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Around 200 articles about the spiritual connection between tea and ourselves

How do You Explain the Unique Qualities of Tea?

How do You Explain the Unique Qualities of Tea?

A huge part of my job as a tea importer trying to establish Chinese tea service as a cultural practice in America is drawing analogies. This is quite easy when it comes to the tea itself – good tea, like good wine, beer, chocolate, coffee, liquor, or pretty much

Exploring the Meaning of Tea 6; Tea is an Act of Kindness

Exploring the Meaning of Tea 6; Tea is an Act of Kindness

There is no mastery in self-service. In this tradition we don’t learn to make tea but to serve tea. True mastery must be in the service of mankind. As we progress, we come to understand that we serve the evolution of consciousness itself, and that the growth and

Exploring the Meaning of Tea 5; Tea is Friendship

Exploring the Meaning of Tea 5; Tea is Friendship

Tea has always been the emblem of civilization and peace. “Through tea make friends” is an old proverb expressing the sentiments we share with tea. Tea isn’t always deep and transcendent; it is sometimes a time/space of calm joy, where we can celebrate old friends and make new ones.

Exploring the Meaning of Tea 4; Tea is Heart and Spirit

Exploring the Meaning of Tea 4; Tea is Heart and Spirit

Tea is a spiritual path, a Dao. In living a life of tea we realize that in all we do, we are preparing tea. What we eat affects our tea, as does the way we treat people. One of our masters always says, “If you want to learn to make tea, you must first learn to be a person.” That’s easier said than done.

Exploring the Meaning of Tea 3; Tea is Medicine

Exploring the Meaning of Tea 3; Tea is Medicine

Learning to revere tea as medicine is important to us. Tea is a great healer, of body, mind and spirit. The earliest encyclopedia of Chinese herbs to mention tea stated that it “brightens the eyes.” This is a powerful expression of why Shen Nong,

Exploring the Meaning of Tea 2; Tea is Nature

Exploring the Meaning of Tea 2; Tea is Nature

These leaves are earth, soil and rock, wind and water. Through them we drink in the weather. And they are also an expression of what is beyond our planet, absorbing sun, moon and starlight in photosynthesis. Plants don’t have a feeling of separation or

Exploring The Meaning of Tea 1; Its Five-Fold Essence

Exploring The Meaning of Tea 1; Its Five-Fold Essence

The true meaning of this Way of Tea is only hinted at by words, as much adumbrated by them, and we can but hope to catch a dappled glimpse of it through the leaves we write and say. If there is a Way, a Path of Tea to be walked and lived it is surely in the growing,

Cleaning Teaware:  the Tea Master”Bathing the Immortals”

Cleaning Teaware: the Tea Master”Bathing the Immortals”

You can tell a lot about artisans by how they care for their tools. The same can be said of a musician and her instruments, or a chef and his knives. Just as a master of any skill or craft can be distinguished from an amateur by that singular, effortless grace known to the Chinese as gong fu,

How Tea Nourishes; Body and Spirit

How Tea Nourishes; Body and Spirit

Nourishing The Body Recognition of tea's health-supporting, mind-alerting, body-calming and spirit-soothing qualities are now making 'news' - as...

Omotenashi in the Japanese Tea Ceremony

Omotenashi in the Japanese Tea Ceremony

When you enter any place as a customer or guest in Japan, you’ll quickly notice that everyone seems to be at your service. It almost makes you feel that you have done them a favor just by visiting!

Tiguanyin; A Cup of Compassion

Tiguanyin; A Cup of Compassion

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...

Tea Gratitude

Tea Gratitude

I find myself thinking about gratitude. So I wrote a tea meditation for my Thanksgiving article.

Is the Tea Ceremony Romantic?

Is the Tea Ceremony Romantic?

One member of my Tea Dharma Club asked me: “Is the tea ceremony romantic?” I was surprised by this question, so I checked an English dictionary to find what the word “romantic” means.

A Very Brief History of Iranian Tea

A Very Brief History of Iranian Tea

In recent months I came across two Iranian films: “A Separation”, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2012, and a film entitled, “This Is Not a Film.”

Tea Is An Experience

Tea Is An Experience

Sitting down to drink a cup of tea grants us permission to slow down. Slowing down is a powerful…

Tea in Transformation

Tea in Transformation

Tea is a symbol of unity: To see tea is to know it is tea; then to see tea is to know it is not tea; finally, to see tea again is to know it is still tea.

Tea Trade Mazu

Tea Trade Mazu

Hailing from China’s MeiZhou Island, Tea Trade Mazu arrived in Taiwan during the onset of Japan colonization.

Tao in a Teapot

Tao in a Teapot

Guest contribution by: Alexander Thomas In the first chapter of the Tao de Ching we read “The Dao that can be conceptualized is not the pristine...

Find Your Future In A Teacup

Find Your Future In A Teacup

According to recent studies, 44% of Americans find themselves unable to be optimistic about the future. In today’s rapidly changing world, sometimes...

Buddhism and Tea

Buddhism and Tea

I’ve recently broken form and written about a different subject in my tea blog, about my son becoming a samanane, or Thai Buddhist novice monk....

Tea Aversion and Attraction

Tea Aversion and Attraction

Experiences in tea can be vast and varied. Some good, some bad, some we’d like to enjoy again, and some we would rather forget. That said, judging...