As part of Mindfulness Week at Portland Japanese Garden, join Teresa Jordan, author and interfaith chaplain, in this discussion on the remarkable healing power of gardens and how mindfulness practice can enhance one’s own experience.
“Garden” is both a noun and a verb: a place we go to find peace, and a practice that nurtures both plants and ourselves. From monastery gardens cultivated during plague, to kitchen gardens scratched from the soil of prisoner-of-war camps and active war zones, to peace gardens planted on former battlefields, we have turned to gardens precisely when the world has needed healing most. Portland Japanese Garden itself is a collaboration between the people of Japan and Oregon to heal the wounds of World War II and promote peace and cross-cultural understanding. Through images and stories, and drawing on Buddhist, Shinto, Judeo-Christian, and Islamic traditions, Jordan will trace the garden’s recurring role across history as a threshold space, set apart from ordinary life, where the human spirit can rest and be healed. Jordan will open and conclude the lecture by leading an accessible breathing exercise visitors can practice when encountering moments of beauty, wonder, or delight in the Garden.
