3. The truth of the tea ceremony

The words that simply express the mind of the tea ceremony are "和敬静寂(wakeiseijyaku)" (*1).(*1) harmony、respect、purity and tranquilityIt is a wonderful pleasure thing that these four verses have been respected and handed down from generation to generation.In other words, these characters are the four philosophy of Nowa, Nokei, Nosei, and Nojaku.Wa of wago, which means to be friendly and get along,

Wa of chowa means harmony of being in total order,

Wa of waraku means harmony in the sense of being open to each other and having fun."The use of courtesy is to cherish harmony"

This is the word of the Analects. Being polite means that it is important to respect order and to value harmony with people.People who are caught up in selfish, show off their knowledge, and humiliate the ignorant are not qualified to associate with others as human beings.
Those who make fun of the tradition, ridicule and slander others are not qualified to study tea.
It's bad for a host who is happy to embarrass his guests, and it's shameful for a guest who forgets to ask questions every time.However, no matter how precious harmony may be, harmony alone can lead to familiarity.Respect is the feeling of being modest with oneself and treating others with respect and courtesy.This is the same as the teach of Teikou, a Confucian scholar of the Song dynasty era of China, 主一無適. It means "to focus one's mind on one thing and not distract it from anything else."When those mind are embodied, it becomes a polite and dignified attitude.The word "sei" literally means clean and innocent. In particular, "sei" when handling tea utensils is the most important spirit of tea taste.When a bad manner people sent Rikyu 5 ryo (approximately 650,000 yen in modern terms) to purchase tea utensils, Rikyu sent only a simple tea whisk and a tea cloth. When the bowl you put into it is an old chipped teacup is wiped clean with a clean white tea towel and the tea is brewed with a new whisk, the bowl is no longer a chipped utensils.Even if this "sei" is lacking in places that are not directly visible to the customer, such as the work of the mizuya (*1), or the work of the kitchen in home, then true tea taste cannot be expressed.(*1) The kitchen of the tea roomIn addition to the above, it would be perfect if the mind of calmness, in other words, jyo (*1) was added.(*1)silenceOriginally, the tea ceremony was developed as a demanding pain reliever for the mood of the Segoku era, when yesterday's mighty youths vanished today into the dew on the battlefield, and beautiful buildings were destroyed to ashes without a trace.Therefore, in order to take advantage of the short time available during the hustle and bustle of battle and realize the eternal self that transcends time, it is required to maintain a calm mind even with the slightest movement of every action.This is jyo. The charm of the tea ceremony lies in the fact that each individual learns the appropriate principles of heaven and earth with these four characters of "和敬静寂(wakeiseijyaku)".The above four philosophy are the great mind of the tea ceremony.And this mind is not just limited to the tea room.All things in life can be governed by this four philosophy mind. The training dojo may be four and a half tatami mats, but the world that utilizes it is always together, covering the range of all things.n the words that Juko answered to Ashikaga Yoshimasa, he said, ``Tea is not a game, nor an entertainment, nor is it a pleasure.Among the words that Juko answered to Ashikaga Yoshimasa, there is such a following thing:
"Tea is not a game, it is not an entertainment, and it is not a amusement. It is the ichi-mi-sei-jyo, hou-ki-zen-etsu."

Furthermore, he also says:
"The manner of the reception of the priest, the harmony of the conversation between here and there, and it resembles the paleness of the water, like a seiyuu sen" (*1)(*1)It's like a pure world of gods and buddhas, similar to a relationship with a person who is as refreshing as water.Rikyu said as follows.
"Keep calm, don't flow, respect, don't flatter, keep clean, be pure, be silence and not noisy."Riku Yu said,
"Good for the most 精行倹徳(syogyoukentoku) people" (the most modest and casual people).
I feel that this word of 精行倹徳(syogyoukentoku) is similar to the word of 和敬静寂(wakeiseijyaku).Seikou means to put one's heart into every action.Not only with every move, but also with the movement of handling a utesils, reflects the relaxed appearance of the mirror in the back of the heart.Even a small room should be used so that it is spacious. Wiping a thin and short tea scoop should be treated with the same feeling as purifying a thick and long one. Even if you move a light feather broom, move it as if you were handling something heavy and solemn. Even if you carry a heavy water finger, it expresses a light and relaxed heart. Through practice like these, this seikou refines.With this time, you will develop a desire to find a way that does not treat small tools as they are, and does not feel lack of things.Moreover, you will know the basis for all things, consider the reason carefully, warm your feelings of ecstasy and joy, and develop the feeling of gratitude and repayment.If you feel that the life of a grain of rice or a match will end once you have finished your business, it is not only that you will never think to treat it lightly. You will become aware of the immense power of nature and the blessings of heaven and earth that dwell in these modest things, and you will be able to live a life of gratitude, contentment, and peace of mind every day.This is called thrift. If you acquire the spirit of kentoku(*1), you will not belittle your superiors, nor will you belittle yourself.(*1) SimplicityKoushi's grandson, Shishi, wrote the words of Chuyou,
"Do what you want, and don't ask for anything else."
A respectable person does not curse fate or complain about his or her own circumstances, but does his best and does not think about anything else. Also, as the saying goes, "The law of contentment is the place of wealth, comfort and peace."(*1)(*1) The unsatisfied, even if they live in a full of happiness in heaven, their hearts will never be satisfied; People who know contentment live in poverty, but their hearts are always rich.Acquire the mind of 和敬静寂(wakeiseijyaku), and become a person of 精行倹徳(syogyoukentoku). This is the practice of the tea ceremony, and the bare truth.