Meaning of Bonsai
Bonsai, in Japanese simply means tree in a tray or shallow pot. “ Bon” means shallow container. “ Sai” means plant. In Chinese language it is called “ Punsai” or Pensai” or Penjing. Pen means pot and Sai means plant. Bonsai is a living, three- dimensional, botanical masterpiece aesthetically shaped, miniaturized, sculptured and presented by Bonsai “ Vanamali’ as reverential gift to mother nature. Bonsai is nothing but nature in miniature. The trees seen in nature are seen in Bonsai in miniature. Bonsai is nature in microcosm. It is an artistic expression of horticultural skills. In fact, it is a dexterous fusion of horticultural skills and aesthetics of fine art achieved by a gardener copying nature. In Buddhism and Shintoism, nature is an object of reverence. From Buddha’s sacred alter, Bonsai plants moved to puja (prayer) rooms located in the North-Eastern corner of residences of human beings, initially, as an object of reverence. Lord Buddha proclaimed that, “ Tree is a living symbol of boundless benevolence.”
The first evidence of Floral Bonsai in China was discovered in the Frescoes of about 220 A.D. and the first evidence as Bonsai plant was discovered in China in Tomb Murals in 760 A.D. In Japan, the first evidence of Bonsai was in a Pictorial Scroll of 1185 A.D.
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