The Ryoanji Temple stone garden, not far from the Golden Pavilion, is esthetically at the opposite extreme. Instead of the lavishly gilded pomp of an imperial retreat, we see a "garden" composed of simple raked gravel and 15 stones, arranged seemingly randomly to induce a sense of tranquility and foster meditation. A local student acting as a volunteer guide explained to us the traditional meanings associated with each of the stones and pointed out that because of their arrangment, no one can see all of them at once, except the Buddha. Because of its shape, no photograph really does the garden justice. The temple was founded in 1450, and the designer of the garden is unknown.
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Paul Brians