Jing Si Cha Dao – 靜思茶道
Report: 新苗
Photo: Alan and 新苗
6/12/2018
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon of June 2nd, 2018, a group of us arrived at Tzu Chi Austin Service Center to attend Jing Si Cha Dao – a special tea ceremony organized by Austin Chinese-American Network (ACAN) and Tzu Chi.
Tea is an important element of Chinese culture. It is noted that tea was discovered over five thousand years ago by monks, initially was mainly for medicinal usage. Today, tea is one of the two most preferred hot beverages people wake up to. And the other is a distant number two! Pew Research Center reported that the data from United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization showed worldwide “three cups of tea are drunk for every one of coffee.”[1]
Along with lots of tea served, tea ceremony was born! It was perhaps started as religious ceremonies with showing of respect for nature and desire for peace. One of the earliest written accounts of tea ceremonies dated back to Tang Dynasty, about 1300 years ago. Gradually, Tea ceremonies becam
e social, cultural and traditional events in different celebrations in people’s lives. The serving of tea is widely known as “Cha Dao,” which means “the way of serving tea.” At Tzu Chi, we were to learn a unique “Jing Si” Cha Dao.
Jing Si Tea Ceremony was founded by Tzu Chi Buddhist Compassion Relief staff in 1989. Our tea ceremony was hosted in Tzu Chi Austin Service Center. The tearoom, decorated with paintings and calligraphies with the ideals of Buddhism, immediately instilled a sense of Chinese aesthetics to the visitors. The simple and lively flower arrangements lent an atmosphere of elegant simplicity.
Our teacher and ceremony performer Mimi is a certified teacher by Tzu Chi University and taught at various schools founded by the Tzu Chi Education Mission. Mimi is a personable lady, who is elegant, kind and a joy to be with.
Preceding the tea ceremony, guests were asked to wash their hands to experience the first of the three Jings (Jing shou – cleansing of hands, Jing shen – cleansing of bodies, and Jing xin – cleansing of minds). Following Mimi’s instruction, we sat and meditated for five minutes to calm our bodies and purify our thoughts. Then Mimi started the lecture.
At the beginning of the class, Mimi explained in details the meaning of Jing Si Cha Dao in its Chinese form: 靜思茶道。She demonstrated how each component of the four words actually holds deep meaning in guiding one’s thoughts for a better tea appreciation. She explained that “Jing” translates to “calm” (homophone purity) and “Si” means “thinking.” Mimi illustrated that Dao also holds double meanings. In addition to the ways of serving tea, it also meant in search of one’s virtue.
After an introduction to Jing Si tea etiquette, Mimi talked about the tea ware. Chinese tea ware typically is made from clay or porcelain. There were so many elements in the tea serving set, but what fascinated me the most was the Gong Dao Bei (公道杯）-fair cup!
After tea was steeped by the correct amount of time, it was poured to this serving cup where all is fair and square and then served to individual teacup. This step was to make sure that everyone drank the same tea of the best quality: perfect in timing which resulted in a balanced flavor and color.
Finally, it came the hands-on time for us all to perform the ceremony and serve tea to each other. Mimi emphasized the three Ts in Chao Dao: Tea, Temperature and Time. They are all equally important in making a perfect pot of tea. She then invited us to familiarize ourselves with the various teas that were on display. It turns out the key to differentiate the type: green, Oolong, black, … rooted in how much the tealeaves were fermented. While green tea was barely fermented at all, black tea was 95% or more fermented.
Next, we learned that the water temperature for each kind of tea was different and should be respected in order to achieve its best flavor. Furthermore, the brewing time also varied per tea type. Our table was working on Oolong tea, which required about one minute for steeping. The black tea which the table behind us was brewing, on the other hand, needed only 30 seconds.
We worked diligently at making sure our mind, therefore, body and hands were calm to ensure no spilling of the water/tea to be poured into various containers. Then Mimi’s grand children came with trays of delicious treats for us! The snacks were chosen with special care and specific purpose to complement the tea. Chinese pineapple cake, special fruity candy, a spear of mint, … all delicious.
While the room was still filled with Oolong and Black tea’s aroma, Mimi asked several guests to share their experiences. Claire was the first one up and spoke about even though she could not understand all information she could share Mimi’s enthusiasm and loved the tea and enjoyed the snacks. James reveled in the fact that he got to share this tea drinking experience with many fellow ACAN friends for usually he drank tea only with his father. Debbie shared that she loved this experience of getting away from her stressful and demanding job. Just being here with a calm mind to enjoy the time with friends was a blessing. She loved it so much and vowed to sign up for the upcoming tea ceremony series in September which will be taught by Mimi.
The two-hour Jing Si Cha Dao lecture indeed brought us a rare moment of serenity in the fast-paced modern-day life. Mimi taught us so much about the history of tea, the tea ceremony and the virtues of tea serving and drinking as well as the virtues of human beings. Many thanks to ACAN and Tzu Chi for this meaningful and memorable experience!
[1] Pew Research Center is a Washington based nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/12/20/chart-of-the-week-coffee-and-tea-around-the-world/
[2] ACAN is an Austin based nonprofit organization for Austin’s Chinese-American community to promote participation in public affairs, encourage contribution to community services, and advocate rights and interests of Chinese-Americans. http://www.austinchineseamericannetwork.org/
[3] Tzu Chi is an international humanitarian organization whose mission is to relieve the suffering of those in need and create a better world for all. https://www.tzuchi.us/