“The Zen tea ritual is practised in almost all the Zen monasteries, worldwide. The idea is that you drink your tea mindfully, preparing it with joy and serenity, taking in the aroma, the taste and then savouring it, sip by sip. You drink so deliberately and so naturally, that you experience the tea touching your tongue and then your palate, then going down your oesophagus and into your belly.”
“The Zen tea ritual begins with gratitude, to express how deeply thankful I am, that I have the opportunity to sit in a peaceful place and have a cup of tea. When we start Zen meditation, Zazen, we normally bow. Not with full prostration: we just bow down on our own seats before we sit and then we turn around and bow to the people in front of us.
Everyone forms circles and has a cup.
Now before you devour this tea, look at me, please. Just very briefly. You don’t have to turn. You can just gently twist. So one of you is going to pour three cups and the other one, the other three cups. Do this very mindfully. As you mix the spices or prepare the tea … when you pour, feel the pot lighten as the tea fills the cup.
Observe and enjoy every aspect of the tea ritual. Serve each other… Take the cup close to your nose and inhale the aroma deeply, as if you are smelling wine, so just smell the aroma. Just inhale it deeply and take the first sip as if you are drinking nectar. Make it a sacred ritual. Enjoy it, one sip at a time, and you can smile throughout.
The more you drink it mindfully, the more you can be in the present moment. Take your time. You are not a school-going child, dressed in your uniform, quickly finishing your milk so you can rush off to catch your bus. You have the right to enjoy your tea how you like.”
