The Physical, The Mental And The Spiritual Converge In A Bonsai Tree

It is easy to dismiss bonsai tree as a miniaturized version of its larger counterpart.  After all, that is what it looks like, a tree in capsule form, placed on a tray, and pruned endlessly by horticulturists each and every day.  It's how the bonsai tree has always been portrayed in popular culture.

But a bonsai true is more... ohhhh... so much more than that.  To call it an art would be an understatement.  After all, how many processes have we labeled as art simply because we wanted to justify the intricate nature of their preparation?  But cultivating bonsais is a different matter altogether.  Reducing trees that would otherwise grow many feet tall into items that can be contained in a dish and happily at that, is a process that requires mastery and grace.  It's the perfect fusion of the mental, the physical and the spiritual. 

First, the physical aspect... if you think that pruning and trimming bonsais are easy tasks, chances are, you have never tried them out before.  They may not involve much physical exertion, but the sheer demands of keeping your hands' balance for countless minutes that may even extend into hours is very, very difficult.  It requires discipline.  It requires perseverance.  It requires commitment.  And most of all, it requires patience.

Second, the mental aspect... caring for and maintaining bonsais is a truly daunting challenge.  Many people train for years to raise high quality bonsai.  It's the ultimate test of devotion.  Formal education will teach you the steps, but their execution is a matter of will power.  It's either you can conjure enough or you cannot.

Third, the spiritual... once the physical and the mental challenges necessitated by bonsais are successfully carried out, the inspiring and rewarding feeling you'd have will be unmatched.  Indeed, the satisfaction of being able to raise one of the most difficult plants in the world is a feeling that is incomparable. 

It is for these reasons that people devote their lives in the noble art of creating and keeping a bonsai tree.  Within bonsais is a culture that is many millenniums old, adopted by the West because of the purity of the art form and the feeling of fulfillment that comes with it. 

Should you try bonsais?

Ask yourself first: do you love plants, or do you love the act of caring for plants?  Some people prefer one over the other.

But if you can commit yourself to both, then creating and maintaining bonsais can become a very rewarding experience for you.