The Eucharist: the name given to the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar in its twofold aspect of sacrament and Sacrifice of Mass, and in which Jesus Christ is truly present under the bread and wine.
Buddhism originated in India during the sixth century B.C. As Buddhism spread across the east and integrated elements of Taoism, a new form, called Ch'an in China, and Zen in Japan, emerged. This form of Buddhism rejected scripture, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas. Zen Buddhism focused instead upon "training for direct intuition of cosmic unity, known as the Buddha-nature or Void." A strict method of sitting and long periods of meditation produce sudden bursts of enlightenment, known as kensho. The Ceremony of Tea, called Cha-No-Yu (hot water for tea), originated from this Japanese sect, Zen Buddhism.
Zen tradition combines spontaneity of a calm mind with very disciplined concentration. From this thought comes the Zen paintings, created with the "perfect spontaneous brushstroke" that has the whole body and a lifetime of practice behind it. Placing oneself fully in the moment, aware of only what your are currently doing, is a Zen teaching. This applies to everything from breathing to serving tea.
The tea ceremony itself contains a mixture of both ancient Indian and Chinese cultures, as well as the Japanese culture that transformed and adapted the ceremony into the institution of that country. Although each tea master approaches the ceremony differently, little variation occurs in the essential elements. Three distinct phases of the ceremony exist: Kaiseki, a meal, is the first phase; Koicha, or thick-tea is second; and Usa-Cha, the thin-tea phase is third. Any, or even all of these phases may be chosen by the host. Usually, only the thin-tea, or Usa-Cha, phase is chosen. The ceremony in it's entirety is usually reserved for special occasions, partly since it takes three to four hours to complete properly.
The teahouse is a building, relatively small in size, which is made of natural materials, such as wood and bamboo. Teahouses reflect a deliberate form of architectural purity. Although they may resemble straw-and-mud huts, they are made with great care, and can cost as much as the main house. Teahouses need only consist mainly of a tearoom, however, more elaborate houses have many tearooms connected by corridors, a kitchen, and possibly a preparation room. A small size for the tearoom is preferred because "Rikyu asserted that 'the essence of the cha-no-yu is in the small room."
The photograph below shows the teagarden as seen from inside the teahouse. The open entrance is visible in the lower left corner of the picture. In the teagarden, one must pass a series of thresholds before reaching the teahouse. Each threshold represents passing to a deeper state of consciousness. In the photograph, one can see the open gate in the distance, the first threshold. The second threshold is the small gate on the simple bamboo and string fence.
Interestingly, many scholars believe that after religious persecution began, Chinese Christians began using the tea room for communion, disguised as the tea ceremony. Between the way of tea and Christian communion, Dr. Sen said that once while he was doing Chado for the Pope at the Vatican a priest began doing communion at the same time. While he was cleansing the utensils for Chado with his napkin the priest was also cleansing his utensils for communion with his napkin. The acts of cleansing the utensils were exactly the same: the wafer or sweet cake eaten first, the lifting of the cup and the turning of the cup. Before making a bowl of tea, the host ritually cleanses each utensil, just as the student of Zen empties or cleans the mind through study of Buddhism.
Matthew Barney in collaboration with Bjork created a film, Drawing Restraint, that takes on the subject of the tea ceremony, sexuality, the relationship between creativity and self-imposed restraint, sculpture and materiality.
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