A quiet passion

In the centre of a beautiful garden or woodland stands a small rustic thatched hut. You enter the garden through a gateway and are immediately struck with the sense of peace and tranquility. You walk down a gently winding path of ancient stones. You should walk slowly, breathe deeply, and relax. Pause to enjoy the simplicity of leaves falling, old tree trunks, moss, and dew on tender leaves. There is a small bench where you may pause and reflect. Nearby is a stone basin with fresh water that invites you to wash your mouth and hands, a symbol of a constant search for purity; an ‘emptying out’ to achieve a sense of clarity unmarred by thoughts you have left outside the gate.

Your host awaits you in the teahouse. You will be invited to enter. The low threshold forces you to drop your head as you enter - a symbol of submission and subjugation of your impatience and desires. In a small alcove will be a spray of fresh seasonal flowers in a bowl. You will be invited to sit and in the peace you will be able to appreciate the subtle rituals of the tea making.

Only the sounds of Nature outside and the gentle bubbling of the water on a small Hibachi charcoal stove will break the absolute silence. Your host will lay out the tea paraphernalia. You will silently appreciate the beauty of the simple utensils, all the time emptying yourself out, desensitising - a form of yoga.

Your host will whisk the tea - a powdered Chinese tea - and serve it to you. Admire the rustic tea ware before lifting and drinking, allow the tea to permeate through you. Your state of consciousness should by now be sharply focused yet relaxed. You should feel at the moment of drinking that that one bowl represents the entire universe of which you are part. After a while you and your companions will engage in gentle conversation until the ritual is repeated.

Mere words and a world away! But compare that sense of well-being and harmony with what happens when we drink tea in the modern world. The average tea-bag sits in the cup for 18 seconds and tea is gulped down while the drinker is engaged in other things or quickly so that other tasks can be got on with without delays. Wouldn’t some of that well-being and relaxed state of mind be worth pausing a few minutes for?