In the face of what on some days seems like a crumbling world, a planet in total chaos, we find ourselves retracting and hiding rather than confronting the fears that seem to be escalating around us. With daily catastrophes playing out in real life and in the media, it is easy to let fear creep into our consciousness and immobilize us, paralyzing us from becoming fully contributing human beings.
One of the biggest problems with a society ruled by fear is that the one key emotion that unlocks the heart from its shackles and aids us in reaching out to our fellow men and women never finds the space to flourish. With the ever-present sense of fear, our compassion suffocates. Our lives and our cities are in dire need of deeper compassion. The odd glimpse I see of compassion – whether in my daily treks or in the isolated feel-good clip at the end of the 6:00 o’clock news – never fails to move me, to stop me in my tracks to listen or observe what is transpiring. I am quite certain I am not alone.
So I turn to my beloved leaf and seek solace in the cup. This time, rather than it being a solitary ritual, I surround myself with other tea lovers. When you are going to steer the conversation toward a discussion of compassion or the lack thereof, there is one tea that was truly designed for this unconventional get-together. From a Buddhist goddess named Avaloki Tesvara Guanyin – woman with 1000 arms – comes the namesake tea, Iron Goddess of Mercy – “she who perceives the sufferings of the world.” This archetype Guanyin vowed never to rest until she had freed all the sentient beings of the world. The name Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means observing the sounds and cries of the world.
Recently, as a group of us savored Tiguanyin, a reticent calm settled over the small gathering. The subtle orchid aroma of the tightly rolled oolong wafted gently past our downturned faces. It was the right moment to share a little history of this goddess tea and its meaning and why we need to gather and reflect on our lives and our planet. It was the time to discuss the much-lacking emotion of compassion that we seem to be losing, not unlike the ability to nourish ourselves and to accept wholeheartedly the age-old responsibility of caring for our aging parents or the thousands of elderly who have no one left on this planet.
I believe compassion can be brought back through the ritual of sharing tea. I have seen transformation in people. I have seen hard, furled brows soften and recede, as the liquor of the leaf is swallowed one sip at a time. There’s time in each and every day to invite your friends and your neighbors into the ritual. Introduce them to the tea from our goddess of mercy and compassion and let them tell you their stories. In doing so, you can practice becoming a great listener, you can nod and re-enforce, and when all are done speaking, you can ask questions.
Through this seemingly simple interaction, we can tap into our innate ability as humans to be compassionate, to be understanding, and to witness the goodness that resides in us all.
A simple cup of tea can be the seed of change that inspires us toward even greater acts of compassion. There is no doubt in my mind that this will be of paramount importance in the years to come.
So take a moment this week to share a pot of Tiguanyin with someone who needs your ear. A little love goes a long way these days. There is a life beyond fear. Trust yourself on this.
This article has been updated from the original publication on September 27, 2011.
You’re so right about this being a time in history when people are overwhelmed by fear. It pervades everything. I love that you’re bring everything down to the basics……the ritual of tea and the sharing of tea with others. What a perfect way to bring compassion back into our lives. Thanks for reminding us about this important connection.
Beautifully expressed and moving. Thank you.
There are days at our shop when tables are pulled together, couples, families, friends are communing over tea and that compassion is tangible, you can feel it in the atmosphere. Tea does this.
On other days, seemingly every table is occupied by a single person all with laptops, iPads or smart phones. They are drinking tea but there is no feeling or compassion in the air. Sometimes we just need to unplug and let tea work its magic.
thanks for the comments Michelle, Jo and Guy – Guy , I know what you are talking about. I remember gatherings in my shops as well in the early 2000’s. You could feel the energy in the air – it was palatable. When you walk into most cafes now, it is a isolating place, people are sitting alone conversing with their laptops or iphones.
I think that we will eventually have our fill of these two dimensional relationships we share with our electronics and cyberspace – the shift seems to be happening ever so slowly…
great article!
Really well said, Brendan. Sharing tea as a way of opening our hearts to each other is a practice as old as tea itself. Thanks for the reminder.
That’s a sensible answer to a chglaenling question