A Beginner's Guide to the Zen Tea Ceremony

Book excerpt: This book masterfully captures the essence of the Japanese tea ceremony--its role in decluttering the mind and focusing on the present--while also introducing the objects and rituals that make it unique. Author Randall Channell Soei--the highest-ranked non-Japanese within the Urasenke tea ceremony tradition--has been teaching the ancient method of preparing, serving and drinking tea to Japanese and foreigners for over 20 years from his studio in Kyoto, Japan. In this book, he explains the key elements behind the practice and spirituality of the tea ceremony: The meditative and mindful aspects of chado, or the Way of Tea Using the tea ceremony as a window onto other Japanese-based meditative and mindful practices and concepts The tea ceremony as a point of entry for beginners to Zen meditation, using the ritualized concepts of the Chanoyu Its role as an art form, complemented by the study and appreciation of art, landscape architecture and cuisine The notion of omotenashi, or a selfless dedication to supreme hospitality, as a meditative concept With a foreword by Genshitsu Sen, the 15th-generation leader of the famed Urasenke School of Tea, this is the perfect introduction to Chanoyu--a mindful ritual and meditative practice long synonymous with the Japanese way of life.