TEA AND MINDFULNESS

Bodidharma, the first patriarch of ZEN, is also considered the founder of the tea cult. According to legend, he tore off his eyebrows to avoid falling asleep during his hours-long meditation sessions.

The eyebrows became the seeds for the first tea plants, and the beginning of a centuries-old tradition surrounding tea and its awakening and health-promoting properties. Since then, Chan and Cha, Zen and tea, have entered into an indissoluble relationship that continues to this day.

The many rituals that grew up around tea were always an expression and guide to mindfulness.

“Sen no Ryku”, the famous Japanese tea master from the 16th century, summarized the ritual with the following words: “The essence of the tea ceremony is boiling water, preparing tea and drinking it, nothing else.”

Tea in all its simplicity is also a counter-design to all the complicated and complex tasks that everyday life demands of us.

We prepare it, we drink it, and we reconcile ourselves with this one moment.

No judgment, no goal, just true appreciation of what is happening to us right now.

The subtle memory of this moment can accompany us throughout the day and make us a "tea person".

Literature Reference:

The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzo.

A profound treatise on tea, the cultural context in which tea culture emerged, and its spiritual and philosophical roots reaching back to the Tang and Song Dynasties of China.