NaturalMedications

A Cup Of Tranquility Japanese Tea Ceremony

It is called "The Way of Tea." Sado or Chado, Japanese tea ceremony,

is a study of preparing, serving, and drinking green tea, yet it is so

much more.

Dating back to the 6th century, Sado came to Japan as a ritual of

Buddhist meditation. Over the centuries several schools of Sado

developed, but all tea ceremony is strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism to reflect "the way of life." Students of Sado study the discipline for years developing an appreciation for its aesthetics and

philosophy. By engaging in the rituals of tea ceremony, one focuses on each moment from boiling water, to drinking tea. It is hoped that the tranquility one experiences in the teahouse will carry over into every day life.

In Sado, preparation is as important as the serving of tea itself. The

host may spend days cleaning and decorating the room, arranging

flowers, and choosing the tea implements. It is symbolic that one also

must be well prepared for life, anticipating the needs of others and

recognizing that every human encounter is a singular occasion.

When guests arrive they purify themselves before entering the teahouse in silence, where they leave behind the physical world to enter the spiritual world of tea. Guests must bow their heads and crouch to fit through the low entrance into the teahouse, assuring that all are equal in the way tea, as in life. After greeting the guests, the host lights a charcoal fire to boil water for tea. A meal with foods

especially reserved for tea ceremony is served with sake. Each dish is

significant and symbolic and the ritual includes the cleansing of

utensils and dishes.

The guests depart to a waiting area, perhaps a garden, for the host to

rearrange the room and prepare for making and serving tea. Depending on the time of day, a gong or bell is sounded five to seven times to summon the guests back into the tea house. The host carefully arranges the tea implements and takes great care in purifying them. The tea is measured, hot water is ladled into the tea bowl and the host whisks the powered tea into a fine paste. As water is added, the paste becomes a thick tea. The host passes the bowl to the guest who bows in acceptance and then raises the bowl and rotates it to admire the ceramic art before drinking from it. After wiping the rim of the bowl, each guest passes the bowl to the next guest who also partakes in the ritual. More tea is served according to strict customs to prepare the guests to leave the spiritual world and return to the physical world.

Ura Senke Grand Tea Master XV offered this message on the Way of Tea:

"Served with a respectful heart and received with gratitude, a bowl of tea satisfies both physical and spiritual thirst."