Tea and Zen are one
“Zencha ichimi” meaning “Tea and Zen are one” in Japanese is an often quoted phrase in Japan. The origin of the phrase owes greatly to the association of tea & Zen Buddhism since the life & times of Japanese Buddhist monk Myoan Eisai (1141-1215) who brought tea plants to Japan from China. Eisai established the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism & encouraged the populace of Japan, specially the Buddhist monks of Japan to form a habit of consuming tea to stay alert at all times during Zen meditation of long hours.
Zen Buddhism
Zen Buddhism or as widely called Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism characterized by meditative techniques leading to enlightenment. The word Zen is a Japanese derivative of Chinese word chen, which in turn is Chinese derivative of Sanskrit word dhyana, one of the possible paths to Nirvana, the state following the achievement of the breakthrough of the cycle of birth & rebirth by means of shelving desire, the cause for existence of being. Dhyana is the cessation of all discriminate thoughts. Hence the word Zen in general could be identified as symbolic of total and supreme mind control.
Origin of Zen in China
According to Buddhism, supreme enlightenment could also be wordlessly transmitted from mind to mind. Buddhist literature narrates a close encounter of supreme merit in which Buddha’s disciple Mahakashyapa was fortunate to the extent of being able to grasp the truth by such means & that was at the occasion when Buddha, without preaching Dharma verbally, held up a Lotus flower to millions of humans & gods at the congregation. The occasion came to be known as Lotus Flower Sutra.
“I have the right dharma eye treasury, the wonderful mind of nirvana, the actual mark which is unmarked, transmitted outside teaching, the sealing of the mind by means of mind. I have just transmitted it to Mahakashayapa.” Gauthama Buddha.
Thus, Buddhism also developed a concept which focused on direct experience instead of rational creeds or revealed scriptures. Zen Buddhism is a form of meditative religion in search of supreme enlightenment as Mahākāśyapa experienced.
The cornerstone of Zen
It is interesting to note that “The Lankavatara Sutra” the cornerstone of Zen, a school of Mahayana Buddhism originated in Sri Lanka, which incidentally has been the cradle of the orthodox school of Buddhism for no less than a couple of millenniums: Theravada Buddhism. Ancient island of Sri Lanka, the land of delights could hardly be kept out of the theater of Asian history, far & away as well as recent & close: though the origin of tea was in ancient China, it was tea from Sri Lanka, then called Ceylon which took the modern world by storm during the British colonial era: Ceylon tea.
As the Buddhist literature narrates, the Lankavatara Sutra was a conversation between supremely enlightened Shakyamuni Siddhartha Gauthma Buddha & a Bodhisattva (Buddha to be born) by the name of Mahamati that took place in the ancient island of Sri Lanka, then called Lanka. “The Lankavatara Sutra” was translated from Sanskrit into Japanese and English by Japanese Buddhist scholar, the lauded exponent of Zen Buddhism, Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki (1870-1966).
Difference between Mahayana Buddhism & Theravada Buddhism
Theravada Buddhism has established the concept that “Bodhisattva” is merely a being (human or divine) who devotes his entire cycle of life, death & rebirth to become the total embodiment of supreme virtues & merits, thereby ultimately becoming a supremely enlightened Buddha for the benefit of our world & other worlds while Mahayana Buddhism encapsulated a concept of numerous mystical Bodhisattvas benevolent towards mankind, which appealed to the frailty of human nature. Such is the popularity of Mahayana concept of numerous Bodhisattvas, even in Sri Lanka, the cradle of Theravada Buddhism, the influence of Mahayana Buddhism could be witnessed in the ancient cultural sites. Buduruwagala is home to the famous rock carved statue of Avalokitesvara Natha (Kuan-yin or Kuan-shih-yin), the most venerated Mahayana deity, the next Buddha to be. Still more, Kandy, the medieval royal city of Sri Lanka is also home to a shrine dedicated to this popular deity, among numerous Buddhist shrines & temples.
Establishment of Zen in China
In the year AD 526, following the decline of Buddhism in India, a Southern Indian Pallava prince turned Buddhist monk by the name of Bodhidharma, a contemporary of illustrious scholar Buddhaghosha (who translated the Sinhalese commentaries of Theravada Buddhism into Pali at Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka) arrived from Kanchipuram, Southern India in Kwangtung (anglicized as Canton which also means quarter that provide housing for military personnel, the British barracks, the deep-water trading sea port of the British, Dutch & Portuguese during the colonial era or the industrial city of Guangzhou as known today), China, which was also home to about 5000 Indians, to teach a “special transmission outside scriptures” which “did not stand upon words”. The first documentation on emergence of Zen Buddhism as a distinct school of Buddhism in China was recorded in 7th century CE.
Bodhidharma at Shaolin temple, China
Bodhidharma, crossing the Yangtze River on a reed (boat) arrived at the Shaolin Temple which was destined to become famous in China in no time & renowned in the world over in good time. Having become disconcerted that the resident Buddhist clergy at the Shao-lin Temple had been vulnerable to plunder & pillage at the hands of gangs of bandits on rampage, Bodhidharma took it upon himself to put an end to intermittent disturbances. Bodhidharma wasn’t an ordinary Buddhist monk: he was a martial arts exponent, a master of staff fighting. He wasted no time: his system of 18 dynamic Muscle/Tendon tension exercises was to evolve into the famous Shao-lin style of martial arts. Then he set himself upon Zen: sequestered himself in a cave and sat gazing at the wall for nine long years without being disturbed. Since the life & times of Bodhidharma at Shaolin temple, martial arts as well as Zen became distinguished traditions of China in the 7th century. C.E. Close at the heels of Zen, followed the first treatise on Tea, “Tea Classic” by a Chinese poet named Lu Yu in 760 CE.
