Cultivating A Meditation Practice With Tea To Live Mindfully: Sunday Six Virtual Tea Circle

This ceremony is free for all.

What I love about Tea is that, like Guan Yin, She manifests in many guises.

In the hands of different chajin, different teaware, different settings, She takes on the mood during jour and transmogrifies her transmissions to fit in quietly, but nevertheless, powerfully.

I remember the last bowl my Tea sisters in Hong Kong had passed to me.

Little did I understand the devotion each bowl of Tea encapsulated.

Each to her own

Each one came with a unique taste.

I sat in honour for the privilege to receive

And to finally understand now as I look back

How the beginning of all ordain is to learn to receive Her to understand her Spirit, 

before rushing in to give.

Her presence is presence. 

Her teaching is innately present 

In every living and non-living being.

To see everything that we call the "just moment" is in fact divine and sacred

Is the nature of the Dao.

We walk through the proverbial dewy path (roji) of the Zen Garden and enter through the tiny door (nijiriguchi) into the Tea space. When we pass through that door we all become one, with no identity, rank, or difference of opinions. We are all here for one purpose and one intention, which is to drop our guards and open our hearts. 

All beings are welcomed. No prior Tea ceremony experience is required. 

Social Distancing Update: 

Now, as we adjust to these winds of change, we look at serving Tea virtually, instilling stillness and presence of mind across the digital waves. You can still participate by simply finding a quiet corner and sitting in silence with me during the tea ceremony. What you need:  

1. A bowl or cup is fine too. Prepare a flask or kettle of hot water.  If you have no loose leaf teas around, simply pour this steaming hot water into the bowl/cup and drink in tandem with me.  

2. As you sit in silence you begin to become conscious of the Qi the heat is catalysing within you. Continue to sip on the water/tea, and begin to sink into this meditative silence. The more often we partake in ceremony, the easier we find it to sink into meditation and slowly, this meditative pace and appreciation for the simplest things in life will seep into your daily lives.   After the ceremony has ended, I will be opening the floor to reflections, questions, and of course, a chat. The bowls, as they come and go during the tea ceremony, is a symbolic mandala of our connection – as we sit together we drop all egos and identities are simply being ourselves, with the conscious awareness that we are also all individuals who will eventually leave this ceremony to go on with our lives. In this moment, it is my honour to sit and connect us all. In this moment that is all that matters – this very moment.