The concept that individual components of the garden symbolize different ideas is strictly an Eastern notion. Not only is the garden as a whole a microcosm of the world but each path, indeed each rock that makes up the path, is a metaphor for something else. Japanese gardening techniques take this idea much further. Even Voltaire exhorted his 18th-century audience, "Cultivate your own garden!" he was obviously not referring to a vegetable patch or perennial border, he was referring to gardens metaphorically. Westerners are accustomed to the concept that the Garden as a whole is a metaphor - the garden as Eden, for example. The "journey" through a Stroll Garden is meant to be a highly orchestrated voyage to a deeper understanding of nature. The design of a path directs one's progression through the garden: large stepping stones slow the walk, encouraging contemplation of the view, while row after row of smaller, more uniform stones create a feeling of excitement or anticipation for an approaching feature. Rather, paths are meant to lead from a view of the pond to a view of a distant landscape. A Stroll Garden does not reveal itself all at once.
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