Wind in the Pines: Classic Writings of the Way of Tea as a Buddhist Path [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Dennis Hirota (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2002

Chanoyu, widely known as the tea ceremony, developed in Japan in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In it, such ordinary acts of daily life as serving a meal and tea to guests have been raised to the status of religious discipline.

Wind in the Pines is a collection of writings that seek to illuminate the nature and aesthetics of chanoyu as a Buddhist path. Beginning with works on the art of linked verse (renga) that directly influenced the development of the way of tea, this book includes documents that are associated with the central figures in the formation of chanoyu in the spirit of wabi--the unsullied poverty of the hermit's thatched hut--and that have been treasured by practitioners down to the present.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Asian Humanities Pr (January 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895819104
• ISBN-13: 978-0895819109
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #661,047 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wind in the pines-Dennis Hirota, August 15, 2001

By 

"zuiho" (Iowa City, Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wind in the Pines: Classic Writings of the Way of Tea As a Buddhist Path (Hardcover)

This may be the definitive text on Chanoyu, comparable in importance to Okakura's Book of Tea. Hirota penetrates the Buddhist essence of Tea and understands its authentic origins. Essential for any serious Tea practitioner. It is not a simple history or manual, but a mature and sophisticated reflection on the true nature of Tea as a Way and a practice. Wind in the Pines is a inspiration and also an invitation to penetrate the relationship of Tea to the other Buddhist arts, including renga and haiku and flower arranging (ikebana) and is the product of the deepest appreciation, insight, knowledge and scholarship.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A refreshing exercise!, August 12, 2005

By 

Hakuyu "Ikeda" (Kyoto, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wind in the Pines: Classic Writings of the Way of Tea as a Buddhist Path (Paperback)

This is probably the best introduction to the 'Way of Tea' - in English sources. While it recognises all the virtues associated with 'cha no yu' in its more celebrated or well known forms (e.g. Ura-senke etc.), it brings fresh emphasis to the spiritual dimensions of 'tea' - reminding us that cha-no-yu was inspired by - and went with, a Buddhist feeling for the totality of life, compressed - if you like, into the magic of the momentary. This is the 'Way of tea' you can enjoy in your own space (less space). Hirota-sensei isn't taking issue with the best representatives of cha-no-yu in Japan. Hisamatsu Shinichi, a well known author on Japanese culture, endeavoured to say similar things to a Japanese audience. It is not the formal requirements, but the spiritual requirements, which should be satisfied.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, August 18, 2010

By 

Charles (NYC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wind in the Pines: Classic Writings of the Way of Tea as a Buddhist Path (Paperback)

As a source of the classic texts on the tea ceremony and on its relation to Buddhism, this is second only to having access to the Chanoyu Quarterly. The 130 page introduction and its footnotes bears careful reading.