Customer Reviews

Wind in the Pines: Classic Writings of the Way of Tea as a Buddhist Path

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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.

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.

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.

This is a good historical overview of the way of tea and its relationship to Buddhism, both Zen and Pure Land. It's an interesting, if not totally compelling, read. Frankly it is a bit dry and the writing doesn't really sparkle in terms of ideas or style.

It is also the only place you are going to find the Zen Tea Record of Jakuan Sotaku in English, and that alone is worth the price of admission, if you're the sort of person who cares about such things.