rock garden in Japan.
http://www.columbia.edu/itc/ealac/V3613/ryoanji/ryoanji.htm

The main attraction is the garden arranged in the kare-sansui (dry-landscape) style. It is a sparse landscape made up of 15 mossy rocks, surrounded by coarse sand. Some say the rocks represent islands in a sea of sand. It is bordered by a clay wall. The designer, who remains unknown, provided no explanation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryōan-ji





The sand is raked freshly each morning by the Zen monks. The enigma of this landscape is that you cannot view all 15 rocks at once. From any vantage point, one can only see 14 boulders at a time. Supposedly, when one reaches enlightenment, one can see all 15 stones.




My friend Reena surrounded by those brilliant fall colors.