Teapot – from folk to meditation

/Entrepreneur Newspaper/

Tea is the beginning, the end!

In all four seasons, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, people drink tea to “reflect autism”; I drink happily, I drink when I’m sad, I drink alone, and many people drink. Drink tea to see yourself, explore life ideas, share and find true peace. That earnestness is probably because tea is an intermediary friend, a cultural feature of Vietnamese people.

Since ancient times, Vietnamese people, whether they live in the plains or the mountains, whether they are rich or poor, have always kept a precious custom – the custom of drinking tea. Tea is indispensable during death anniversaries, Tet, ancestral altars, and sidelines of meetings. Tea is the beginning, the end. In all four seasons, spring, summer, fall, and winter, people drink tea to “reflect autism”; happy drinking and sad drinking, one or more people also drink tea to see themselves and to share… Is that earnestness because tea is an intermediary friend, a living culture of Vietnamese people?

Tea from folk and royal court

Drinking tea has become a habit of Vietnamese people since ancient times. Tea is not only used as a drink but also as an offering in bride gifts, funerals, thanksgiving ceremonies, and receptions. When guests visit, the host stops work and makes tea, no matter how busy. Commoners drank tea in the typical style; aristocrats had tea parties in the aristocratic style. All show respect and hospitality. Over a cup of hot tea, many things were mentioned, confessed, and confided. Today, many people, especially in the countryside, still love to drink green tea with its sweet taste and gentle aroma. Green tea is prepared very simply, whether it is raining or shining, and the pot of green tea next to the red fire still exists as an indispensable part of the daily life of the people of the countryside.

Regarding the origin of the tea tree, according to Luc Vu, the tea tree was once present in China. Over time, the Chinese raised tea drinking into the art of tea drinking, also known as the Tea Classic. In Vietnam, drinking tea has also become a hobby, a form of art full of meaning. Although there are no classic works about tea, such as Luu Dong’s Tea Song or Luc Vu’s Tea Classics, Vietnam still has a “good tea culture”, expressing people’s feelings and emotions through a cup of tea. Drinking tea has become an elegant pastime, a cultural feature of the Vietnamese people, and is considered a way of behaving in life.

Having gone through many historical events, many families today still keep precious ancient teacup sets, with different types of teapots and cups for dampness, dampness or dampness. To have a delicious tea ceremony with full rituals, the following criteria must be met: One water, Two teas, Three pots, and Four pots. Depending on the North, Central, and South, the way to use teapots and cups is different. Hue people also use the spring and autumn styles. For spring and fall and humidity styles for summer, a small bowl helps water cool quickly. In the humid Eastern style, the teacup is thick and deep, keeping the tea cool for a long time.

Inviting tea is a cultural behaviour that shows politeness and hospitality. Drinking tea is also a cultural behaviour, drinking to respond to the hospitality of the person offering tea to begin a conversation. Take small sips to enjoy all the aftertaste of the tea. Each type of tea has a different flavour, sometimes rich in chrysanthemum scent, sometimes sweet with jasmine scent and fragrant lotus scent… Inviting and drinking tea is also a symbol. Shows intimacy, connection, and desire for harmony.

Sometimes, tea for people is like a friend or soulmate; tea brings the sweet taste of life, the bitterness of life and the immense philosophy of life. We can drink tea at any time of the day. Thus, in daily life, drinking tea has become a noble, serene and soul-enhancing art. Drinking tea relieves many sorrows as an art of living: “Who knows when we will meet tea friends in the world? Save love in porcelain cups, in the scent of Quan San tea.

… to the place of meditation

If the Japanese Tea Ceremony focuses on the tea room space and elevates the art of drinking tea into the Tea Ceremony, the Chinese focus on the method of drinking tea, thereby bringing the art of drinking tea into the Dharma of Tea, then the Vietnamese, perhaps, Buddha’s door is the most suitable place for enjoying tea and integrating tea drinking into the method of “calming down the mind”, Zen tea. Secular people drink tea to find peace in the mundane world and discover ideas and favourite thoughts in life. Tea in Buddhist houses is different from everyday life. Tea meditation can bring people into a calm state, so tea is considered a means of meditation. So there is a saying: “The taste of tea is the taste of meditation”, meaning that tea and meditation are one.

It must be said that the Zen tea at Buddha’s door demonstrates the philosophies of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism through the four words Peace, Respect, Purity, and Purity. Harmony is the harmony between nature and humans; Respect is respect and gratitude for the existence of things; Thanh is the purity of matter and spirit; Tinh is the peace of the soul. Drinking tea makes the mind clear and the spirit refreshed, and it helps people sublimate their spiritual life. Over time, tea quietly entered people’s lives; although it was very accidental and straightforward, it had an elegant beauty. Since when has drinking tea become a hobby for many people? Tea is beautiful music, although it does not have a melody that makes the drinkers sing in unison. People can drink tea in silence, and often, silence is “talking”, so one can judge the other person’s psychology while enjoying tea. When tea becomes an elegant pastime, people cannot forget it because it is synonymous with refreshment, alertness, and calmness to seek good and avoid evil.