What is the definition and significance of Zen tea in history and reality?

Bailin Temple in Zhao County, Hebei Province was founded in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. It was called Kannonji before the Tang Dynasty. In the Yuan Dynasty, Bailin Temple was granted permission by the imperial court and has continued to this day. She is a Buddhist shrine with a history of 1700 years. She is the ancestral home of Zen Buddhism in China, and is known as "Dojo of Ancient Buddhism" and "Famous Temple of Guinea" in history. At the same time, it is also the birthplace of Zhao Zhou's "Tea Eating" case, the source of Zen tea culture in Zhao Zhou, and is honored as the "hometown of Zen tea blindly" by the international Zen tea culture community.

In the Tang Dynasty, two monks came to Zhaozhou from afar and asked the Zen master how to meditate. Zen master Zhao Zhou asked one of them, "Have you been here before?" The man replied, "No." Zen master Zhao Zhou said, "Have tea!"

Zen master Zhao Zhou turned to another monk and asked, "Have you been here?" The monk said, "I have been here before." Zen master Zhao Zhou said, "There is tea!"

At this time, he led two monks to the prison where Zhao Zhou met the Zen master (one of the temple administrators) and asked curiously, "Zen master, how did you let him drink tea when you were here, and let him drink tea when you were never here?"

Zen master Zhao Zhou called the prison number, and the prison number agreed. Zen master Zhao Zhou said, "There is tea!" "

The phrase "go for tea" and a bowl of "Zhaozhou tea" represent the Zen intention of the Zen master in Zhaozhou.

The cultivation of Zen lies in experience and demonstration. Language expression cannot be compared with experience. Meditation is like tea, cold or warm, bitter or sweet. What others say about Zen is not their own understanding after all. Therefore, it is better to say "go to tea" than to say a thousand words.

The case of Zen master Zhao's "going to tea" opened a precedent of "blindly following tea". The way of Zen tea has been deeply integrated into the daily life of people in China and even Southeast Asian countries. Up to now, some teahouses in Korea, Japan and other countries still hang the calligraphy of "going to drink tea", which enshrines the portrait of Zen master Zhao.

When it comes to Zen, people will think of the ancient Blue Lantern Buddha, the Buddhist practice of staying away from the world and chanting and meditating.

Zen is a provincial transliteration of the Sanskrit word Zen, which literally translates as "thinking and practicing" and "meditation". It is a kind of practice method to regulate body and mind through meditation and transcend narrow self. Zhao Puchu, former vice chairman of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of the Chinese Buddhist Association, said: "Zen is a mirror that can reflect people's state of mind; Zen is a lamp that can guide people's hearts. Zen is not entirely life, but there is life in Zen and there is Zen in life. "

Chaze is the concrete embodiment of Zen in life. Jing Hui, an old monk who put forward the concept of "life Zen" and vice president of the Chinese Buddhist Association, said: "Zen tea culture, as a part of China culture, is the implementation and sublimation of China traditional cultural spirit in daily life. In the traditional culture of China, Confucianism advocates righteousness, Taoism advocates righteousness, and Buddhism advocates harmony. The spirit of China tea culture can be embodied by the word' elegance'. The words "sincerity, elegance" and "qi" can roughly summarize the main spirit of China traditional culture. The combination of' integrity and elegance' fully embodies the fundamental spirit of Zen tea culture. "