Customer Reviews

Tea and Buddhism. Chado: The Way of Tea as a Buddhist Path

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I did not read the review before I bought it and that might be the reason I'm some what disappointed with this book. It is like the many other books about tea in my book shelf; a book for beginners. It has the "mandatory" sections that all beginner tea books has. Tea History and Walk through of a Tea gathering. This is fine but it does not have the more advanced sections.

With this title I had hoped for a more spiritual book, a more advanced book. It is little that separate it from the many other books about tea in English. Except maybe that it is one of the thinner books.

Having said that it is easy to read, and I hope the author would with his Tea and Buddhist experience write a more advanced book about tea in the future.

Based on his own experiences and training in the Way of Tea and Buddhism in Japan, the author takes us on a fascinating journey through a spiritually and academically thoughtful text and more than 30 beautiful photographs.

This book describes the world and history of the Way of Tea, explains its utensils and etiquette, and shows why it is a spiritual Buddhist discipline, promoting harmony, respect, purity, tranquility, imperfect beauty, and egoless unconditioned loving-kindness. The book concludes with a moving integrative conclusion, entitled �ePeace through the Way of Tea�f, showing that through the practice of the Way of Tea, genuine personal harmony and world peace can be achieved.

Zen-Buddhist monk Ryofu Pussel is living in Japan since 1992, and is one of the very few Westerners, who have completed their studies and have received both: teaching authorization from the Urasenke School of Tea in Kyoto, as well as from his Japanese Zen master.

Ryofu Pussel is a member of the Tankokai (Professional Association of Tea Teachers of the Urasenke School of Tea, Kyoto, Japan), the International Association of Buddhist Studies, and the UK Association of Buddhist Studies. He is author of several other Buddhist books.

Ryofu Pussel is living in Japan since 1992, where he is ordained as a Zen-Buddhist monk, and received Dharma-transmission from his Japanese master, making him the 83rd descendant in direct, uninterrupted line since Buddha. He is also practicing and fully licensed in the Japanese Cha-do (Way of Tea).

He is a member of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, the UK Association of Buddhist Studies, and the Tankokai (Professional Association of Tea Teachers of the Urasenke School of Tea, Kyoto, Japan).

Based on his own experiences of his Dharma-transmission in Japan, this book provides a comprehensive explanation and critical analysis of the concept of Dharma-transmission in Dogen�fs Soto-Zen Buddhism.

Dharma-transmission describes the certification of enlightenment in an unbroken chain of Zen-�gmasters�h, going all the way back to the historic Shakyamuni Buddha. This authentic lineage is said to insure that the Buddha�fs original teaching (Dharma) is preserved and transmitted in its original. By critically analyzing it, the author proposes a completely new way of looking at this concept, by arguing that its value lies not in the established - but as he reveals, questionable - traditional and historical linear lineage system of Dharma-transmission successors, but in inputting Buddha�fs teachings into new personalities and circumstances, one after another, so that Buddhism is able to creatively develop throughout all time, for the sake of progressive development into the future.

Written in a clear style and assuming no prior knowledge, this book draws on a wide range of Buddhist writings, as well as the author�fs own experiences. It provides a fresh and fascinating insight into the theory and practice of Buddhist traditions. This book will be appreciated by newcomers, practitioners, and scholars alike.

First, in order to �gset the ground�h for the book, brief descriptions of the historical developments of Buddhism in India, China, and Japan are given, as well as a definition of the term Dharma, followed by a short biography of Eihei Dogen Zenji and a description of the stages in his life in relation to the Dharma-transmission. Then, his Soto-Zen School of Buddhism and the shikantaza seated meditation is briefly described.

Introductions of the terms Dharma-transmission and lineage are then followed by an analysis of the term authentic Dharma-transmission in the Buddhist tradition. Research by the author results in a definition of the various lineages of the Dharma-transmissions in India, China, and Japan.

The author�fs own three Dharma-transmission documents from Japan are given: the first document (the Boodline from Buddha to the author in its translation from Japanese into English), the second document: (The Past Seven Buddhas in its translation), and the third Document: (Bloodline). These documents are �gsecret�h and have never been made available to the public before.

The book�fs findings are brought into a critical context by the author, who raises questions of doubt whether actual historical facts underlie the Dharma-succession lineages, and whether these lineages themselves are of any real use.

This is followed by an integrative conclusion, which proposes a new way of interpreting of the concept of Dharma-transmission in Buddhism, by making particular reference to Dogen Zenji�fs work Shobogenzo of the Soto-Zen School of Buddhism.

The book ends with some final remarks, where the author takes a fresh look at the value of Buddhism, and where he also warns of the danger when one thinks after having received Dharma-transmission �gI have got enlightenment�h: one must never stop practicing zazen-meditation, so as to continuously realize one�fs own Buddha-nature, again and again.