Japanese Garden of Peace
Donation protected
Our Japanese Garden Story
Three years ago, Jyoti Naoki and Noel Parent (that’s me!) started a project to build a Japanese Garden in the Auroville Botanical Gardens. Our first online fundraising campaign gave us the necessary resources to begin this project and progress with its development, which was helped also by other local Auroville donors and donations of various construction materials. In the video and pictures provided, you will experience the progress we have made so far:
֎ A ‘faux’ bridge made of leftover donated granite stones
֎ A small pond with surrounding limestone, water lilies, and various water plants (and fish!... and toads!)
֎ Dry pathways made of recycled clay roof tiles
֎ Plantation of black bamboo grove
֎ Plantation of Buddha bamboo
֎ Plantation of various shrubs, grasses, and two special trees
֎ Small boulder placements
֎ Limestone placement around existing trees
֎ Leveling of the future dry stone garden area
While we have made good progress, we still have a long way to go and need your support to finish our beautiful garden!
Auroville and its Botanical Gardens
Our Japanese Garden project is being created in an experimental and intentional city in south India called Auroville, where we live by the aspiration to create Human Unity and Peace. It is the Soul of all our work and life. With 2,800 members from over 50 countries, Auroville is a city devoted to bringing people together to create a self-supporting society that harmonizes the importance of the individual development with the collective welfare on all levels of its nature and being – spiritual and material. Auroville has just celebrated its 50th Anniversary, and has been supported widely by many governments, institutions, and groups around the world. Its many accomplishments in reforestation, organic agriculture, architecture, education and many other areas of life has been celebrated, shared, and studied by many around the world. Please visit the Auroville website to discover more about this special place.
In Auroville's Botanical Gardens, we attempt to inspire and create this Peace and Unity by working with Nature to manifest Beauty through growing gardens together. With members, local workers, and volunteers from around the world, the Botanical Gardens has not only created a space of Beauty and Peace, but also a space for educating children and adults about the diversity of Nature, especially the local indigenous plant species. Every year, 3,000 students visit our education program and the Gardens, where they experience and learn about over 2,500 species of plants, including 250 species of trees. Please visit the Auroville Botanical Garden website to learn more about this special place.
The Purpose of Our Japanese Garden
Our Japanese Garden and Pavilion of Silence, designed by Japanese Aurovilian artist and landscaper Jyoti, has been intended to be both a space for silent contemplation in the ancient tradition of Japanese gardens while also being an additional educational element for the Botanical Gardens as a whole – where children, school groups, and people from around the world come to experience and learn about nature and plants while experiencing different landscaping traditions from around the world. It is meant to bring the Japanese quality of Beauty into our Botanical Garden space, while also being a place where people will be able to feel inspired by the harmony of nature and Spirit that Japanese gardens are famous for.
Our garden is also meant to be an educational space for Japanese cultural activities, where traditional tea ceremonies and other Asian events can be offered and experienced. We wish for this space to reflect the truth that Beauty can be used to inspire greater Consciousness and Peace in the world.
Volunteer-Based Work
Building Peace and Human Unity is a work that must be done through all variety of forms and ways, even in the building of a garden. The creation of a garden can bring people together for new experiences, where relationships between people grow through a connection with each other and the Nature around. With our Japanese Garden, we have had the pleasure of building this garden using mostly volunteer labor from Auroville community members as well as visiting volunteers, including the creation of our campaign video by volunteer Lucas O'Phoenix. The use of volunteers helps to create a different Spirit in the garden, motivated by the sincere interest in building a garden and working with Nature. We welcome any volunteers who would like to participate in this project, including those on-site or others who wish to help raise the needed funds. All efforts are much appreciated!
What Remains to be Finished!
As seen in the photos and video, all of the work done is slowly revealing a garden that is aspiring to Be. But we need much more help to manifest more of this garden. Here are some of the elements from Jyoti’s designs that still need your support:
֎ The Pavilion of Silent Reflection – A small tea hut and community meeting space is meant to be the central feature of the garden. The bulk of the remaining funds needed is for this part of the garden which has not yet begun.
֎ Stone Garden – We will many large boulders of various sizes, and many pebbles and other stones, to create this part of the garden
֎ Tile Wall – As a backdrop for the stone garden, this tile wall (similar to the pathway design seen in the pictures) will provide a visually pleasing border for the garden on its backside.
֎ Small Ponds – Surrounding the Pavilion will be several more smaller ponds to create a tranquil atmosphere.
֎ Pathway Completion – While large sections of the pathway are being completed already, there still remain large sections to complete, with more used roof tiles needed for this work.
֎ Plants and Trees – Ferns, trees, and many other plants of diverse variety will be planted, chosen for their drought resistant features (due to the south Indian climate) and beautiful features similar to traditional Japanese garden plants which unfortunately do not grow in this part of the world.
What We Need
In order to complete our Garden we need your help!!
Auroville is essentially a city of volunteers, people who have chosen to live here and contribute to this adventure in building a city based not upon profit but upon a new Spirit and Intention - for Human Unity and Peace. So, that means we need YOUR support to succeed in this Japanese Garden project, in the form of:
֎ Financial Support! We need around $10,500 total to complete the Garden, which includes: $4,700 for the Pavilion of Silent Reflection; $3,900 for the Stone Garden boulders and pebbles; $1,900 for all other pond work, plants, materials etc.. It is lot, but every little amount helps! We can do a lot with a little support, so give anything you can!!
֎ Spread the Word! and help us raise the funds needed! Perhaps even more important than the funds is the need for YOU to share this campaign on Facebook, Twitter, your blog or website, or any other social media you use...and if you wish to share our videos, please do so! The more people we reach the more we will reach our goal with your help!
֎ Volunteers! Yes, we would love to have you participate in physically building the garden. Check out the Botanical Gardens website and see how you can volunteer!
֎ Lots of Goodwill and Smiles!
Any and all support will be welcome and greatly appreciated.
The original budget estimate for this Garden was around $12,500 total and we have raised only about $2,000 of this amount. Although I would love to be able to do all the work for this garden, unfortunately we will need to have contract workers for the tea pavilion and other foundation work which I am not skilled to do. Thus, the funds for these parts would be for the materials and labor needed. We have done a lot with very little so far, and are able to use the funds efficiently, so even smaller amounts will help us continue to move forward – for we have no doubt that we shall complete this project no matter how much time and effort it takes, with support from as many people as possible.
All funds donated will go entirely to this project. Our team at the Botanical Gardens has built and grown a 44 acre space over 15 years starting from nothing, with our leader Paul, a skilled landscape architect and horticulturalist, who started this place working the soil with his own two hands. Whatever obstacles may come, financial or otherwise, Auroville is a place where perseverance is rewarded, even if it takes years to happen, though we hope YOU will help us finish much sooner! When life slows down one can be sure it will eventually speed up again....and lead to new doorways and opportunities!
Watch our video above if you haven't already!! With gratitude to Lucas O'Phoenix for creating it!
[PLEASE NOTE! YOU MUST DONATE USING THE LEGAL NAME ON YOUR CREDIT CARD AND A VALID EMAIL ADDRESS! Unfortunately many fraudulent attempts at donating to our campaign have been made under fake names/accounts. So please do not do this.... for the good of yourself and All]
Three years ago, Jyoti Naoki and Noel Parent (that’s me!) started a project to build a Japanese Garden in the Auroville Botanical Gardens. Our first online fundraising campaign gave us the necessary resources to begin this project and progress with its development, which was helped also by other local Auroville donors and donations of various construction materials. In the video and pictures provided, you will experience the progress we have made so far:
֎ A ‘faux’ bridge made of leftover donated granite stones
֎ A small pond with surrounding limestone, water lilies, and various water plants (and fish!... and toads!)
֎ Dry pathways made of recycled clay roof tiles
֎ Plantation of black bamboo grove
֎ Plantation of Buddha bamboo
֎ Plantation of various shrubs, grasses, and two special trees
֎ Small boulder placements
֎ Limestone placement around existing trees
֎ Leveling of the future dry stone garden area
While we have made good progress, we still have a long way to go and need your support to finish our beautiful garden!
Auroville and its Botanical Gardens
Our Japanese Garden project is being created in an experimental and intentional city in south India called Auroville, where we live by the aspiration to create Human Unity and Peace. It is the Soul of all our work and life. With 2,800 members from over 50 countries, Auroville is a city devoted to bringing people together to create a self-supporting society that harmonizes the importance of the individual development with the collective welfare on all levels of its nature and being – spiritual and material. Auroville has just celebrated its 50th Anniversary, and has been supported widely by many governments, institutions, and groups around the world. Its many accomplishments in reforestation, organic agriculture, architecture, education and many other areas of life has been celebrated, shared, and studied by many around the world. Please visit the Auroville website to discover more about this special place.
In Auroville's Botanical Gardens, we attempt to inspire and create this Peace and Unity by working with Nature to manifest Beauty through growing gardens together. With members, local workers, and volunteers from around the world, the Botanical Gardens has not only created a space of Beauty and Peace, but also a space for educating children and adults about the diversity of Nature, especially the local indigenous plant species. Every year, 3,000 students visit our education program and the Gardens, where they experience and learn about over 2,500 species of plants, including 250 species of trees. Please visit the Auroville Botanical Garden website to learn more about this special place.
The Purpose of Our Japanese Garden
Our Japanese Garden and Pavilion of Silence, designed by Japanese Aurovilian artist and landscaper Jyoti, has been intended to be both a space for silent contemplation in the ancient tradition of Japanese gardens while also being an additional educational element for the Botanical Gardens as a whole – where children, school groups, and people from around the world come to experience and learn about nature and plants while experiencing different landscaping traditions from around the world. It is meant to bring the Japanese quality of Beauty into our Botanical Garden space, while also being a place where people will be able to feel inspired by the harmony of nature and Spirit that Japanese gardens are famous for.
Our garden is also meant to be an educational space for Japanese cultural activities, where traditional tea ceremonies and other Asian events can be offered and experienced. We wish for this space to reflect the truth that Beauty can be used to inspire greater Consciousness and Peace in the world.
Volunteer-Based Work
Building Peace and Human Unity is a work that must be done through all variety of forms and ways, even in the building of a garden. The creation of a garden can bring people together for new experiences, where relationships between people grow through a connection with each other and the Nature around. With our Japanese Garden, we have had the pleasure of building this garden using mostly volunteer labor from Auroville community members as well as visiting volunteers, including the creation of our campaign video by volunteer Lucas O'Phoenix. The use of volunteers helps to create a different Spirit in the garden, motivated by the sincere interest in building a garden and working with Nature. We welcome any volunteers who would like to participate in this project, including those on-site or others who wish to help raise the needed funds. All efforts are much appreciated!
What Remains to be Finished!
As seen in the photos and video, all of the work done is slowly revealing a garden that is aspiring to Be. But we need much more help to manifest more of this garden. Here are some of the elements from Jyoti’s designs that still need your support:
֎ The Pavilion of Silent Reflection – A small tea hut and community meeting space is meant to be the central feature of the garden. The bulk of the remaining funds needed is for this part of the garden which has not yet begun.
֎ Stone Garden – We will many large boulders of various sizes, and many pebbles and other stones, to create this part of the garden
֎ Tile Wall – As a backdrop for the stone garden, this tile wall (similar to the pathway design seen in the pictures) will provide a visually pleasing border for the garden on its backside.
֎ Small Ponds – Surrounding the Pavilion will be several more smaller ponds to create a tranquil atmosphere.
֎ Pathway Completion – While large sections of the pathway are being completed already, there still remain large sections to complete, with more used roof tiles needed for this work.
֎ Plants and Trees – Ferns, trees, and many other plants of diverse variety will be planted, chosen for their drought resistant features (due to the south Indian climate) and beautiful features similar to traditional Japanese garden plants which unfortunately do not grow in this part of the world.
What We Need
In order to complete our Garden we need your help!!
Auroville is essentially a city of volunteers, people who have chosen to live here and contribute to this adventure in building a city based not upon profit but upon a new Spirit and Intention - for Human Unity and Peace. So, that means we need YOUR support to succeed in this Japanese Garden project, in the form of:
֎ Financial Support! We need around $10,500 total to complete the Garden, which includes: $4,700 for the Pavilion of Silent Reflection; $3,900 for the Stone Garden boulders and pebbles; $1,900 for all other pond work, plants, materials etc.. It is lot, but every little amount helps! We can do a lot with a little support, so give anything you can!!
֎ Spread the Word! and help us raise the funds needed! Perhaps even more important than the funds is the need for YOU to share this campaign on Facebook, Twitter, your blog or website, or any other social media you use...and if you wish to share our videos, please do so! The more people we reach the more we will reach our goal with your help!
֎ Volunteers! Yes, we would love to have you participate in physically building the garden. Check out the Botanical Gardens website and see how you can volunteer!
֎ Lots of Goodwill and Smiles!
Any and all support will be welcome and greatly appreciated.
The original budget estimate for this Garden was around $12,500 total and we have raised only about $2,000 of this amount. Although I would love to be able to do all the work for this garden, unfortunately we will need to have contract workers for the tea pavilion and other foundation work which I am not skilled to do. Thus, the funds for these parts would be for the materials and labor needed. We have done a lot with very little so far, and are able to use the funds efficiently, so even smaller amounts will help us continue to move forward – for we have no doubt that we shall complete this project no matter how much time and effort it takes, with support from as many people as possible.
All funds donated will go entirely to this project. Our team at the Botanical Gardens has built and grown a 44 acre space over 15 years starting from nothing, with our leader Paul, a skilled landscape architect and horticulturalist, who started this place working the soil with his own two hands. Whatever obstacles may come, financial or otherwise, Auroville is a place where perseverance is rewarded, even if it takes years to happen, though we hope YOU will help us finish much sooner! When life slows down one can be sure it will eventually speed up again....and lead to new doorways and opportunities!
Watch our video above if you haven't already!! With gratitude to Lucas O'Phoenix for creating it!
[PLEASE NOTE! YOU MUST DONATE USING THE LEGAL NAME ON YOUR CREDIT CARD AND A VALID EMAIL ADDRESS! Unfortunately many fraudulent attempts at donating to our campaign have been made under fake names/accounts. So please do not do this.... for the good of yourself and All]
Organizer
Noel Parent
Organizer
