From a historical point of view, although the relationship between Taoism and tea culture is least said, it is actually the oldest and most profound. The Taoist view of nature has always been the source of China people's spiritual life and thoughts. The so-called "nature" refers to itself in Taoism, and Taoism is so natural, so natural. Tao is everywhere, and tea ceremony is only a part of the "natural" avenue. The natural properties of tea determine that people must inject the above ideas into the whole process from discovering it to using it and enjoying it. Believers in Laozi and Zhuangzi also want to seek immortality from the way of nature, and it is at this point that tea culture has a primitive combination with Taoism. It is not surprising that Yuchuanzi wants to "take this breeze and go away" and become immortal with the power of tea. Tao Hongjing's Miscellaneous Notes and Hu Jushi's Diseating are all related to this. The story from Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio quoted in Seven Chapters of Tea Classics shows that Lu Yu himself is convinced of the relationship between Taoist priests and tea. Therefore, from the perspective of historical facts and thoughts, it shows that the relationship between Taoism and tea culture is the oldest.
The concept of "nature" leads to the indifferent and detached mind of Taoism, which is very consistent with the natural attributes of tea and establishes the tranquility of tea culture. Taoism's "seclusion" is developed on the thought of quietness and serenity of Laozi and Zhuangzi, and it has an internal connection with tea culture. Seclusion promoted the development of tea affairs, and the two complemented each other.
Although it must be traced back to Taoism from the perspective of history and genesis, the core idea of tea culture should be attributed to Confucianism from the perspective of development. This core is the "neutralization" thought based on ethics. Confucianism pays attention to "tea is feasible", which is the way of "benefiting benevolence with tea". Therefore, this kind of tea culture first pays attention to the personality thought of "taking tea as Kaya's ambition", and Confucian tea people draw inspiration from "clean and pollution-free" tea and apply it to personality thought, which is its genius. Because they think that drinking tea can be introspective and self-critical, and only by seeing themselves clearly can they treat others correctly; Therefore, "showing respect with tea" has become a logical continuation of "expressing Kaya's ambition with tea". It shows that Confucian tea culture shows a kind of attitude towards life, the basic point is to proceed from itself, the end result is "benevolence", and the ultimate goal is to turn people into customs. Therefore, the realm of "neutralization" always runs through it. This is the embodiment of a profound ideological system, and its profound root still has the moral function of religion.
If teaching is at the source and Confucianism is at the core, then Zen is reflected in the prosperity and development of tea culture. The tea culture in China embodies the true "Zen bone" in its unique way. Secondly, Zen has made great contributions to tea planting, the promotion of tea drinking customs, the spread of tea drinking forms and the promotion of aesthetic realm. Therefore, without Zen, it is hard to say that China can have a real "tea culture". "There are many famous mountains and monks in the world", "Good tea has been produced in high mountains since ancient times". Many famous teas in history came from Zen temples. Zen established a series of tea culture forms such as tea ceremony and tea banquet with superb aesthetic taste, which contributed to the continuous development of tea culture in China and directly contributed to the prosperity of tea culture in China. In particular, Zen has made indelible contributions to the spread of tea culture abroad, especially in some Asian countries. It can be said that the importance of tea tasting for Zen has already surpassed Confucianism and Taoism. The rich Zen theory hidden in French in Zen Forest and the profound meaning condensed by the philosophical generalization of "tea Zen flavor" have become the ideological essence in the history of tea culture development.
To tell the truth, the colorful and magnificent tea culture in China is the result of the mutual infiltration and comprehensive action of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. China tea culture contains the essence of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism to the greatest extent, and integrates the basic principles of the three schools, thus embodying the China spirit of "Avenue". Religious realm, moral realm, artistic realm and life realm are extremely unique landscapes of China tea culture formed by Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism.
The most convincing relationship between Taoism and tea culture is the record in Tao Hongjing's Miscellaneous Notes that "bitter tea makes light clothes and bones, and the former Dan and Qiu Zi realized Huangshan Mountain". In fact, the record of Danqiuzi drinking tea is also a "whimsical" in the Han Dynasty.
Yu Hong, a native of Yuyao, went into the mountains to pick tea. I met a Taoist who led three green cows and led the flood to Waterfall Mountain. He said, "Give it to Dan Qiu Zi. Wen Zi loves to drink, and often thinks about the benefits. There is big tea in the mountains, so you can give it to each other and pray for a place to live in the future. " Because of dedication. Later, he often let his family into the mountains and won great fame. Dan Qiu Zi was a "immortal" in Han Dynasty and the earliest Taoist figure in tea culture. The story seems unbelievable, but it actually makes sense. Lu Yu's statement about Yuyao Waterfall Spring in the Eight Fruits of Tea Classics is proof: "Yuyao County has Waterfall Spring Ridge, which is famous for its immortal singing, but the big one is different." The Yuyao Waterfall referred to here coincides with the legendary Yuyao Waterfall Mountain, which is indeed a famous tea-producing mountain in history. Therefore, the records of Daming and Xianming are exactly the same. The "tea" and "tea" in these records are today's tea.
What surprises us even more is that as early as the Jin Dynasty, when Guo Pu annotated Erya, he said: (Tea) trees are as small as gardenias and have winter leaves, and a name of Shu people is bitter tea. The so-called "Shu people" can be regarded as the earliest germination of the ancient Bashu tea drinking custom. Coincidentally, this is also the real birthplace of Taoism; It was also formed in the Han Dynasty. At that time, Zhang Ling took Laozi as the leader and created "whole grains". Since then, Taoism has gradually improved in theory and organizational form, from emperors, officials to ordinary people in clothes, and all walks of life are generally interested in it, and it has lasted for a long time and has influenced it to this day. Most religions encourage people to pursue a life in heaven after death, thus treating life and its social reality coldly. Taoism, on the other hand, loves life infinitely, directly denies death, and thinks that time flies and people are scarce. Only by cultivating immortals as early as possible can we enjoy the eternal happiness and happiness of immortals. The connotation of Taoism is that it values life and enjoys the world. This is also the reason why the ancients worshipped Xiandao.
Obviously, Tao Hongjing's theory that "bitter tea makes people change into bones" and Hu Jushi's theory that "bitter tea leads to feathers for a long time" in "Food Avoidance" in the Western Han Dynasty are all internally related to the Taoist concept of enlightenment and eclosion, while Dan Qiu Zi is a fairy who directly gives directions to the woodcutter on how to make good tea. It can be seen that Taoism has long had a profound understanding of tea, a natural thing, and linked it with the pursuit of eternal spiritual life. Making tea a part of cultural life is the first achievement of Taoism.
Don't forget, Cha Sheng Lu Yu himself quoted the story of "Yu Hong, a Yuyao native, picking tea in the mountains and meeting a Taoist priest" in The Tale of Wonders that we just talked about. He also quoted: "Prince Luan of Xin 'an, the prince gathered Taoist priests in a pool in Bagongshan, and the Taoist priests set tea. The son still said,' This is manna, why talk about tea? "Record.
There is no doubt that Lu Yu himself is convinced of the history of Tao. Dangzishang asked, "What's the point of tea?" In fact, the question has hinted at the name of "tea tea" in that period, and there is no stable and universal name at present. But "Taoist" has actually regarded it as "tea", which has shown the original relationship between Taoist and tea.
This is history, and this is the real history of the origin of tea in Lu Yu's eyes.
However, we should not forget that there is a transitional intermediary concept between Nature Avenue and Tea Ceremony. This is the concept of "the way to become immortal"-the way to become immortal, which has developed from Taoism to Taoism. Believers in Laozi and Zhuangzi found the root and function of immortality from the "Tao" of nature. A person who can fully master this natural way is the only way to achieve eternal life. This thought led to the emergence of Taoism.
Taoist thought had a real change when it developed to the Han, Wei, Southern and Northern Dynasties. At this time, the concept of "Tao" of nature was gradually popularized, and it no longer had the color of "conceptual philosophy" and became a utilitarian religion. People are thinking about how to get the Tao day and night-immortality, immortality. Isn't this what tea people yearn for?
Since it is possible for people to get the Tao, how to get the Tao has become the most critical issue. The Taoist priests' answers can be roughly divided into two parts: one is photography to exercise the body and mind; The second is to take some foods containing "vitality" (alchemy is developed on this concept) in order to receive special effects. The latter is based on the principle of "Tao" of Laozi's nature, which has magical power and gives life to everything. This holistic approach includes two elements: Yin and Yang. The whole way, through the movement of Yin and Yang, is like a big soul, which can infinitely distinguish many objects from itself. This is a process of diffusion, and every individual in the universe is endowed with a certain vitality. The more substances containing "the essence of life" are ingested by people, the more they can get the effect of strengthening the body and soul. Under this concept, those substances containing "Tao" and "life elements" are rare, but they are treasures that can prolong life and live forever. Therefore, in Taoist scriptures, we can find out countless substances that are "injected into the Tao" or "contain life elements", and we can seek immortality after taking them.
It is at this point that tea culture and Taoism have a primitive combination. It is not surprising that Yuchuanzi wants to "take this breeze and go away" and become immortal with the power of tea. Because it was an era full of fanatical fairy-seeking fashion, fashion was like diffuse air, everywhere; It is conceivable that the activities of tea people and the rise of tea culture are all under this wind. Happy immortals become ideal images, while fairyland and fairyland are paradise in dreams. No wonder many scholars say that the concept of Taoism fully shows the realistic character of the Chinese nation. Because this ideal does not seek an ethereal afterlife, nor does it place its trust in the ethereal past, but it cultivates itself through its own efforts, preserves its form and becomes immortal. Through the continuation of this world, we can achieve an eternal existence, which is both a spiritual yearning and a practical exercise. From this point of view, it is not surprising that tea has become an immortal elixir. In the soil, the pot says, "Bitter tea eats feathers for a long time." ("Dietary Taboo") Tao Hongjing said, "Bitter tea becomes thin and bones. Yesterday Dan Qiu Zi, Huangshan Jun took it." (Miscellany) is even more credible.
Taoism pursues the immortal world with quietism's natural attitude, and tea can make people become immortals, so Taoist temples all over the world mostly make their own "Taoist tea" to realize their natural thoughts. This kind of tea ceremony thought has an indelible contribution to the primitiveness and creativity of tea culture.
There is a direct internal connection between the thoughts of Laozi and Zhuangzi. Their thoughts are ethereal, quiet and serene, obeying nature, and the thought of seclusion is developed later. Zhuangzi has his own whole-body loyal and adaptive recluse thought. In later Taoism, seclusion itself was the most natural way of life. Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were the heyday of Laozi and Zhuangzi's thoughts. Zhuangzi's concept of natural health preservation has developed into a practice at the behavioral level by guiding technology. For example, some people live in seclusion "to save their lives, nourish their spirits and nourish peace". At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Jiao Shen "lived in seclusion with the valley, because the point was the room, and longed for the technique of Qiao Song's guidance" (Biography of Jiao Shen in the Later Han Dynasty). This pure seclusion has become extreme. This style prevailed in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.
Lu Yu's "Tea Classic" clearly pointed out at the beginning of "One Source" that "tea is for its use and tastes cold, and it is best for people who drink frugally." This is clearly to show frugality with tea and honesty with tea, thus advocating a virtue of tea people, that is, an ideal personality. The thought of Confucian culture is mainly embodied in the ethical code and its "golden mean", "neutralization" philosophy or "neutralization" realm. Confucian tea men and their tea culture all embody this spirit.
Tea is the most noble and mellow thing, and the tea affairs of tea people must be correspondingly pure and peaceful. It can be said that in the long history of tea culture, the doctrine of the mean and the spirit of neutralization have always been a philosophical realm and aesthetic taste consciously implemented and pursued by Confucian tea people; This is reflected in many cultural classics, such as Erya, Book of Rites, Yanzi Chunqiu, Huayang National Records, Scout Records, Natural History, Anti-Jiang Articles and so on. This spirit is also reflected in tea culture monographs such as Tea Classic.
Whether it is Fei Wen's "Harmony but Difference", Song Huizong's "Harmony but Difference" or Lu Yu's "Diligence and Thrift", they all have the profound connotation of the golden mean. In fact, the Confucian tea culture we mentioned above pays attention to individuality, so-called elegance, simplicity, elegance and frugality. It is the premise for Confucian tea people to introduce moderation and harmony into tea culture. Only a good personality can achieve the golden mean, and a high degree of personal cultivation can lead to perfect harmony in society. Therefore, Confucian tea drinkers believe that drinking tea can reflect on themselves, examine themselves and treat others correctly. This is also the basic condition of neutralization thought, which forms a complete ideological logic chain with neutralization principle. It is a wonderful idea to create a harmonious space by drinking tea to strengthen the harmonious coexistence between people, but it represents the true ideal of Confucian tea culture. Confucianism is alive, but it lives in a peaceful, elegant and humble image, and tea culture, a special cultural form, can shape this spirit and image more concretely and realistically than any other culture. Doesn't this mean that Confucian tea culture can really represent the core of China tea culture? Can't it explain the contribution of Confucian tea culture to the whole China culture and even the world culture?
Needless to say, Confucian tea culture represents a gentle, harmonious and positive Confucian spirit, and the tolerant and peaceful mentality contained in it is precisely the way of getting along with each other among individuals, communities, cultures, religions, races, surnames, regions, languages and even heaven, earth, people, things and me, and exists with mutual respect. Can a cup of tea embody these principles and strengthen them? Isn't this the picture of the Confucian world and realm?
The highest realm of tea ceremony is "harmony", which fully shows that tea people have a profound grasp of Confucian philosophy of harmony or neutralization. Whether it is "harmony is the most important thing", the sum of Lu Yu's five elements, "harmony by virtue" or "making tea feasible" by Liu, there is no doubt that the Confucian spirit of "harmony" and "harmony" are regarded as the spirit of China's tea ceremony. Knowing this, you will have the key to the secret of China Tea Ceremony.
The basic function of culture is to change customs, that is, pure customs and morals. Folklore and custom are the roots of a society, and the potential and future of a country and a nation can often be seen from its customs. This is the reason why Confucianism has always regarded drinking as its duty.
The rise of tea culture has had a significant impact on the wine custom of the whole society. Only many tea works in Tang Dynasty can prove it. According to the tea affair in Wen Fei, the popular tea drinking fashion at that time was fully displayed, and some specific tea drinking customs and related situations were recorded.
Su Shi's Sixteen Soups further improved and developed Lu Yu's tea ceremony thought, advocated good tea style and customs, and especially emphasized the principles of "moderation", "keeping one", "harmony" and "perfection" in Confucian tea ceremony. Sixteen Tang has always been regarded as the embodiment of Confucian tea ceremony and its practice.
"Respect" is an important category in Confucian tea culture. It is a sign of Confucian sincerity and respect that guests come to offer tea. In Liu's "Ten Virtues", both "tea to show respect" and "tea to benefit benevolence" have the meaning of respect.
In ancient marriage customs, taking tea as dowry has its special Confucian cultural significance. The Song people's Tea Tasting Record said: "Grow tea and have children. Therefore, if you hire a woman, you must take tea as a gift, so take it. " Ming Langying's "Seven Repairs" said: "Tea can't be transplanted, transplanted and resurrected. So women's employment is called tea. I also hired a person who takes tea as a gift. I think it is also righteous. " In addition, Wang's Tea Spectrum, Chen's Tian Wen and his Tea Shu all have very similar descriptions. Without exception, they all think that tea is a dowry and they will never change their purity. Therefore, folk engagement is sometimes called tea ceremony, that is, tea ceremony with constant sexual feelings and many children as food.
Sacrificing ancestors with tea has also become a folk custom in ancient China. Written records can be traced back to the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties. Xiao Zixian of the Liang Dynasty said in the Book of the Southern Qi Dynasty: Emperor Wu of the Southern Qi Dynasty recorded in his will that "I should be careful not to take sacrifices as sacrifices, but set cakes, fruits, tea, dried rice and preserved wine". Earlier in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Gan Bao wrote "Searching for the Gods", which said: "Xiahou Kai died of illness, saw ghosts and gods, and saw that Kai didn't get a horse, which harmed his wife. He was alone. When he was born, he sat on the big bed in the west wall and looked for tea. " As for the use of tea as a funerary object of undertaker, it was confirmed from the Western Han Dynasty tomb unearthed in Mawangdui, Changsha in the 1970s. In fact, this custom is used in many tea-producing areas in China, such as tea pillows for mourners in central Hunan and tea bags in the hands of mourners in Anhui. People in Huangshan, Anhui Province even have the custom of offering teapots on incense tables. It is said that this is to commemorate the Ming Dynasty Huizhou magistrate's visit to Beijing to save people. This is an act full of Confucianism. In China's ancestor worship, Confucianism emphasized "being cautious in the end". Zhu's explanation is that "those who are cautious to the end will lose their talent;" Those who pursue the distance will do their best. "In terms of philosophical connotation, this is not entirely Confucian filial piety. The so-called "life is alive, and things are treated with courtesy. When you die, you will be buried and sacrificed. "Since" filial piety ",as the basic moral goal of Confucianism, requires people to" respect ","not violate "and" not change their father's way for three years ",tea called" the dew of dew "is essential before the ancestors died, and there is no reason to confess after death. Besides, tea is not only a common hobby, but also easy to get in your own life. There is a folklore that after death, there is a Nai River on the way to the underworld. Beside Naihe Bridge, there is a kind of tea soup in Meng Po. It is said that after drinking this tea soup, he will forget everything before his death in the underworld and accelerate his reincarnation. Since people think that money and clothes for burning paper are for the dead, it can be seen that tea soup in Meng Po is also given by the dead. In order to commemorate the spirits of our ancestors, as descendants of the deceased, it is natural to provide tea soup and other items frequently, and we should not neglect them. It contains the meaning of "pursuing the future with caution", and the memory of ancestors should be its substantive content.
It is no exaggeration to say that Confucian tea culture has the function of "turning people into customs". Because Confucianism regards its own "cha de" as the inner core of tea culture, it has formed a set of value system and behavior pattern in folk customs, which plays a guiding and restricting role in people's thoughts and even behaviors.
Tea and Zen have a long history, and the conciseness of "tea Zen blindly" has condensed many profound meanings that are still difficult to explain perfectly. It goes without saying that Buddhism has made great contributions to the cultivation of tea, the promotion of tea drinking customs and the spread of tea drinking forms. The word "drinking tea" does not imply that refreshing and nutritious tea is an ideal quiet drink for monks, but tells the Buddhist concept, which hides many Zen machines and becomes Zen forest French. "There are many famous mountains and monks in the world", "Good tea has been produced in high mountains since ancient times". Many famous teas in history often come from zenrinji. This is an unavoidable highlight of Zen and tea culture. It is especially worth writing a book. The solemn tea ceremony and tea banquet in the tea culture gradually formed by Zen Buddhism have superb aesthetic thoughts, aesthetic tastes and artistic realm, which contributed to the spread of tea culture and directly led to the overall prosperity of tea culture in China.
The development of tea in Zen Buddhism, from special function to using tea to respect guests and even forming a solemn tea ceremony, finally became an inseparable part of Zen activities. The deepest reason, of course, lies in the consistency of ideas, that is, the essence of tea and Zen itself are one. It is precisely because tea and Zen can be integrated, so tea helps Zen and Zen helps tea. "If you turn to imitation, it will become a custom." The great function of tea is not only determined by its special medicinal properties. Just as Taoism first absorbed tea into its theoretical system of "the way of nature", Zen also regarded the natural attribute of tea as its natural medium for pursuing truth (sincerity). No matter in theory or in fact, this is an excellent and unparalleled natural medium. Its irreplaceability is the fundamental reason why Zen can really flourish as a culture.
The collision point between tea and Zen first occurred in the medicinal function, but the difference is that it was combined with the most basic work of Zen-meditation from the beginning. Meditation is also emphasized by other sects, so even the most mysterious tantric Buddhism can't leave tea on its important occasions.
In the eyes of Zen, everything is connected with Tao. "Everything is all-round, and all the laws are contained in one law. January is full of water, and January is full of water. " ("Yongjia Zen Master Zen Collection O Proverbs Song") "Green bamboos are dharma bodies, and the yellow flowers are nothing more than prajna." (The Legend of Jingdezhen Lights, Volume 6) Here, the most crucial thing is the word "enlightenment". If you blindly pursue secular behavior, you will "blind your true knowledge, there is no hope, and you will never realize it." Just as people who seek Buddha's blessing aim at some kind of utility, they often become the bondage of enlightenment. Zen emphasizes direct enlightenment, that is, since the enlightenment is sincere to nature.
Zen Buddhism is the Buddhism of China scholar-officials, deeply influenced by China's thought and culture. Compared with the previous schools of Buddhism, it absorbed more essences from Laozi and Zhuangzi's thoughts and metaphysics in Wei and Jin Dynasties, such as "Tao can be Tao, extraordinary Tao" and "I can't express my thoughts" and "I am proud of images", and formed a meditation mode characterized by intuitive observation and meditation and an understanding mode characterized by living participation and epiphany. The expression characterized by naturalness, conciseness and implication has changed the habit of indoctrination and preaching in Buddhism in the past, and highlighted the intuitive observation since the Enlightenment. The word "going to tea" has become Zen forest French, which is the way of "understanding the Tao" of "pointing directly at people's hearts and understanding the Buddha's heart" There was a monk in the Tang Dynasty, a Buddhist monk, who lived in Kannonji, Zhaozhou, and was called "Ancient Buddha of Zhaozhou". Because he loves tea, he always says "drink tea" before speaking. Guang Pu O Cha Pu quoted Zhi as saying: A monk went to Zhaozhou to visit the Zen master, and the teacher asked, "Have you been here recently?" Yue: "I have been there. "The teacher said," Have tea. " I asked the monk again, and the monk said, "I haven't arrived yet." The teacher said, "Have tea." The owner of the backyard asked, "Why do you go to Ye Yun for tea, but never go to Ye Yun for tea? "The teacher called the teacher, the teacher to see. The teacher said, "Let's have tea. "-I don't want you to eat tea directly, but I want you to be enlightened at the moment. Since then, "going to eat tea" has become a famous allusion in tea culture. Let's take a look at what the poet Jiao Ran said in "Drinking Tea as a Song of Cui Shizhi": "After three bowls, why bother?" "Obviously, Jiao Ran's so-called" consciousness "has become the real core here. Anyway, that "fun" can only come out from here; With the enlightenment of tea Zen, you really don't have to "break your troubles"! "Enlightenment" is an immediate enlightenment of Zen Buddhism, just like the monk in Zhaozhou said, "Let nature take its course, regardless of words". Zhaozhou called "going to tea" three times in a row, which is to ask people to realize Tao on the premise of "not talking about Tao" From this point of view, the communication and integration of tea and Zen in Tea Zen-Taste was not completely obtained from the very beginning. If you insist on tea or Zen unilaterally, you will fall into the trap of language! "Tea is Zen, and giving up Zen means no tea. I don't know the taste of Zen, but I don't know the taste of tea. " (Zean Zongpeng's Tea Zen with Blindness) Obviously, the Zen master's Zen principle is to refuse to hold the Dharma and hold it with me, with the nature of since the enlightenment. Hold, that is, bind. Just like "serving tea", if you stick to these three words, it may become the bondage of human understanding, that is, "enlightenment". Therefore, what the Zen family wants is that people "do not give up all methods, that is, see nature and become Buddhas." In other words, to achieve the spiritual realm of "I don't live inside and outside, I can come and go freely, I can free my mind, I can get in and out without obstacles" (altar sutra). But why can "going to tea" become the pioneering work of Zen forest and the way of "enlightenment" of Zen? This is the code of Buddhist tea culture. The internal relationship between Zen thought and tea culture discussed in this section is only the beginning of a discussion, far from the result of a discussion. But what I want to express is the most intrinsic thing in Zen thought-the way of enlightenment, and then I will interpret it in combination with tea culture. There is probably nothing wrong with this starting point. Of course, the starting point does not guarantee the correct direction of deduction, and it is necessary to keep a clear thinking on the basis of mastering the materials. So I still want to emphasize the word "enlightenment" of Zen.
The profound connotation of Zen tea stems from the profundity of real experience. It is at this point of "enlightenment" that tea and Zen have something in common. "Experience has its advantages, all of which are enlightenment", "Enlightenment requires constant efforts" and "the ancients regarded this realm as the normal state", which are deeply related to tea and tea activities. Tea affair and its activities are a very common and natural realm, but it needs hard work and "enlightenment" to truly have a profound realm. Although "every experience has its place and enlightenment", the experience itself is hard to come by and needs constant efforts to achieve. In other words, although enlightenment can be gained, it can be lost at any time, so it is not difficult to get a fire. After getting a fire, you must accept it with love, followed by oil, and then the fire can't be put out. This is entirely a matter of maintaining the realm. This is the reason why Zen tea activities are increasingly refined and even become an artistic realm.
The monk's "tea removal" in Zhaozhou has already risen from concrete real life to an "enlightenment" beyond things, thus having a brand-new and profound cultural significance. If we only rely on the medicinal function of refreshing the brain, it will help to explain Zen meditation, but it is difficult to explain Zen after Huineng's "seeing nature and becoming a Buddha" without relying on meditation. In the final analysis, "going to tea" is also a special way to get rid of people's persistence and self-care, just like "drinking tea in the mountains"
In order to make people "crazy", they insist on meditation, that is, they don't treat people as dead things. It should be noted that "the Tao will flow", and if the heart does not move, the heart will be bound. In Zen's view, it is not necessary to artificially realize Tao, but to naturally see Tao in a very ordinary life. Chang Qing Hui Sheng Zen Master has broken seven futons for more than 20 years, but he still has no sex. It was not until one day that I accidentally rolled a curtain that I suddenly realized that what I sang was also very different and very different. I rolled up the curtains to see the world. Someone asked me about He Zong, and I picked up the strokes and really hit me. " Once suddenly, by solving the bondage of meditation. Therefore, people who really understand Zen machines often make everything natural and comfortable. "If you want to sleep, you should sit, sit. Heat is cold, and cold is fire. Huineng emphasized that "I have my own Buddha in my heart, and the Buddha is the true Buddha". This is what people often say: a normal heart is the Tao, and there is no "Tao heart" outside the normal heart. In this respect, Zen really shows the secular spirit of "secular law is Buddhism and Buddhism is secular law".
And tea just fits this secular spirit and embodies this secular spirit. It's ordinary, natural and has no mystery. But it is also an indispensable thing in secular life. With it, "every day is a good day" and "every night is a good night" tea is a thing. In Zen's view, it can really realize Tao and see sex, because it is a thing and surpasses it. For example, "eating tea" is an enlightened Depth Charge; It is also imprisoned for having laws and surpassing them. It's free, there's no need to force it. As Lin Ji Yi Xuan said, "Buddhism is useless, but it is nothing. Is to send urine, get dressed and eat, and lie down when you are sleepy. Fools laugh at me, but wise men know. " (Quotations from Ancient Zunsu, Volume 11) This is the spirit of Zen; This spirit is all embodied in the tea culture of Zen.
Undoubtedly, tea has changed from sleeping and keeping in good health to being quiet and getting rid of troubles, and then it has gone beyond the "since the enlightenment". The most surprising thing is that these three realms, for Zen Buddhism, almost happened at the same time, quietly and naturally but really combined two separate things into one, thus achieving a brand-new content of China cultural tradition-tea Zen blindly. Don't underestimate its significance. It is not only a cultural category, but also a historical category. In particular, the Japanese tea ceremony was developed and civilized methods and roads were established.