Zen tea refers to tea grown, picked and drank by monks in monasteries. It is mainly used for making offerings to Buddha, entertaining guests, drinking for oneself, and giving as gifts. Zen is a state of mind. The emphasis is on the "one taste of Zen and tea", "Zen" is mental enlightenment, "tea" is the spiritual bud of matter, and "one taste" is the connection between heart and tea, and heart and heart. The spirit of Chinese Zen tea culture can be summarized as "righteousness, purity, harmony and elegance". The Zen tea culture of "tea Zen only" is a unique phenomenon in the history of traditional Chinese culture and is also a major contribution of China to world civilization. Tea and Zen are two cultures that came into contact with each other during their long historical development, gradually infiltrated and influenced each other, and finally merged into a new cultural form, namely Zen tea culture.
Historical Tracing
In 52 BC of the Western Han Dynasty, Wu Lizhen planted seven tea trees in Mengding Mountain, Sichuan, pioneering the artificial cultivation of tea in the world. Therefore, Wu Lizhen was revered as the ancestor of tea. . In 4 BC, after Buddhism was introduced to China, Wu Lizhen practiced Buddhism and Buddhism in Mengding Mountain. He also practiced Buddhism and tea, creating the first "Buddhism and Tea Family" and was honored as Zen Master Ganlu. Feng Yan, a native of the Tang Dynasty, recorded the situation of practicing tea in the Northern Sect of Zen in "Feng's Insights and Information": "Learning Zen while doing sleepless nights, and not eating late at night, all allowed them to drink tea. People took it upon themselves to cook and drink tea everywhere, and they followed suit from then on." It became a custom."
Lu Yu, a native of the Tang Dynasty, is revered as the Sage of Tea by the world. He was born in a monastery and was adopted by a Zen master when he was three years old. He practiced the superb skills of picking and brewing tea since he was a child. The "Tea Classic" written by him records the history, planting, processing, tea utensils, tea tasting customs, etc. of tea.
Zen monks of the Southern Zen system in the Tang Dynasty also paid attention to drinking tea. At the end of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, Zen Master Zhaozhou in Hebei Province used the tactful idea of ??"going to have tea" to welcome his disciples. According to Volume 10 of "Jingde Chuandeng Lu", Zhaozhou asked a newly arrived monk: "Have you ever been here before?" The monk replied: "Ever been here." Zhaozhou said: "Let's go have tea." He asked the monk again, and the monk replied: "I have never been there." Zhaozhou said: "Let's have tea." This is the famous "Going to Zhaozhou to Have Tea" koan in the history of Zen Buddhism.
Yuanwu Keqin, a famous Zen master in the Song Dynasty, wrote the first book of Zen "Bi Yan Lu" in Jiashan, Hunan and realized the secret of Zen tea. He once wrote the four words "Cha Zen Yiyi" in handwriting and gave it to Eisai, a Japanese disciple who was studying. The original handwriting of Engo is still collected in Daitokuji Temple in Nara, Japan. Therefore, the Japanese tea ceremony also has the saying of "tea Zen blindly".
In the Tang and Song dynasties, there were special "tea houses" in Zen temples for monks to drink tea; there were special positions for tea cookers in various houses, called "tea heads". The rules of the jungle require tea to be served in front of the Buddha, ancestors and spirits every day; the new abbot Jinshan also has tea and soup ceremonies; there are even special banquets with tea soup, which is known as the "Tea Soup Party".
The courtyards of Japanese Zen temples also have "tea pavilions" and "tea houses." The tea pavilions have elegant architecture and a quiet environment. They are the development of the "tea hall" and "tea house" in our country's Zen temples in Japan. It can be said that the style of tea tasting in China began in temples and became popular in temples. After the Tang and Song Dynasties, the style of tea tasting became even more popular. Then it spread to literati, scholar-bureaucrats, palace nobles, and even the general public.
Zen tea spirit
The spirit of Zen tea culture is "righteousness, purity, harmony and elegance". This spirit determines that Zen tea culture has a unique style that is different from philosophy and ethics. The social education function of learning. Zen tea culture is inseparable from humanistic care, daily necessities, Zen care and insights, and tea’s essence, lightness, cleanliness, cleansing, and harmonious cultivation. From this perspective, it is most appropriate to position the function of Zen tea culture in the eight words of "gratitude, tolerance, sharing, and bonding"; and practical significance of operations.
Gratitude
Drink this cup of tea with a grateful attitude. This cup of tea is not just a bowl of tea soup, but is full of humanistic spirit, the harmonious coexistence of all things in the world and the mutual understanding of each other. The spirit of achievement, harmony, economy, and unity can resolve hostility, promote righteousness, and achieve harmony.
Tolerance
Drink this cup of tea with a sharing mentality, and all the grudges and grudges in the world will be like pieces of tea, dissolving the aroma and sweetness into clean fresh water and turning them into beneficial In order to optimize each other's physical and mental temperament, the righteousness and harmony in the world will be implemented in the mutual respect.
Share
Drink this cup of tea with a sharing mentality, cultivate our benevolence in treating ourselves and others, and think of the many sufferings in the world, and the various shortcomings in society, which everyone has Responsibility: Dedicate love to each other, with less selfish desire and more public-spiritedness; less indifference and more love.
Forming a relationship
Drink this cup of tea with the mentality of forming a relationship, and use the delicious taste of the tea soup to form a tea, a good relationship, a Dharma relationship, and a Buddha relationship with everyone. Let the wisdom of the Dharma, the compassion of the Buddha, the fragrance of tea, and the harmony of kindness purify life and harmonize society.
The spirit of Zen tea culture is "righteousness, purity and elegance"; the function of Zen tea culture is "gratitude, tolerance, sharing and friendship". Dissolve righteousness into gratitude, pureness into tolerance, harmony into sharing, and elegance into bonding; while promoting the spirit of Zen tea culture and implementing Zen tea culture, Zen tea culture can be used to unite people and unite people. The subtle role of resolving conflicts, optimizing one's own quality, and harmonizing relationships with others is the fundamental social value of promoting Zen tea culture.
Zen tea is a harmonious combination of Zen and tea. Zen is the enlightenment of Zen Buddhism, and tea is an aid to Zen meditation. Tea is used as a medium to pass down the teachings of Zen.