At first it seems so simplistic. You take a few dried leaves, brew them in hot water and pour the results into cups for you and your guest to drink. Simple it is, simplistic it is not.
In reality, the Japanese Tea Ceremony is far more than it first appears to be. For over four hundred years there has existed in Japan a way of life associated with the preparation and drinking of tea. “Teaism” is a coined word used to refer to the quiet ceremony and the mellow taste of tea. The ceremony separates the participants from the stress and challenges of everyday life. The ceremony can last for several hours. It is a time of intimacy, a shared moment of perfection symbolized in the 37 exact steps inherent in the ceremonial process.
There are three ingredients in the tea ceremony, all of which require attention and discipline.
- Arrangement of tea, utensils, guests, and host
- Cleanliness of items including the hearts of the guests and the host
- Calm minds and demeanor of the participants
Zen was introduced to Japan from China in the 12th century and has played a central role in defining Japanese culture from that time forth. The tea ceremony is a shared meditation. Buddhist monks say “Tea is Zen. Zen is tea.” The principles of harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility are inherent in the ceremony.
Literally Zen means “relaxed and not worrying about things you cannot change.” It is a calm attentiveness in which one’s actions are guided by intuition rather than conscious effort. Zen is a state of being fully present in the moment. It is pure awareness, unclouded by judgment, fear, or desire. Zen is the simple present-moment awareness exemplified in the tea ceremony.
Zen may be a bridge between the East and West: Without science, the East has lost much; without meditation, the West has lost much.
We live in a world where it is hard to slow down, eliminate sound and sight pollution, and remove over stimulation that greets us each morning. It the midst of daily pressures it is a challenge to pause. To leave the treadmill. How easy it is to forget in our hectic world that seeing with the heart is more than seeing with the eyes. It is with the eyes of the heart that we are invited to explore the “quiet,” where the shapes of emptiness are discovered.
Creativity is often described as “flowing from an undefined source, an inspiration.” There is a world of emptiness where inspiration and creativity reside in shapes of all kinds.
Many studies have concluded that most inspiration comes from one of six categories:
- Other people
- Specific experiences
- Art, design, and entertainment
- Nature
- Science and technology
- Stories that are told to us
All of these outer sources are connections to what is within us or there is no inspiration. The root word for inspiration is spirit. It is in the empty spaces within us where inspired shapes lead to creativity. For example, Auguste Rodin’s sculptures and Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity were revealed to them in the world of emptiness where the source of inspiration and insight was a mystery. Rodin said that most all his art came to him in one night of inspiration that was the foundation for his creative work. Einstein used a few well-known quotes to make the same point when he wrote: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” And, “I very rarely think in words at all. A thought comes, and I may try to express it in words afterwards.”
Most all of us experience moments when we step out of the hustle and bustle of everyday life, time stands still, and yet we are bursting with life. All our senses are alive. In such moments we are at one with our surroundings and all life. Inspiration. The following haiku describes such an experience:
Looking together
Across the frozen lake
The heron and I
—Source: Anonymous
There is even a word for this experience—extemporize, meaning “outside of time.” To see, speak, write, paint, create, be, without aforethought. The tea ceremony. The essence of Zen. Expression flows from the heart of emptiness. Shapes of emptiness can be experienced while watching ocean waves, listening to great music, or quietly sipping tea with a loved one. Such times let go of opinions and prejudices that can weigh down our minds and replaces them with the beauty of emptiness:
In spring waters
A certain thought
Floated away
–Sekishi Takagi
Thoughts slip away. When this happens, we enter a place where we best live and move and have our being. Spontaneous and unanalyzed insights, expressions, emotions and new shapes of ourselves appear unsolicited. Religions throughout the world speak of such moments as being between thoughts, a place of no thought, emptiness. It is pure awareness.
Dr. Parul Goyal, a geriatric medicine specialist at Vanderbilt University, has researched the aging process and determined that there is a little recognized component to aging well and longevity. She has concluded, “Research has indicated that individuals that have a positive mindset tend to experience improved cognitive function, better physical health, and enhanced emotional resilience.”
Aging teaches that while living with sadness, joy, pain, laughter, the shape of emptiness can be found and take form in oneness with friends, family, strangers, alone with oneself, sharing space with a deer in the forest or a dew on a flower, artful expression, stars above. Shapes in emptiness bring us home and into the quiet moments where life’s inspiration and creativity abound.
Written by: Hartzell Cobbs
About the Author: With a sprinkling of exuberance and vitality, Dr. Cobbs is an accomplished author of three books and numerous articles published in different venues throughout his life. Dr. Cobbs’ first book, Thanatos and the Sage: A spiritual approach to aging (2008), offers a thought-provoking interpretation of the interplay between how to live life with meaningful intentions and the eventuality of coming to terms with death. His second book, RavenWind (2019) delves into the raven’s role as it relates to Native American myths, legends, and folktales and global history. His reflections on the spirituality of living and dying depicted in his books are threaded throughout the short essays posted on the website for “Smart Strategies for Successful Living” and in his latest book, The Moon at the Window: Senior Reflections.
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RavenWind: CLICK HERE.
Thanatos and the Sage: A spiritual approach to aging: CLICK HERE.
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