I. Harmony - The Fundamental Essence
Harmony stands as the supreme pursuit of tea ceremony, embodied in three dimensions: harmony among people, inner peace of the heart, and harmony between human and nature.
We treat others with modesty and humility, and serve tea with gentleness. People interact with mutual respect and tolerance, maintaining tranquil hearts free from strife. Serving tea to welcome guests and observing proper etiquette for elders and youngsters - all tea rituals revolve around the core of "harmony". It calms impetuosity and reconciles interpersonal bonds.
2. Tranquility - The Foundation of Spiritual Cultivation
Tea is meant to be savored in tranquility, and the mind cultivated through serenity.
Throughout the whole process of brewing tea, inhaling its aroma and sipping the liquor, one casts away worldly noise and anxious distractions. Tranquility does not merely mean quiet solitude; it refers to inward reflection. As tea leaves rise and fall in boiling water, our restless thoughts settle down. Since ancient times, people have calmed their minds, reflected on themselves and refined their character with tea.
3.Clarity - The Foundation of Moral Integrity
Clarity carries three layers of meaning: clear tea liquor, a pure inner state of mind, and upright personal conduct.
Tea grows wild amid mountains and wilderness, natural and unadulterated, untouched by mortal vanity. Sipping tea cleanses worldly desires of the body and soul. As human beings, we ought to uphold our original heart, stay indifferent to fame and fortune, abandon vanity and utilitarian pursuits, and pursue a simple, pure way of life.
4, Frugality (bottom line in life)
Tea is simple, frugality is a virtue.
In ancient times, tea lovers advocated for a simple and frugal lifestyle, avoiding extravagance and extravagance. A cup of coarse tea could also entertain guests. Remind people to be content and restrained, not pursue luxury, and experience abundance in simple tea activities, which is also a fusion of Confucianism's diligence and frugality and Taoism's asceticism.
Supplementary Extension: Modern Extension Spirit
1. Truth: Seeking truth, treating people sincerely, not falsifying, presenting the true taste of tea truthfully, and treating tea friends sincerely;
2. Respect: Using tea to show respect, respecting elders, guests, and the natural world, is the core of etiquette;
Core summary of Chinese tea culture: Harmony and tranquility (traditional), respect for frugality and simplicity (popular)
Essentially, it's not just about drinking tea. Borrowing tea to cultivate oneself, treating others with tea, calming one's heart in a cup of tea, and maintaining pure character.
