Zen in the Art of the Tea Ceremony

by Horst Hammitzsch, Peter Lemesurier (Translator)

Written by a Westerner, this book looks at the practice and symbolism of the Japanese tea ceremony.

Genres: Nonfiction, Buddhism, Zen, Tea, Japanese Literature, Japan

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1958

Reviews

[Grazyna Nawrocka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why this book? When I was young in Poland, it was customary to visit close friends unannounced. Whether they were up or down on their luck, they always offered a cup of hot tea. Sometimes the tea was accompanied by cookies or cakes, but the tea was enough to open up, gossip, chat and complain.

Different country, different culture. Strangely, there is something we and Japanese have in common. Let me quote: "Only the union of reverence, harmony, purity and tranquility can bring the Tea Way to its ultimate unfoldment." That's exactly how I remember those tea times with my friends.

I liked this book, and found it very insightful in describing way of looking and interpreting the world around us.

[Tamra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great info about tea and Zen. I liked learning about how the Tea Ceremony cake to be - brought from China to Japan by the monks.

Though I have to admit that I’m not a student of Zen, so a lot of the concepts were just over my head and I don’t feel like I got as much out of this book as I could have. There’s more Zen and less tea than I thought there would be - I thought the ratio would be flipped.

Having said that, it was worth the read as a foundational book.

[Peter Reczek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine but a bit dry history of the tea ceremony in Japan as it relates to its Zen roots. It's interesting how the philosophy of Zen is imbedded in a simple ceremony and how each and every detail of this simple ceremony is an important component of the overall experience. Not about fine cutlery or exquisite teas but about the simple essence of things.