"THE BOOK OF TEA" and My Practice
In 1906, "THE BOOK OF TEA" by Okakura-Kakuzo was published from Fox Duffield & Company in New York.
The author, generally known as Tenshin Okakura, wrote about the way of tea, one of unique cultural assets of Japan.
Probably due to the influence the book bore in the United States, even Americans today have some knowledge about wabi (taste for the simple and quiet) and sabi (elegant simplicity) both of which are concept deeply rooted in the traditional Japanese culture and are embodied in a tea ceremony.
He wrote: "Why not destroy flowers if thereby we can evolve new forms ennobling the world idea? We only ask them to join in our sacrifice to the beautiful. We shall atone for the deed by consecrating ourselves to Purity and Simplicity. Thus reasoned the tea-masters when they established the Cult of Flowers."
In a small room where a Japanese tea ceremony is conducted, you will surely find a humble decoration of plants.
+ + +
Buddha is said to have said that you could go into flower gardens but must pass through them without picking any of plants and flowers.
The beautiful is not in the nature or living things but in the spiritual universe which sometimes project its elements and members onto the nature.
You are not allowed to kill life of a flower.
+ + +
Decorate a room with flowers may be an art, but walk through a flower garden without picking a flower may be a religious practice.
And practically, drinking Japanese green tea is good for a human heart medically.
I take it everyday intentionally. If you like, please try it.
"THEY HEAR THE MESSAGE"