Cleaning and Compounding

茶禅一味 One Flavor of Tea and Zen

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Only when we are free can we see the bright moon —Thích Nhất Hạnh, Vietnamese Zen monk and peace activist

In Zen Buddhism, the phrase 月落不離天 (the moon falls but does not leave the sky) suggests that even when things change or disappear, their true essence remains.

The moon does not leave the sky. The water flows into the sea.

So how do we see beyond surface-level changes and recognize that nothing is ever truly lost?

菊花開 Chrysanthemums Bloom

What is the Way of Zen?

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Compounding

All the benefits in life come from compound interest - relationships, money, habits - anything of importance. - Naval Ravikant, American entrepreneur and investor

Habits and experiences compound. So do our health, relationships, finances, knowledge, skills, beliefs. And time definitely does.

In mid-life, we are forced to confront the power of compounding. Revealing what has gone right and all that we have done wrong.

Health starts to decline. Relationships fail. Work identity falters. Stumbling into dead ends and detours.

You thought you have it all figured out. But then life throws you surprises, making you question everything held true up until this point.

So what do we do and how do we go about life at this juncture?

How do we avoid further reckless slamming of the brakes?

When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. - Tao Te Ching

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Cleaning

Our state of stress compounds too. This is where the power of cleaning matters.

• In Japan, cleanliness is godliness. Shintoism associates evil with dirtiness, good with cleanliness. Before entering Shinto shrines, one must perform temizu, a cleansing ritual of hands and mouth, with a bamboo ladle at the chozu-ya.

• In Bhutan, to celebrate the Lunar New Year, every corner of the homes and temples are cleaned to welcome Guru Rinpoche or “Lotus-born”, a revered figure in Tibetan Buddhism.

• In the Japanese Way of Tea, cleaning tea instruments is vital. Fukusa cloth 袱紗 is folded 5 times with specific ratio, not for the physical cleaning of the chawan tea bowl but for the spiritual cleansing of one’s mind - to remind us once again the essence of 和敬清寂 harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility.

• In Chinese tea, the concept of 醒茶 or waking up the tea is important through 温杯 warming up of tea pot, 茶海 pitcher, tea cups before brewing the tea leaves. The intention is not solely for physical cleaning but to prepare oneself.

Chinese tea cups on a tray to form the character 品 - taste, virtue, and life appreciation

Both Japanese Way of Tea and Chinese tea practices bear close connection with Taoism, especially through the concept of yin yang 陰陽 of balance and harmony of the opposites. Fukusa is folded and opened multiple times. Curled closed tea leaves are opened (and cleaned) after being warmed with hot water.

Clean the dust, purify the mind. Tea, similar to the daily airing of our rooms by opening windows, sweeping and dusting, we want our mental energies to flow, rather than being obstructed by pains, sorrows, worries, struggles - stuck in attachments.

In Buddhism, cleaning is significant. Clearing the mind is the essence. The Buddha does not care if the temple is clean or dirty. It’s in the act of dusting that we can begin to accept ourselves, create space, to welcome in stability and greater centeredness.

Reading the Tea Leaves

Meditation, tea, time in nature are just some of the many ways to alleviating stress which we can deploy simultaneously. Seth Gillihan, Clinical Psychologist, shared that we hold the power to change ourselves:

1. Prioritize presence by reconnecting the body with mind, rather than leaving them divided

2. Ease, still our thoughts and the endless stories we tell ourselves

3. Tackle the root causes with presence and ease.

Breathing in, I take in all the good and the bad happening to me. Breathing out, I let the past make way for this very moment, to welcome the opportunity for a new life.

Breathing in, I am. Breathing out, here.

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