"If asked the nature of chanoyu, say it's the sound of windblown pines in a painting." Sen Sotan (1578-1658)
On Wednesday, March 2, Sara Klingenstein, a PhD candidate in the Committee on the Study of Religion, presented on chanoyu, commonly known as Japanese tea ceremony.
A full chanoyu gathering consists of the highly formalized preparation and consumption of matcha (powdered green tea) and a meal. The gestures in chanoyu are the same basic gestures as occur in everyday life, wrought to a high level of precision and awareness: simply picking up an object, looking at it, putting it down; standing, walking, sitting— the atoms of our physical—temporal existence in the world. Chanoyu has many roots, from the leisure activities of the Heian aristocracy to the medicinal practices of Song dynasty China, but the most frequently recognized connection is between chanoyu and Zen Buddhism. Chanoyu is often described as a Zen practice, and "tea, Zen— one flavor" (茶禅一味 ) is a common catchphrase, but the precise Zen-ness of chanoyu is difficult to ascertain. An inquiry into this question in particular, and the religious-philosophical history and significance of chanoyu in general, is the central interest driving Sara's work.
Rather than do an academic-style presentation, Sara instead introduced chanoyu experientially, by actually doing chanoyu and inviting members of the Center to participate. That chanoyu be experienced rather than merely discussed is critical to forming an understanding of the activity. One of many ways to describe chanoyu is to say: it is the measured creation of a particular atmosphere, an invitation to a certain kind of experience.
Sara arranged tatami mats (traditional Japanese flooring made from woven reeds) in the Common Room, and used chanoyu implements from her time in Japan to introduce the residents of the Center to the spirit, structure and significance of this activity called chanoyu. She did the most basic tea-making procedure, which consists of ritually purifying the implements used to make the tea, then actually making and serving the tea, and closing the procedure by again purifying the implements. After making tea, Sara fielded questions. Memorable topics included the possible relationship between chanoyu and Catholic mass, the internal state of the hosts and guests at a gathering, and the nature of the training required to learn chanoyu.