The Way of Serving

A Short Demonstration of Serving Tea

Serving tea is worship for the value of our precious presence. It is a way of giving with full respect, discipline and inner peace.

The Presence Of Tea

All the photos are about Mingwang Hei Cha - The last tea Eric and I filled with peace

I was very delighted to host my friend, Eric to have a private tea ceremony this Tuesday afternoon. 

 The remarkable experience and feelings were incredible. The tranquility of tea was fully engaged our body and mind; the energy of tea was enlightened our soul and spirit. Nothing else but the presence of tea, the purity of tea and the peace of tea.

I was amazed by Eric's deep appreciation and connection with tea. It was very inspiring and meaningful to me. His relationship with tea infused my relationship with him on a different level. 

Thank you, Eric, for your precious presence and your precious presence with tea. The moment of the presence with you and tea only once in our lives. It is truly priceless!

And, thank you for sharing your tea ceremony experience at my club.

I spent an afternoon having a private tea session with my good friend Guitian, also referred to as “Becky.”  We went through some amazing teas, including a Phoenix Wulong newly arrived that was unreal; with a floral aroma next to none and such a strong aftertaste… this Phoenix was amazing.  BUT, we ended the day with a near ecstasy.

  I have wanted to learn more about heicha (dark tea) and was excited when she started to pull out a few.  We had 2 great Fuzhuan teas; sweet and smooth, quality Fuzhuan is a must try!  My heart started to beat fast as she started to tell me about the last one we were going to sip.  It was an exclusive tea that she got from one of her tea masters, a most gracious gift.  It’s called Mingwang Heicha (名望黑茶, 渠江薄片) from Qu Jiang, Anhua, Hunan; translated to “Famous Reputation Dark Tea, Qu River Thin Slices” this tea was also produced not far from Guitian’s home town.  Not knowing what I was doing, I told her not to waste it on me once she told me the estimated price.  Alas, she insisted and I finally gave in. 

I have only been drinking Dark teas for less than a year, and I was praying silently that I could appreciate it. 

I took the normal three sips… silence filled my ears… the music once in the background had vanished.  Three sips, perhaps less than an ounce and I could feel the Qi begin to overtake my body.  We drank on. My mind blurred and my body warmed and tingled.  The head, the neck and the hands were affected the most, but as we drank on, the warmth reached my entire body.  I think it was the 3^rd or 4^th cup where my eyelids started to feel very heavy.  All my focus was on nothing and nothing was everywhere.  We were both in a state of amazement. It felt as if my soul left my body and moved about 3 feet to the right, or left… wherever it moved it certainly was not within me.  I even became emotional, an effect I have never before experienced from tea. My words slurred and I think, but am not sure, that I was thinking out loud.

Sadly around the, I have no idea which infusion or cup, I had to stop as I would have fallen asleep and missed my bus.  It was an afternoon to remember, all her teas were superb, but that last heicha took me to the Elysian Fields. As I started to leave she offered me a small bit.  I refused; we shall share this experience the next time we sit down for tea with each other.  I am forever indebted to Guitian not only for sharing such amazing tea with me, but more importantly… sharing the experience.

-Eric Glass

The owner of The Fragrant Cup 

http://www.fragrantcup.com/

http://fragrantcup.teatra.de/

Tea Meditation

 

This cup of tea in my two hands, mindfulness held perfectly. My mind and body dwell in here and now.

Drinking tea in noble silence, the tea becomes real with our mindfulness and we are fully aware of its taste. 

We allow the silence and the calmness to penetrate our flesh and bones. We allow the energy of tea and its mindfulness to penetrate our body and mind. We drink with silence, we communicate with silence, we understand each other with silence, we appreciate with silence. The Gold of Silence talks louder than any word.

Tea is a gift of the earth, the sky, numerous living beings and much hard work.

We shall drink with mindfulness and gratitude so as to be worthy to receive it.

We shall enjoy every sip we take. Each sip is nourishing and healing. As we drink, imprint our gratitude and our love in to the natural.

We shall keep our compassion alive by sipping in such a way that we reduce the suffering of living beings.

We shall leisurely sip the joy and peace from each cup, permeate the nurturing energy, nourish mindfulness with purified spirit, 

We are present with each sip. We give our full attention to tea, to others and yourself.

We enhance relationships with purified spirit, and cultivate relationships with tea, nature, harmony.

We breathe in all the beauty and energy of the natural, and breathe out our suffering- our feelings of anger, hatred, fear, inadequacy and grief.

We take our time as we drink, holding each sip at least 10 seconds, until your entire month was purified by the tea. This aids the real taste of tea. Let us enjoy every morsel of our tea and the presence. Let us establish ourselves in the present moment, be free from yesterday and free from tomorrow. Drinking in such a way that solidity, joy and peace be possible during the time of drinking.

Practicing tea meditation is to be truly present your relationship with tea, our friends and natural. We recognize that we can dwell happily in the present moment despite all of our sorrows and worries.

Tea meditation is practiced at a traditional Chinese KongFu tea ceremony. It is performed and drunken in noble silence. 

Please join us to meditate with tea, to reach the path to the inner peace.

Please click here to find about the details about noble silent tea ceremony at Guitian's Tea Club

Zen Tea

 



















It finally arrived! A big shipment of tea from my brother, including the type of green tea produced in my village, so that when I opened the package, my entire apartment smelled like my home town. What a sweet feeling! But the most special thing he sent might be the tea from a temple close to my home, which is produced in only extremely limited quantities and only locally made available. It's Chan Cha (禪茶) or "Zen Tea".

This is the tea produced and used by Zen monks during their monastic practice. It has a history that reaches back to the Tang dynasty, when tea first became widespread in China. It forms part of the heart of Chinese tea culture, but you can't buy it in a market. You have to go to a temple to get it.

Before telling you more, let me take a moment to get just a bit philosophical. We live in a world that we can never completely understand. We all go about our lives with only a partial understanding of, well, basically everything. This applies even to things we consider familiar.

For example, after having spent a few years in the United States, my experience here is that many people know the word "tea" without knowing very much about what it is. To them, tea is something that comes in a teabag, of which there are three kinds: black, green and herbal. Some even believe that black tea originally comes from England, and that green tea comes from Japan. (Of course, both green and black tea were originally produced in China, which is where tea culture began.)

Similarly, my experience here is that many people know and use the word "zen" without much understanding of what it means or where it comes from. For them, it represents a general sense of minimalism, stillness and tranquility somehow rooted in obscure East Asian traditions of mysticism. Those who know a bit more frequently believe it refers to a particular Buddhist movement that comes from Japan. They understand it also as a kind of quietude and austere beauty reflecting the essential character of the Japanese people, expressed in traditional Japanese arts such as calligraphy and ink painting, among others.

Like tea, Zen (Chan 禪) comes from China. It is something deeply Chinese that could not have developed anywhere else, and reached its maturity before spreading to Korea and Japan. (As it happens, East Asian calligraphy and ink painting also come from China. It's a country with a rich history.)

 









Zen Tea is a tea produced and used by monks as an aspect of their practice, which is also made available to members of the lay community when they visit the temple. Zen Tea is grown using methods that are 100% organic and environmentally friendly. This tea is planted by monks, weeded by monks, tilled by monks, pruned by monks, watered by monks, plucked by monks, and processed by monks. The limited quantity produced annually and special steps in its production make Zen Tea extremely precious and rare. The production process of Zen Tea involves not only the same rigorous standards of other famous traditional teas, but also requires that the tea be purified and blessed with a series of eloquent ceremonies intended to develop mindfulness and compassion. 

 Blessing ceremony before harvest time

Purity Blessing Ceremony (灑淨祈福儀式)

In winter there is a purity blessing ceremony (灑淨祈福儀式) which initiates an annual period when the tea garden is closed to visits from the public, so that the plants have a peaceful winter season to rest and develop their energy for more growth in spring. The ceremony itself reminds people to respect and protect the tea plants, as well as life in general. In addition, it expresses gratitude for the gifts of nature and asks that a large harvest might arrive in the coming year. 

In spring, another purity blessing ceremony is held just before the tea harvest. This is to appreciate and praise the sacrifice of the tea plants and the contribution they have made. It also asks that the plants recover quickly from any injury due to plucking and continue to grow in great health. Prior to the purification ceremony, the monks must meditate, light incense, sing, chant, and pray to the Buddha for the protection of all beings.

Buddhism includes the belief that there are numberless unseen beings connected to trees, flowers, grasses and plants such as tea. The monks believe that if they pick the tea heedlessly, it will interrupt or even destroy the lives of these beings. So they chant the Great Compassion Mantra (大悲咒) or other Buddhist mantras while the head monk sprinkles purified water over the area they will enter to pick tea. The head monk then leaves the area, only to walk back and spread water on it one more time. The first time is to inform the beings that the monks are coming so that they may move; the second is to ask forgiveness from the plants and everything alive and express appreciation to them.

After that, an offering of tea is made to heaven; the monks contemplate Buddha and read sutras. Finally, they change clothes to harvest the tea. The buds must be plucked without harming any other part of the tea plants or their environment. Every movement should be conscious, every step careful not to hurt or kill anything living on the ground. For the monks, the harvest forms part of their meditation. The entire process of tea production is structured to help develop patience, conscientiousness, empathy, purity and peace.

For me personally, the more I learn about tea, the more I find to appreciate. Particularly with Zen Tea, each sip, every breath becomes so important if we just pay attention to it. I'm very grateful to those who give their lives to this tradition, because its gift is to help make me aware of the endless beauty we live in.

The Classic of Tea (Chajing 茶经)

Tea has had an intimate connection with Zen for many generations. Every tea drinker has heard the name of Luyu (陆羽), also called "the Sage of Tea", who wrote The Classic of Tea (Chajing 茶经), the first definitive work on tea production, preparation and etiquette. He was abandoned as a baby and adopted by the abbot of a Zen temple. Luyu grew up in the temple, raised by the master, where he learned about tea and medicinal herbs and where he prepared tea for his master on a daily basis. Although he later left the temple, this experience stayed with him, and it is in large part due to this early training that he later became famous.

Of course, the relationship between tea and Zen did not begin with Luyu. Tea had been incorporated into Chinese Buddhist practice even preceding the development of Zen in the Tang Dynasty (about 1800 years ago). This means tea has had a connection to Zen since its beginning. In fact, when we see a temple in China, we assume it also has decent tea. There is an ancient saying: "Tea and Zen share the same flavor; tea and monks share the same fate; tea and temples share the same place." (“茶禪一味、茶僧一緣、茶寺一體.”)

In China we say: "Where there is a good mountain, there is a good temple; where there is a good temple, there is good tea." Monks typically live close to pristine nature: on a high mountain with mist and clouds, with rich soil and ancient trees, beautiful flowers and clean water. Making tea as a monk is not for business but as a part of practice and meditation. Now I understand why many of the most famous teas (e.g. Fo Cha "Buddha tea", Tie Guanyin "Iron Goddess", Da hong Pao "Big Red Robe", Longjing "Dragon Well" etc.) were originally developed by monks.

 

Monks have to sit hour after hour, day after day for meditation. Younger ones eventually fall asleep, older ones sooner or later lose energy; tea keeps them focused, helps them stay awake and gives them energy. For example, after eating, mental concentration drops as energy goes to digestion. It is a challenge to sit after a meal without just becoming a potato. Tea helps prevent the monks from becoming potatoes and supports both digestion and circulation.

Due to its many benefits, tea has remained in the temple for dynasty after dynasty. Today, tea is still integral to the rituals and practices with which monks develop themselves. It lends itself to etiquette, purifies the mind, lifts the spirit, improves general well-being, strengthens character, and helps to develop self-discipline, inspiration and finally enlightenment - or so I'm told, not having had this experience myself.

Zen Tea is separated into three grades: high grade, mid-grade and standard grade. Different grades serve different purposes. High grade tea is offered to heaven in ceremonies; mid-grade tea is served to members of the lay community, and standard grade tea is what the monks retain for themselves. In case this seems at all strange, let me say that considering others first is actually basic etiquette in China. We always serve tea to others first and ourselves last. For example, my parents always save the best tea they make themselves for their children, friends, relatives, or special guests - so what do they drink every day? Whatever is left that they don't want to throw away.

So, the package of tea from my family includes some of the best tea from my home town, and the best Zen Tea made available to the public. It isn't sold openly. Because my family has a connection to the temple close to my home, they were able to get some. Of course, they had to go to the temple to get it.

There are many fascinating anecdotes involving Zen and tea, and I very much want to share some of my favorites with you, but right now, after having written this much, I'm ready to sit with a small pot of the tea sent from the temple, just to relax and refresh myself. It's very helpful just to have a short moment to remember what's most important. Just one cup of tea helps put everything in perspective. We have so much to be grateful for!