Tea service has played a significant role in cultivating connections and atmosphere for centuries across many cultures, both East and West. In Japan, it was elevated to an art form in the 1500s and continues to be practiced today, known as The Way of Tea (sado/chado/chanoyu). Any tea ceremony can serve as a mindfulness practice, emphasizing the creation of an experience for all five senses. Hosts are responsible for technical knowledge, tea selection, water selection, teaware selection, ambiance, and technique.

The tea ceremony spread west to Britain, where the tradition of five o’clock tea brings together nobility, kindness, and taste, adding harmony to the lives of the British. In the high Himalayas, salty butter tea is consumed. India is one of the world’s largest tea producers. While herbal infusions are often referred to as tea, strictly speaking, tea aficionados reserve the term “tea” for drinks made from a specific evergreen shrub native to East Asia (Camellia sinensis).

Teaching students how to serve tea to each other or to their teachers, they become fluent in the practice, and begin to experience the effects themselves over time.

Even a simple cup of tea contains all five elements. Preparing tea mindfully is a contemplative practice that can help awaken our awareness, appreciation, and connection to the natural world.

Reflect on the experience of serving and enjoying a proper cup of tea, taking into account all the natural elements involved in its creation.

• Do you find it more enjoyable to serve tea or to receive tea, or do you enjoy both equally?
• What makes the tea ceremony effective as an awareness practice?
• Has your experience with the tea ceremony changed over time?

Analyze tea ceremony as contemplative practice that integrates mindfulness of the five elements; evaluate how ritual tea service cultivates presence, gratitude, and community connection; and demonstrate competency by conducting tea ceremonies that exemplify Buddhist principles of mindfulness, generosity, and appreciation for interdependent conditions supporting daily nourishment.