What is the Goal & Purpose of Japanese Tea Ceremony?

You might have heard that tea ceremonies are a way to train mentally, and learn manners and respect. But many people including the Japanese think that tea ceremonies are about drinking tea. How can you possibly train someone’s mind by drinking a cup of matcha?

To be honest, the heart of tea ceremony can not be easily explained. Even the tea masters who have trained for decades and have dedicated their lives to it, will answer that they don't completely understand it, and they never will.

However, there are some sayings left by tea legend 千利休 Sen no Rikyu, who completed the form of tea ceremony as we know of now.

So today, as a tea ceremony trainee in Kyoto, I will explain the 4 philosophies & 7 rules of the tea ceremony that Sen no Rikyu has left behind.

All the teachings I will introduce today are quite abstract, so I would like to share some of my own experiences and opinions that I have learned from my tea master, who has been training for more than 50 years. The most important lesson will be shared at the end of the whole story, so I hope you can enjoy it till the end!

●What goes on during the 4 hour long Japanese traditional tea ceremony! Explained by a sadō trainee

[Time codes]
0:00 Let's START!
1:50 The 4 philosophies
7:24 The 7 rules
12:16 The most important teaching
14:18 Today’s conclusion

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Hello everyone, and thank you for watching my videos!

I’m Shogo, a Kyoto born & Hiroshima raised Japanese, that grew up in Michigan USA for 6 years, and studied Mandarin in Beijing university for a year!
I live in Kyoto now, as I train in Iaido(katana), Sado(tea ceremony), and Noh theatre(traditional stage art).

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[IKEMENOsakaman]

After drinking tea at a tea ceremony, the caffeine was so strong I felt enlightened. (of course, I couldn't sleep for the next 36 hours)

[mishapurser]

I really love this philosophy of appreciating nature as it is, rather than trying to dominate and adapt nature to human ideals.

[ClydeLongdeLugo]

As a non-japanese who has been stuyding urasenke style tea ceremony for several years, I always find it hard to explain why I dedicate so much time and energy to the study of tea every week when non-tea people ask. Thank you for the beautiful and concise summary of some of the things we feel during our study.

[Lucidius]

As some one with a lot of social anxiety some of these mindfulness and appreciation of nature and anxiety speaks to me quiet strongly. Minus the talking part these sounds absolutely delightful!

[DeputatKaktus]

The story of Sen no Rikyu also gave me goosebumps. The deepest wisdom seems so simple from the outside. But understanding it....that takes a lifetime.
All I understand is that I only truly understand very few things, if any.

[madogmedic]

Having the 7 rules, is a good thing, as they are key in preparation. If someone has a problem with the word "rules", then most likely, they are the guests.
The 7 rules, I think, are like a checklist, without such things, you would have chaos.

[the_hiroman]

Highly recommend the manga "Hyouge mono" about tea ceremony history. Sen no Rikyu plays an important role.

[ivanyovev]

I sometimes listen to your videos while I am doing my homeworks and this makes me feel more comfortable while I am doing it.

[rachelkerns]

I love this. I just acquired a Japanese tea set from my grandfather who recently passed. And this has helped me understand the history and meaning so much! Thank you for this!

[kathleenr.]

I'd love to experience this someday. It seems very much a ceremony about being "in the moment" - all rank and cares are put aside to discuss what is happening in the here and now, from the flowers to the tea to the surroundings. What a refreshing concept!

[EskapePeanut]

Well I defiantly learned a heck of a lot of things about the tea ceremony that I'd never really would of thought would go into it in the first place. Cool!

[nightal]

Thank again for sharing the 4 philosophies and the rules of the ceremony.

[Marmot]

Thank for the teachings you share and help to enlighten those of us that have enormous respect.

[garydell]

I was going to ask about the 'Tea Ceremony' and here it is. Thank you. It makes sense.

[davidl]

Thank you for two very informative videos about the tea ceremony. The bit at the end about why the seven rules are so important really helped to define the purpose of the ceremony in general for me.

[jdblack]

I had my first tea ceremony class this morning.
Thank you for helping me.

[leejoubin]

You already have 121k subs, not even 50% through this year. Keep up the great work. Another great video, thanks for making it!

[yamburg]

I've always been interested in the tea ceremony. Thank you for explaining it in such a simple and straightforward manner. Hope your goal is achieved soon.

[FieryLittleRaven]

Thank you for teaching us these things. I always admired Japanese culture. I subscribed and am sharing your lovely video.

[marishkagrayson]

This video was very moving and meaningful. Thank you!