Tea ceremony is mostly about bonding between the host and the guest but it is for sure a meditational activity as the great founder Sen no Rikyu called “jaku” (tranquility) one of the main elements of tea ceremony. Then one may ask why it is different from any other tea drinking activity and why it may lead to mindfulness and the ultimate peace of mind. At MAIKOYA we tell our guests that the answers lay in the basic elements of zen philosophy which are also deeply embedded in the culture of Japan. These are: Transience, Presence, Selflessness, Acceptance of Life as it is. 

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The term Zen may be difficult to define, but it can be referred to as mindfulness and the idea that simple actions can lead to the awakening of spirits. There are a lot of similarities between the main principles of the tea ceremony (harmony, respect, tranquility) and the philosophy of zen (mindfulness, nothingness, transience).

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Tea ceremony involves following several prescribed steps, so one does not have to think about the next step and gain inner peace while performing this ritualistic activity. That is why the tea ceremony cannot be considered separately from Zen. We should also remember that matcha tea was introduced to Japan by the Zen Monk Eisai, who built the first Zen temple in Japan.