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lips and throat； the second cup breaks my loneliness； the third cup
searches my barren entrail but to find therein some five thousand volumes
of odd ideographs。 The fourth cup raises a slight perspiration；all the
wrong of life passes away through my pores。 At the fifth cup I am
purified； the sixth cup calls me to the realms of the immortals。 The
seventh cupah； but I could take no more！ I only feel the breath of cool
wind that rises in my sleeves。 Where is Horaisan？ Let me ride on this
sweet breeze and waft away thither。〃
The remaining chapters of the 〃Chaking〃 treat of the vulgarity of the
ordinary methods of tea…drinking； a historical summary of illustrious tea…
drinkers； the famous tea plantations of China； the possible variations of
the tea…service and illustrations of the tea…utensils。 The last is
unfortunately lost。
The appearance of the 〃Chaking〃 must have created considerable
sensation at the time。 Luwuh was befriended by the Emperor Taisung
（763…779）； and his fame attracted many followers。 Some exquisites
were said to have been able to detect the tea made by Luwuh from that of
his disciples。 One mandarin has his name immortalised by his failure to
appreciate the tea of this great master。
In the Sung dynasty the whipped tea came into fashion and created the
second school of Tea。 The leaves were ground to fine powder in a small
stone mill； and the preparation was whipped in hot water by a delicate
whisk made of split bamboo。 The new process led to some change in the
tea…equippage of Luwuh； as well as in the choice of leaves。 Salt was
discarded forever。 The enthusiasm of the Sung people for tea knew no
bounds。 Epicures vied with each other in discovering new varieties； and
regular tournaments were held to decide their superiority。 The Emperor
Kiasung （1101…1124）； who was too great an artist to be a well…behaved
monarch； lavished his treasures on the attainment of rare species。 He
himself wrote a dissertation on the twenty kinds of tea； among which he
prizes the 〃white tea〃 as of the rarest and finest quality。
The tea…ideal of the Sungs differed from the Tangs even as their notion
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of life differed。 They sought to actualize what their predecessors tried to
symbolise。 To the Neo…Confucian mind the cosmic law was not reflected
in the phenomenal world； but the phenomenal world was the cosmic law
itself。 Aeons were but momentsNirvana always within grasp。 The
Taoist conception that immortality lay in the eternal change permeated all
their modes of thought。 It was the process； not the deed； which was
interesting。 It was the completing； not the completion； which was really
vital。 Man came thus at once face to face with nature。 A new meaning
grew into the art of life。 The tea began to be not a poetical pastime； but
one of the methods of self…realisation。 Wangyucheng eulogised tea as
〃flooding his soul like a direct appeal； that its delicate bitterness reminded
him of the aftertaste of a good counsel。〃 Sotumpa wrote of the strength
of the immaculate purity in tea which defied corruption as a truly
virtuous man。 Among the Buddhists； the southern Zen sect； which
incorporated so much of Taoist doctrines； formulated an elaborate ritual of
tea。 The monks gathered before the image of Bodhi Dharma and drank
tea out of a single bowl with the profound formality of a holy sacrament。
It was this Zen ritual which finally developed into the Tea…ceremony of
Japan in the fifteenth century。
Unfortunately the sudden outburst of the Mongol tribes in the
thirteenth century which resulted in the devastation and conquest of
China under the barbaric rule of the Yuen Emperors； destroyed all the
fruits of Sung culture。 The native dynasty of the Mings which
attempted re…nationalisation in the middle of the fifteenth century was
harassed by internal troubles； and China again fell under the alien rule of
the Manchus in the seventeenth century。 Manners and customs changed
to leave no vestige of the former times。 The powdered tea is entirely
forgotten。 We find a Ming commentator at loss to recall the shape of the
tea whisk mentioned in one of the Sung classics。 Tea is now taken by
steeping the leaves in hot water in a bowl or cup。 The reason why the
Western world is innocent of the older method of drinking tea is explained
by the fact that Europe knew it only at the close of the Ming dynasty。
To the latter…day Chinese tea is a delicious beverage； but not an ideal。
The long woes of his country have robbed him of the zest for the meaning
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The Book of Tea
of life。 He has become modern； that is to say； old and disenchanted。 He
has lost that sublime faith in illusions which constitutes the eternal youth
and vigour of the poets and ancients。 He is an eclectic and politely
accepts the traditions of the universe。 He toys with Nature； but does not
condescend to conquer or worship her。 His Leaf…tea is often wonderful
with its flower…like aroma； but the romance of the Tang and Sung
ceremonials are not to be found in his cup。
Japan； which followed closely on the footsteps of Chinese civilisation；
has known the tea in all its three stages。 As early as the year 729 we read
of the Emperor Shomu giving tea to one hundred monks at his palace in
Nara。 The leaves were probably imported by our ambassadors to the
Tang Court and prepared in the way then in fashion。 In 801 the monk
Saicho brought back some seeds and planted them in Yeisan。 Many tea…
gardens are heard of in succeeding centuries； as well as the delight of the
aristocracy and priesthood in the beverage。 The Sung tea reached us in
1191 with the return of Yeisai…zenji； who went there to study the southern
Zen school。 The new seeds which he carried home were successfully
planted in three places； one of which； the Uji district near Kioto； bears still
the name of producing the best tea in the world。 The southern Zen
spread with marvellous rapidity； and with it the tea…ritual and the tea…ideal
of the Sung。 By the fifteenth century； under the patronage of the Shogun；
Ashikaga…Voshinasa； the tea ceremony is fully constituted and made into
an independent and secular performance。 Since then Teaism is fully
established in Japan。 The use of the steeped tea of the later China is
comparatively recent among us； being only known since the middle of the
seventeenth century。 It has replaced the powdered tea in ordinary
consumption； though the latter still continues to hold its place as the tea of
teas。
It is in the Japanese tea ceremony that we see the culmination of tea…
ideals。 Our successful resistance of the Mongol invasion in 1281 had
enabled us to carry on the Sung movement so disastrously cut off in China
itself through the nomadic inroad。 Tea with us became more than an
idealisation of the form of drinking； it is a religion of the art of life。 The
beverage grew to be an excuse for the worship of purity and refinement； a
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sacred function at which the host and guest joined to produce for that
occasion the utmost beatitude of the mundane。 The tea…room was an
oasis in the dreary waste of existence where weary travellers could meet to
drink from the common spring of art… appreciation。 The ceremony was
an improvised drama whose plot was wo