Tea and Ceremony is about far more than tea. The book deals with the American fascination with Zen, meditation, and the value of simply living. It's about experiencing tranquility, about ceremony and removal and how removal improves the quality of life by providing detachment from those trials and limitations that inhibit awareness of the present.Whether simple or elaborate, a ceremony creates a rare opportunity to do something wise and compassionate, not only for yourself but for others. The author shows how many different ways of tea – even alone or out-of-doors – can be equated with removal in which one becomes centered in quiet spaciousness where it is possible to accept whatever comes. It explains how this can bring calm and focus to both the host and the guest. The book embraces the reader in the spirit of ceremony while creating a sense that it would be easy to follow on your own.
Tea and Ceremony is beautifully illustrated, with an introduction by Taoist author, Deng Ming-Dao. It is an autobiographical account that reflects the rewards of tea ceremony and proves that, along with its many medicinal properties, tea offers unusual moments of tranquility.
