Cha-niwa (tea-garden) is another distinct type. It is also called roji, which literally means "dew ground," a term said to have been taken from a passage in Buddhist sutra which speaks of men being born in the "dew ground," fleeing from the fiery abode of avarice. Other characters are also used for roji which signify a passage inside the gate. And in reality it is essentially a garden path to and from the cha-seki, the passage to self-illumination. As such, it has developed special features, conforming to the requirements of cha-no-yu. It is small in size, by itself, or partitioned off from the rest of the garden. Though small, it should never be ornate, and though it must conform to the rules of cha-no-yu, it must not be artificial. It must look natural. More than that, it must be so made as to arouse sensations in harmony with the spirit of tea and conducive to a meditative frame of mind. Once in it, one may feel a detachment from the world, away from the hustle and bustle of life. It must embody ideals of cha-no-yu, and what is suggested in such lines as "green moss growing thicker each day, but without a particle of dust," is an essential element. Some aimed to create in it a feeling of utter loneliness of sylvan solitude or as suggested by "a solitary cottage on the sea beach in the waning light of an autumn eve. " Others tried to interpret in the garden path the feeling such as suggested by the verse "Oboro zuki umi sukoshi aru konoma kana. " ("A pale evening moon, a bit of the sea, through a cluster of trees. ") What was aimed at in creating such a garden was "the solitude of a newly-awakened soul still lingering amid shadowy dreams of the past, yet bathing in the sweet unconsciousness of a mellow spiritual light, and yearning for the freedom that lay in the expanse beyond," as so ably commented on by Okakura.
