"SADO" (Tea Ceremony)"

Senno-Rikyu, the founder of Sado, said in the seven teachings that Sado or tea ceremony is not a ceremony just for entertaining guests with sweets and tea.
The seven teachings are;

1) Hot water for making tea must be of appropriate temperature and appropriate amount".

2) "Coal must be placed so as to properly boil water". This second teaching says that coal should not be just put in, but there is away to put the coal in properly to make fire, which one should learn not in one's mind but with one's senses. These two teachings are knowledge to make delicious tea. The following are mental teachings.

3) "Flowers in the tea room must be arranged as if they are growing in the fields". By arranging the flowers without losing the natural strength to grow on its own, this teaching teaches us the importance of nature.

4) "Summer should be thought as cool and winter as warm". It is natural for one to want to spend cool summer and warm winter, but this teaching teaches us to confront the hot humid summer as if it is cool and the freezing winter as if it is warm. In other words, overcome the unpleasant weather by thinking summer is cool and winter is warm.

5) "Do not be late". This does not mean 'do not be late for the tea ceremony' but is intended to avoid disruption of all the guests from seating at the same time.

6) "Always have an umbrella with you even on a sunny day". This teaching does not mean 'if there is a chance of rain, bring our umbrella' but teaches us the not to panic and be prepared to handle all matters under any circumstances.

7) "Always be considerate to those drinking tea with you". In Sado, the tea bowl around those attending the tea ceremony and the participants drink out of the same tea bowl. This is to teachus the importance of'the chances' of knowing each other by drinking tea from the same tea bowl.

Long time ago, Senno-Rikyu spoke of the seven teachings when one of his pupil asked him "What should I do to really understand Sado?" The pupil objected to Senno-Rikyu's angrily reply "Even a three-year old knows that",but Senno-Rikyu again replied calmly "One may understand the teachings in their mind but that does not mean one can do them. That is why we are human. If you can really do all those things, I will be your pupil".

Sado, thus teaches us how to entertain the guests with what is available and trains us mentally. In other words, Sado teaches us not be arrogant but to be gentle and to be modest.

To be continued...