The Environment (茶境)
The emperor Hui Zong (宋徽宗) in Song Dynasty summarized the essence of Cha Dao in his book The Treatise on Tea (《大观茶论》, 1107 AD) with four characters: “清，和，澹，静”, that is, “purity, harmony, peacefulness, and tranquility”. In Japan, master Sen no Rikyū (千利休, 1522 – 1591) set forward the basic principles of what he called “ the way of tea”: harmony (和, wa), respect (敬, kei), purity (清, sei), and tranquility (寂, jaku). Both of them mentioned the idea of “harmony”, “purity” and “tranquility”, which reflected the environment of tea preparation and tasting. “Harmony” represents a harmonious relationship between men, and between man and nature. Zhu Quan (朱权，1378-1448) wrote in Cha Pu (《茶谱》): “it can be between the springs and rocks, or under the pine and bamboo, or facing the bright moon and breeze, or sitting in front of the quiet and bright window”(或会于泉石之间，或处于松竹之下，或对皎月清风，或坐明窗静牗). The natural environment is always preferred by monks, hermits, and literati. If the tea activity is held indoors, the tea room is usually decorated with flower arrangements, bonsai, and paintings of nature or calligraphies hung on the walls. The goal is to achieve a harmonious atmosphere between man and nature. It resonates with the Daoist idea “Nature and man are one”. “Purity” refers to the idea of keeping the tea room clean and tidy, and teawares carefully washed before drinking. It symbolized mind-clearing and soul-purifying. “Tranquility” is a basic environmental requirement of Cha Dao. A quiet environment calms people’s minds and soothes their thoughts.
Cha Jing (茶境) is translated here as “the environment”, but it is actually more than just the environment. At a deeper level, it also refers to spirit realms. It is believed that those three elements of Cha Dao, which are “tea art, tea ceremony, and the environment”, serve as the foundation of the way to the spiritual practice of Cha Dao. Therefore there is a saying that goes “以茶静心, 以静入境 (Tea leads to calming heart, and tranquility leads to spirit realms)”.
The Spiritual Practice of Cha Dao (修道)
The variety of Chinese tea culture and its magnificence are the result of the comprehensive effect of the three schools of ideology throughout history: Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.
Tea and Daoism
Tea Master Lu Yu (陆羽，733 AD- 804 AD) proposed “action of refinement and virtue of thriftiness” (精行俭德) as the spirit of Cha Dao in his book The Classic of Tea (《茶经》). "Action of refinement" means being proficient in tea (including cultivation, making, brewing, and tasting) and implicates acting in strict accordance with social moral norms in life; "virtue of thriftiness" means being frugal and unpretentious regarding tea, for example, use teawares made of plain porcelain instead of jade or gold), and it also implies having the virtues of thriftiness and restraint in life. According to Lu Yu, tea leaf is cold in nature within the scope of Chinese traditional medicine, therefore whoever has the character of “action of refinement and virtue of thriftiness” is the most ideal person to drink tea. He expressed the close connection between tea's character and the tea person's character, fully embodying the cosmology and epistemology of "harmony between man and nature" in Daoism. As mentioned earlier in Tea Environment (茶境), the harmonious connection between man and nature is highly appreciated by Hui Zong in his The Treatise on Tea and Sen no Rikyū.
Interestingly, while philosophical Daoism underlines the importance of harmony between man and nature, religious Daoism has the concept of becoming immortal. One of the goals the Daoist monks practice is to truly comprehend Dao and become a Xian Ren (仙人, immortal). Jushi Hu of the Western Han Dynasty said in Shi Ji (《食忌》): "Bitter tea, one who eats for long-term becomes immortal" (苦荼，久食成仙).
Tea and Chan/Zen Buddhism
The fact that Temple Tea Ceremony became popular during the Tang dynasty has a lot to do with the widespread of Chan/Zen (禅) Buddhism. Chan/Zen originated from Buddhism in India and evolved into a distinctive Buddhist school in China due to the influence of Daoism and Confucianism. Many Buddhist ideas were blended with Daoist and Confucius interpretations. Both Chan/Zen and Daoism advocate “Jing Zuo” (静坐) or “ Zuo Chan” (坐禅) which share a similar concept as meditation. It is said that Chan/Zen monks drink tea in order to stay awake and clear their minds during meditation. “Jing Zuo” or “ Zuo Chan” requires a quiet environment and that’s why the Tea Environment (茶境) is important as part of Cha Dao. In Japanese sado, the prevailing idea of “Tea and Zen are one” (茶禅一味) is believed to originate from a Chinese Chan monk Yuanwu Keqin (圆悟克勤, 1063 -1135) in the Song dynasty. Yōsai Zenji (荣西禅师, 1141 -1215) ) from Japan learned from Yuanwu Keqin’s book Bi Yan Lu or Blue Cliff Record (《碧岩录》) and promote the idea of “Tea and Zen are one”, or “Taste Zen in tea”. Tea plays the role of a communication medium between man and nature, while Chan/Zen realizes the most harmonious blend between the human mind and the outside world. Different routes lead to the same goal. Both tea and Zen have found a shortcut for human beings to get close to and return to nature.
Many famous teas have originated from Chan/Zen temples and nearby mountains since ancient times. For example, Long Jing green tea came from the Long Jing Temple (龙井寺) in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province; Wuyi Rock tea came from the Tian Xin Yong Le Temple (天心永乐禅寺) and Hui Yuan Temple (慧苑寺) in Wuyi, Fujian Province; Gan Tong tea came from the Gan Tong temple (感通寺) in Dali, Yunnan Province. Chan/Zen monks were passionate about drinking tea as well as growing tea. Originally Buddhist monks relied on begging for alms to survive. Chan/Zen Buddhism however modified this idea during its spread in China by adopting some Confucianist ideas. Therefore Chan/Zen monks lived on self-cultivation, including tea cultivation on their own.
Tea and Confucianism
While Daoism mainly deals with questions relating to the interaction between man and nature, and Chan/Zen Buddhism deals with the relationship between man and self, Confucianism focuses on the interaction between men. The core value of Confucianism is “Ren” (仁), meaning “benevolence”, or “co-humanity”. The character “仁” is composed of “man” and “two”, denoting the meaning of "how two people should treat one another". It represents an inner development towards an altruistic goal, while simultaneously realizing that one is never alone and that everyone has these relationships to fall back on, being a member of a family, the state, and the world. How to achieve “Ren”? In the book Analects, Confucius said, “礼之用，和为贵”, meaning “in practicing the rules of propriety, it is ‘harmony’ that is prized”. It contains the concepts of “Li” (礼, rules of propriety) and “He” (和harmony). “Li” means to be polite, properly participate in everyday rituals, be self-disciplined, and respect each other. The most precious thing when practicing “Li” is to achieve harmony between men. There is a saying goes: “when a guest arrives, tea is served as respect (客来敬茶)”. Liu Zhenliang also wrote in his Ten Virtues of Drinking Tea: “Tea can be used to represent respect (以茶表敬意)”. Rituals in various types of tea ceremonies indicate that “Li” is significant in social occasions.
The Philosophy of Dao
Chinese tea culture has absorbed the essence of Daoist, Chan/Zen, and Confucianist ideas throughout history. Cha Dao can be the Daoist way of tea, the Chan/Zen way of tea, or the Confucianist way of tea. Putting aside the spiritual and religious connotations, it can be just as simple as enjoying the taste and aroma of the tea itself. After all, the true Dao cannot be named and cannot be captured by language, for words and language are never as clearly defined as they seem.
In philosophical Daoism, Dao is the natural spontaneous way that things come and go, it is the "organic order" of the universe. Man is part of nature, so man also abides by the law of Dao. That's why Laozi emphasizes the idea "man and nature are one". One of the most controversial Daoist ideas is "Wu Wei" (无为) which was interpreted in many ways: “doing by not doing”, or “doing but not by force”. What exactly is the life of We Wei? In nature, according to Laozi, Spring comes after winter effortlessly. The unfolding of nature, like the act of a baby, has no intentions nor plans and will. The act of nature is pure and innocent. Laozi believes that this is how we should live in this world, like nature by doing not doing. In life, it is about solving a problem by working with the problem, rather than directly confronting the problem. Laozi said in Dao De Jing:
“道生一，一生二，二生三，三生万物。万物负阴而抱阳，冲气以为和。”
“Dao gives birth to one,
One gives birth to two,
Two gives birth to three,
Three gives birth to ten thousand beings.
Ten thousand beings carry yin on their backs and embrace yang in their front,
Blending these two vital breaths to attain harmony.”
Laozi advocates seeing things dialectically as well as unitedly. Everything intangible has two sides. One can not exist without the other. They are parallel and complementary to each other, connect to each other in a circle, and transform into each other constantly, spontaneously, and effortlessly. For example, Yin (阴, dark, cold) and Yang (阳, bright, warm), long and short, being and non-being, pretty and ugly, good and evil, weak and strong, etc. Laozi said, "柔弱胜刚强 (weak can win over strong)". Why? Just like a tree with a stiff trunk might be broken in half by wind, whilst grass with flexible leaves might stay intact after the wind. In a sense, what Laozi said means flexibility wins over stubbornness. Laozi said that just as a glass full of water can not be added more water, one who said he knows everything won't be able to absorb more knowledge; one who stays humble always gains.
