As I walked through dreary Seattle a bit weary from the travel, packing and the tying up the loose ends of the past several days, I stumbled upon a Chinese teashop. I asked the man from behind the counter if he had something for what ailed me and the tea and wisdom began to pour. "Whatever comes your way face it, accept it and let go," he said as he explained the virtues of drinking tea. Drinking tea can be a social experience between friends or a solitary time of contemplation and meditation. To make a good cup of tea, you always throw out the first cup, this cleans the tea. Then you take in the aroma with your nose and when you drink it, you should sip it from a small cup. Tea is good for your health as it contains thousands of natural chemicals that enhance your body. He said, “tea drinkers are more hearty and healthy.” I learned that Buddhism is about the click of the moment, Confucianism politeness and Taoism nature. To be a considerate person, living naturally in the moment sounds like a nice way to live. Believe it or not, the tea was free and I must have drunken 12 small cups. I did however buy some jasmine tea and a small tea set too. The idea of the trip is to come back relaxed, rejuvenated and with a new mindset and that is how I left the teahouse. I hope this is the taste of things to come.
