Go Drink Tea!

There is one thing about China more rich than its language, its history, its anthropology, and its cinema combined: It's tea. And it's the simplicity of tea that makes it such complex thing to understand for a Western person like me. But I'm gonna give it a go anyway.

A monk once asked Chinese Zen Master Zhaozhou, "What is Buddha?" Zhaozhou answered, "Go drink tea!" The monk then asked, "What is Dharma?" Zhaozhou answered, "Go drink tea!" The monk persisted, "What is Sangha?" Zhaozhou again said, "Go drink tea!"

When reading this quote, my instinct tells me that Zen Master Zhaozhou is being a bit obstructionist here. This monk is struggling with profound questions and he really needs guidance from his master in order to move forward in his spiritual development, but clearly his questions are not taken seriously. Master Zhaozhou is patronizing this poor monk, letting him know how superior he is.

So that's what I explained to Carolyn, but she told me that Master Zhaozhou is actually gave this monk a very valuable lesson. She believes the monk should follow the master's advice and drink - not clean the house - not worry about the laundry - not drink wine - not thinking about what the master Zhaozhou really means - no. He should go to the kitchen, prepare tea, and drink it. That's it!

Now, understanding this is understanding tea itself, and understanding tea is like having a peak into the Chinese soul. The power of tea can be found in its simplicity, in its lack of pronounced flavors, in the way the leaves unfold in the water, and in the color of the liquid. Let's end with a tea video that has a similar message: