The tea ceremony is an example of how the simplest thing can be made into an art and spiritual experience. It is often described by the expression Ichi-go, Ichi-e, meaning one moment and one coming together. In English, we could say it means that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will never happen again. This consciousness cultivated in the tea ceremony can be brought to all moments in life, enriching even the most mundane aspects of living.

The tea ceremony has its origins in Buddhist monasteries, where it was used for medicinal purposes and as a stimulant to ward off drowsiness during meditation. In the 12th century, when the Japanese monk Eisai returned from study in China with seeds for growing tea and a method for making matcha, a powdered green tea that could be mixed into a frothy thick drink. Eisai also brought Zen Buddhism to Japan. He is considered the founder of Rinzai Zen, which is based on the belief that enlightenment can be attained in the course of performing everyday acts. Japanese monks applied this conviction to drinking tea, which eventually transformed the practices learned in China into a distinctly Japanese ritual now known as the chado tea ceremony.

During the Sengoku war period of the late 16th century, tea ceremonies became popular with the samurai class and sometimes tea houses became places for secret meetings between samurai where various negotiations took place But it is important to appreciate that the tea ceremony itself was a samurai interest, and many samurai practiced it.

Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591) is considered the father of the modern tea ceremony with its carefully designed simplicity. As tea master to the shogun Hideyoshi, Rikyu became entangled in the turbulent politics of medieval Japan. He ran afoul of his patron, for reasons that are unclear, and was ordered to commit seppuku, or ritual suicide. As told by a later writer, Rikyu held one last tea ceremony before taking his life. After serving his guests and emptying the bowls, Rikyu gave them his prized utensils. Then, before hurling his bowl to the floor and shattering it, he said, “Never again shall this cup, polluted by the lips of misfortune, be used by man.”

Still widely practiced in Japan the tea ceremony also has many practitioners around the world. It is an elegant, codified ritual, rooted in Zen thought and symbolism and designed to achieve a total immersion in the moment as well as shared intimacy with fellow participants.

If you are curious about tea, its health benefits, and the practices of tea ceremony join us as and individual or in a small group to explore tea culture.