All over the world, people have been growing and collecting bonsai trees as a hobby and an art form. These small trees have long been grown in decorative containers, which gives them their name; bonsai literally means tree in a pot. While bonsai trees are thought by many to be Japanese, the art of bonsai originated in China as part of a spiritual practice linked first to Taoism and later to Buddhism.
Bonsai was part of the ancient Chinese art of “penjing”, also known as “pun-sai”, which means the practice of creating a miniature landscape in a container. Chinese artists used plants, rocks, and other natural materials to create small landscapes, which often resemble sacred mountains, streams, and other natural scenes, as well as dragons and snakes, all arranged in trays or pots.
This practice of creating miniature landscapes and trees can be linked to the philosophical tradition of Chinese Taoism. Taoism proposed that thinking and living naturally and letting go of rigid conventional beliefs would help the mind better tune into the rhythm of nature. Being one with nature, going with the flow, and understanding how everything in life is interrelated are an integral part of Taoist teachings. The idea of yin and yang provides an example. Taoism also holds that even if something in nature is small, it will contain power and strength if its age is advanced (and if it is limited to a small space). Bonsai trees become more valuable with age.
The monks of India brought a new influence to the Chinese Taoist tradition that became known as Chan Buddhism. Chan Buddhists began to include seedling trees in their miniature mountain landscapes. While working with natural materials, pruning and cutting dwarf trees was part of the creative process, and the Buddhist monks became engrossed in a form of meditation.
Buddhism then advanced to Korea and finally reached Japan, where it became known as Zen Buddhism. Diplomats traveling to China and Korea brought Chinese art and culture to Japan, and the creation of miniature landscapes, with its ties to Buddhist symbolism, was quickly adopted.
At first, only Japanese Buddhist monks and scholars cultivated bonsai and tiny landscapes. The core of Zen philosophy was refined to represent beauty in austerity, with everything but the essentials removed to reveal the true nature of something. Ancient Japanese scrolls reveal that bonsai represented a fusion of traditional beliefs mixed with other Eastern philosophies of harmony between man, soul and the natural world.
In the 14th century, bonsai was revered as an art form in Japan and is widely represented in poetry and painting. At this point, the Japanese aristocracy displayed bonsai trees indoors, and the practice of creating bonsai was less associated with religion. A few centuries later, bonsai trees became common among the general Japanese population as they are today.
