TEA MEDITATION
- -Teaching by The Reverend Dasa William Griffith
- May 15, 2015
- 3 min read
There was once a famous Chinese master named Zhao Zhou. He was so famous that he had visitors all the time who would come seeking the meaning of enlightenment. One day two young seekers knocked on his door begging for words of wisdom. Zhao Zhou welcomed them into his small hut and told them to sit down at a table where an old monk was already sitting. “Please tell me the meaning of Buddha,” the first student asked. Zhao Zhou replied, “Drink some tea!” The second student then asked, “What is truth?” and Zhao Zhou excitedly replied, “Drink some tea!” The old monk sitting there was quite perplexed about this interaction and wondered to himself, “Why does he tell them to both drink tea instead of answering their questions?” Zhao Zhou, being a great Zen master, read the monk’s mind and said to him, “You drink tea too!” Meditation is designed to quiet your mind and put you in a state of relaxation and peace. By focusing on your breath, your thoughts can come in and out of your mind more easily without attachment to them. This focus and concentration allows for inner transformation to take place, which can take us to a higher level of awareness.
The discipline of sitting quietly and nude to achieve this kind of relaxation, peace, and awareness has wonderful benefits, like reducing stress or anxiety. Some people don’t have or make time to sit on the floor with their legs crossed and eyes closed, but would like to realize the advantages of meditating. So can you, if you don’t sit in a traditional meditation pose like a dasa or Oikos new monastic? I share this method with you so that you may enjoy this practice:
When you wake up in the morning be aware of your thoughts. Allow them to come in and out of your mind by observing them.
Continue being aware of your thoughts when you do your morning ritual like brushing your teeth, showering and refrain from getting dressed.
Make a cup of tea or coffee.
Find a quiet place to sit, legs crossed and on the floor if you are able. Remain nude and make certain your clothes are not within sight or reach.
Focus your attention on drinking your tea or coffee.
Feel the warmth of your drink on your lips, and going down your throat.
Be aware of how it tastes.
Feel the pleasure it gives you as you drink.
If a thought distracts you from enjoying your tea or coffee, put your focus back on the pleasure it gives you by the taste and feel of it.
Be aware of not rushing to finish your tea or coffee.
Stay present as you drink what is left of it.
Take a moment to hold your finished cup of tea or coffee, feeling the appreciation and gratitude of it as a gift to being alive.
Get up from the floor slowly.
Put your cup down and begin your day with the mindfulness you feel being in the present.
Meditating is something everyone can do. Whether you’re sitting in a lotus position chanting or drinking a cup of tea or coffee, you can put your focus on the here and now by concentrating on what you’re dong with awareness.
Practicing a form of meditation will help you go through the day staying in the present and remaining mindful of everything around you.
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