"Zen Tea Ceremony" has developed along with the evolution of Zen culture and tea culture. Tea culture has a history of more than 7,000 years in China, and Buddhism has brought Zen culture to China for nearly 2,000 years. The blending of Zen culture and tea culture has formed a unique Zen tea culture of tea tasting, meditation, Zen tea ceremony, and Zen tea.
Master Renjing, the 46th generation descendant of the Linji sect of Zen Buddhism, the abbot of Zhengjue Temple in Boshan, Shandong Province, inherited the Zen meditation method of mind cultivation, based on the jungle tea ceremony, with reference to the "Secret Rules for the Zen Forest" ” and “Baizhang Qinggui” were excavated and compiled into “Zen Tea Ceremony”. It is emphasized that "making tea aims at Zen, and the hard work is to understand one's own nature."
In order to cooperate with the teaching and promotion of "Zen Tea Ceremony", Master Renjing specially wrote twelve tea meditation poems and "One Hundred Sentences of Zen Tea Ceremony" to explain the ten principles of "Zen Tea Ceremony". The two processes, the mentality and practice essentials of each process, as well as the inheritance and connotation of Zen tea culture.
Zen meditation tea ceremony is a comprehensive cultural expression that integrates meditation, tea ceremony, Zen poetry, Zen music and health preservation. It uses tea sets, tea leaves, incense, lamps, water and other main tools and materials to complete the tea ceremony and integrate the concept of meditation into every action of the twelve steps, so as to achieve tranquility of body and mind, nourish temperament, and Understand the spiritual connotation of Zen and the purpose of improving the realm of life.
About a year ago, I accidentally learned about the Zen Tea Ceremony on WeChat Moments. After watching the video of the students’ performance, I was deeply shocked. It was so beautiful! From that moment on, the seeds of learning the Zen tea ceremony were planted in my mind. Zen Tea Ceremony courses are offered all over the country, and there are about two entry-level workshops in Shenzhen every year. I missed the course in Shenzhen at the beginning of the year, but due to laziness, I did not go to other cities to participate. I wrote this wish in my DreamList and waited for the time to come. When I learned last month that the Zen Tea Ceremony Course was going to start in Shenzhen, I signed up without hesitation and waited for the class to arrive.
At the beginning of the class, the teacher briefly introduced the origin and development of Zen tea ceremony through PPT, music and videos. After listening to it, I was very eager to learn! Then the teacher took us one by one to get to know the tea sets of the Zen Tea Ceremony course. Before introducing the tea sets, the teacher said seriously: "This set of tea sets will accompany us in all Zen Tea Ceremony courses. Everything has spirituality, and we should be respectful to the tea sets. With a grateful heart, it can feel our intentions, and we will be able to use it more easily." After listening to the teacher's words, I touched the tea box and said silently in my heart: I am glad to meet you, and thank you for your company in the future. Thank you! I love you all!
The first day’s course task: mainly learn the movements of the twelve steps of Zen tea ceremony. The youngest students in this session are in the third grade of primary school, the oldest are in their fifties, and there are also many young people. Before the teacher teaches us the movements, he first understands each student's exposure to meditation and tea ceremony, and then reminds everyone: put aside your previous learning cognition and study the current course with an empty cup mentality.
The teacher is very patient. Before teaching each step, he will practice it for everyone first, and then lead everyone to practice it again. This process deepens memory. Twelve steps are used to teach the movements, and each step is repeated in this way. The Zen Tea Ceremony course focuses on word-of-mouth transmission. The teacher specifically reminds everyone that when she starts teaching and practicing each process, they can only watch carefully and not imitate. The purpose is to allow everyone to observe every action with concentration. Meditation is to be aware of the present moment clearly and clearly. When you do something, concentrate on it and focus on one place.
After a day of study, I feel tired but joyful. I was very focused in class all day today. When I got tired in the afternoon, I still didn't want to miss any details. I kept my eyes open and studied with the teacher seriously. At dinner, I had a very good appetite and the food felt very delicious. I ate four small bowls of rice in one day. You know, I usually only eat a small bowl with each meal! After writing in my diary at night, I quickly fell asleep. A wonderful and enjoyable day has passed, and I look forward to the next day!