この時期になって悪魔の風と異名を持つ熱風が吹付け、ロサンゼルスの南、デズニーランドがあるアナハイムとサンフランシスコの北、ワイン産地のナパバレー、ソノマ、サンタローザで大火事が発生、大きな被害が出ました。人命も失なわれています。 先月には、ハリケーンでテキサス、フロリダ、プルエルトリコが甚大な被害を受け、今度は山火事でカリフォルニアが痛めつけられています。 自然災害は避けようがありませんが、毎年繰り返される被害も年ごとに激しさが増しているように感じます。   お茶の世界では、秋風が心地よく感じられ、朝夕には肌寒くなってくる頃、中置きの季節を迎えます。                   こちらでも炉を開く前に中置きのお稽古をいたします。                     習いの中では、火が恋しくなってくるので風炉を客に近づけ、水を遠ざけるなどと説明をいたしますが、そこは眉につばをつけておきます。しかし、玄々斎が考案された五行棚を使った点前では、詫びた風情の中に天地に木火土金水の五行のエレメントを置き、神羅万象を点前座に備えた点前と言われています。 風炉の四畳半の畳の敷き方もそれに叶った敷き方をされています。   さて、心看庵では、屋根の作り変えの工事が始まりました。 今までの魔女の帽子のようだった屋根が新しくなります。 １２月までかかるそうですが、外壁、室内の壁の塗り替え、また茶室周りのたたきも新しく作られるので、仕上がりが楽しみです。  

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What is Chanoyu, Tradition of Way of Tea? I will try to talk about chanoyu today. Please look at the scroll on the alcove. What does it say? It says Kissako. It’s meaning by Zen doctrine is, Go to drink a cup of tea and wake up! It’s meaning by chanoyu is, Sit down and have a bowl of tea. I chose the above for the theme of today’s gathering.           We know many ways of tea drinking style around the world. What is a difference between Japanese chanoyu and others? Normally we drink tea daily for relieving thirst or enjoying its taste. But you have a bowl of tea in the teahouse when you are invited as a guest, which has a little bit different purpose. The hostess / host presents you the scroll, incent, flowers even good meals, charcoal set, delicious sweets and (the last is) a bowl of tea. She /he makes every effort for serving the best bowl of tea for her /his guests. All processes to make a bowl of tea are presented in front of her/his guests. It is likely that you sit at the Sushi counter for waiting sushi which is ready for serving just for you. Both the Sushi chef and tea person prepare foods or utensils behind the scene.   Why people drink a bowl of tea in the Teahouse?   The Teahouse is designed only for the tea gathering purpose. Riku-u陸羽 wrote a book “Chakyo”茶経 in the 8th Century in China. Almost at the same time, Tea was introduced as medicine to Japan through Zen Monks who studied Zen in China. But the style and procedure of tea ceremony was created in Japan and established as rich culture over many years. In the 16th century, Sen Rikyu, the founder of today’s Chanoyu culture, who established the Sen family. The era was the turbulent age of wars. Chanoyu was allowed to perform only by the selected samurais. These samurais were devoted into Chanoyu, why? Because, they found some good benefits in chanoyu that has incredible effects to heel their exhausted mind and body when they sat in the tea house. Is it true? YES! but there is no magic. The Teahouse was not necessary to built in the deep mountains. It stood in the convenient middle of the town but once you step into the gate, you were led into feeling of the calm mountains. Because a leading path from the gate to the Teahouse was designed like a mountain path. You were approaching step by step to the Teahouse. Your stress was reduced one by one and you feel confidence of capacity in your mind. Finally you reached the Teahouse and useing the Tsukubai, you were ready to enter the Teahouse with readiness. Your brain filled with alpha wave. So, samurais could face to the truth by themselves before war battle field.   You imagine just like the rabbit hole of Alice in the wander land,. This occasion is not every day’s life, but you spend this moment as you think only this moment. Tea person must be truly an artistic creator, an event producer, and an entertainer.   I have a story: Rikyu was invited to the tea gathering by Hechikan who was a humble tea person. Rikyu and his pupils went to the Hechikan’s hut. They found a covered pitfall. Even if Rikyu knew it, he walked into the pitfall and got mess by himself. Hechikan, came out from the hut and invited him to take the bath. Rikyu thanked him to take bathing and had a good bowl of tea. Rikyu’s pupils asked him later that, “Master, why did you fall into the pitfall even you knew it?” Rikyu said, because Hechikan wanted me to get mess and had bathing, that was his plan to entertain me. Historically, in the old style of chanoyu, people got bath and have a bowl of tea. Tea with Bathing: Bathing house has second floor for tea serving. Dogo Spring. At the teahouse, Hostess and the guest must be equal status; the both must understand each other’s mind even no words.                       We enjoy watching the process of making tea and be humble herself or himself to understand chanoyu deeply. The chanoyu is the most beautiful, creative Japanese culture of Hospitality or Omotenashi.   Carry water, set sticks, boil water, serve a bowl of tea to the Buddha and our guest then drink by herself or himself, set flowers and burn incense. This is the leaning way of Zen, and Chanoyu as well.   Let’s have a bowl of tea    

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今日は久しぶりに予告もなく花月 七事式と言われる精神修練としての稽古事の一つで、 花月、且座、廻り炭、廻り花、茶カブキ、一二三、員茶をいいます。 この中で花月は　互換の機鋒子細に看よ　という偈で現されるように、どんな境遇にあっても、しっかり周りを看つめ、慌てふためかず、己の役目を全うする　といった意味です。 花月では、自分の役目だけでなく相手の動きを見ながら、自分がすべきことを滞りなく果たす事を学びます。 まだまだ　頼りない花月ですが、やっただけの効果は出るもので、足の痛さに堪えつつ、頑張りました。 茶の道は辿るに深き武蔵野の月ぞ住みたる奥ぞゆかしき          

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