Newspapers / Galax News (Highlands, N.C.) / Aug. 5, 1971, edition 1 / Page 4
Part of Galax News (Highlands, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
■ The Tea Ceremony (CM-NO-YU) Each year thousands of young women throughout Japan complete a sufficient course of instruction in the tea ceremony to permit them to become "licensed” - that is, they are recognized by their tea master as having acquired enough knowledge and skill to perform the ceremony, or is typically Japanese kind of finishing school especially for young ladies, although it is practiced by adults and laaiiy cultured men. Besides teaching grace, courtesy, etiquette and patience, and apart from the utility of the knowledge gained, the tea ceremony also imparts the principles of what might be termed "living Zen«" It was Sen Rikyu who completed formalizing the rules for procedure in the gentle Zen art of cha-no-yu. He insisted that the art should cultivate the four basic virtues! harmony, respect, purity and tranquility. If any one of these states of mind is missing, the tea ceremony, even today, is considered a failure. Harmony refers to the mutual harmony of the guests, which is why the tea master carefully selects those who will participate in the rituals. Uarmony is also to be found in the sense of simplicity engendered by the plain implements of tea, and even in the touch of the ceramics used. Respect lies between the guests and host in accordance with the fundamental premise that all are equal in the tea room. There is also an implicit respect of the ceremor^ itself, and for the serene mood of the room, for its sheer simplicity and quiet beauty. Purity refers to the quality of the minds of those present. This virtue is of prime importance to the ceremony. Thus, there is no competition between the guests, in their attitudes or in the conversation. Ifen is, in the tea room, ideally at one with nature. Finally there is tranquility. The tea ceremony aims at removing all barriers that stand between a meeting of minds with one another, and together, with nature and the universe. To the degree in which this is achieved, so is the degree of tranquility, in the Zen sense, heightened. Hand-in-hand with the development of the tea ceremony and the tea room, there went the development of the garden as an allied art form* For the garden surrounding the tea room-usually a detached tea house with a narrow, low opening through which the host and the guests approach the setting for their ritual - was designed to set the serene mood for the occasion. The tea garden combines simple elegance and quiet austerity. It was in response to the needs of the tea ceremony that some of the familiar features of the Japanese landscape garden became incorporated, such as the stone lanternj the water basin; and stepping stones. ORIENTAL ANTIQUES 6 CONTEMPORARY GIFT S T 0 N L A N T N S T 0 N E L h DAILY: EVENING: SUNDAY: 10:00 A.M. TO 5:30 P.H 7:30 PJi. TO 10:00 P.N 1:00 P.H. TO 5:30 P.H
Galax News (Highlands, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 5, 1971, edition 1
4
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75