Teaism

“What a tempest in a tea-cup! He will say. But when we consider how small after the cup of human enjoyment is, how soon overflowed with tears, how easily drained to the dregs in our quenchless thirst for infinity, we shall not blame ourselves for making so much of the tea-cup.” - Kakuzo Okakura

This quote is from a book I just finished reading, “The Book of Tea” is about Teaism in Japan. A loose type of ‘religion’ based upon tea, it draws from Buddhism and Taoism. This was a fascinating book and I found myself pulling out my highlighter and going at several passages (like the one above) like I haven’t for quite some time.

Teaism is concerned with finding the beauty and the infinite in the mundane. For those who read my post can tell that this is a topic that has grown near and dear to me. I feel I have had some of these particular insights while sipping my cup of tea, or baking my bread. I am not trying to make Teaism Christianity. My goal is to understand the world around me and learn to encounter God in the mundane. My hope is that I can find some more books on Teaism and observe what these masters of tea have learned. My quest for peace with Christ have led me to look for him in the mundane, and my prayer is that he will continue to walk with me as I seek a more gentle path.

Comments

jmurphy said…
Hi there - I reached your blog whilst looking up 'Teaism'. I have a Squidoo lens on Teaism at click here I too was impressed by the beauty, value and simplicity of the tea ritual. Please take a look at my lens and why not contribute with one of your own. It's very easy to do and very addictive'
All the best
judith murphy
11:23 AM
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