WOULD THE Japanese have come up with wonder gizmos and supersonic cars if they had sat drinking tea for inspiration? At least not if they had indulged in draining the cuppa in the traditional Japanese way. Tea ceremonies can take up to four hours! While I sit with a steaming cup of tea (made in four minutes flat) and write this piece, the mind drifts back to the hours we sat at the stylish Cha Bar alongside Oxford Bookstore at the Leela Galleria and sipped some Japanese tea...

Japanese tea can't be sipped when you have a cluttered table, a flickering computer screen, and a rain-drenched cocker spaniel sitting under your chair. "The Japanese tea ceremony evolved under the influence of Zen Buddhism. In this ceremony, every little act is important," said Jobst Omata in Japanese. Her husband, C. Jobst Yuho, a Buddhist priest and Professor of German at the Vasada University, charmingly translated her words. "The place must be spotlessly clean. The participants at the ceremony must sit this way... calmly, with your feet together on the floor, and your knees apart like this, so that your lap is a flat surface," explained the kimono-clad Ms. Omata. Her calm demeanour was enhanced by her traditional, halo-like hairstyle.

To the Japanese, tea is much more than just a beverage. It is a religion. The tea ceremony aims at purifying the soul by becoming one with nature. And the art of serving tea, glimpses of which one gets while reading books such as Memoirs of a Geisha, is an elaborate exercise in patience. The Japanese tea ceremony dates back to 12th Century. Tea drinking developed into a highly formalised social function, and in the 16th Century, a tea master named Senno Rikyu laid down rules for the ceremony. William Woodworth gives a detailed description of the Japanese tea ceremony in his book Tea, Heaven on Earth.

Rule one is to appreciate everything, including the peaceful atmosphere. So, at the three-day event at Oxford Bookstore, the tea ceremony began with a few minutes of Zen in an ambience reminiscent of Japan. For the uninitiated, Zen (Ch'an in Chinese) is a Japanese term meaning meditation. It is a major school of Japanese Buddhism that claims to transmit the spirit of Buddhism, or the total enlightenment as achieved by the founder of the religion, the Buddha.

In actual tea ceremonies, participants watch the neatly prepared coals glow in the hearth that looks like Mount Fuji (and thus called Fujigama). "When the coal is arranged, it should look like an art work," said the lady. Added her husband: "Even the way this folded chaking (wet cloth) and napkin are kept should look like art works."

Ikebana arrangements by Ms. Omata. Photo: K. Gopinathan

My silk napkin looked like it had a life of its own. While the tea ceremony expert demonstrated the precise way to fold the little thing, our napkins just did not resemble her neat arrangement. The softly spoken Japanese words must have made her napkin behave! The folded napkin is used to clean the beautiful tea caddy in a particular fashion. A semi-circular wipe around the edges, then an anti-clockwise move, then a swipe along the bottom of the caddy, and finally the tea is ready to be made.

"Watching the fire is like watching the cycle of life," explained the priest. "And can you hear the water bubbling? It is music, enjoy it. The glowing coal, the gurgling water, the beautiful scent of the air, and the aroma of tea leaves all come together like a beautiful orchestra," he said while his wife conducted the tea preparation. Ah, finally some hot tea on a wet day...

Not yet, it is time for some little sweets first. After bowing to the host and to the persons on either side of you, it is polite to take three different types of sugary beauties from the plate. "But it is not good manners to eat the sweet in two or three bites like a sparrow. You must put the whole sweet into your mouth," we were told.

The tea is made for one person at a time. Imagine the agony of the guest who gets the last tea! Or, if you have a Zen-like attitude, imagine how much longer the last guest can savour the pleasures of anticipation! Well, when the green tea finally did come, I drank it up calmly, and unused to sugarless tea, couldn't quite appreciate the tea. But, a few seconds of calmness, and the tongue remembered the sweet, aromatic taste of this tea, and there lies the beauty of Japanese tea.

"We have many kinds of tea — Jyouro, Senchai, Bancha, Hogicha, Gemmaichai, and Maatcha," listed the professor, attired in kimono and khun. "But very few perform tea ceremonies even in Japan. Young girls prefer to learn computers rather than these rituals," he said.

Ms. Omata conducts classes in Ikebana and the tea ceremony in her school, and the couple has also taken their tea ceremonies to various countries. Oxford Bookstore hosted the tea ceremony and a stunning Ikebana display by Ms. Omata.

To read more about these gentle Japanese arts, log on to www.oxfordbookstore.com and find your books.

MALA KUMAR

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