guru

The Book of Tea

Kakuzo Okakura

The original PDF is not stored for this edition. Its source passages are available below.

Pages and passages

1. "THE BOOK OF TEA", para. 1. THE BOOK OF TEA
2. "By Kakuzo Okakura", para. 1. By Kakuzo Okakura
3. "Contents", para. 1. Contents I. The Cup of Humanity II. The Schools of Tea. III. Taoism and Zennism IV. T
4. "I. The Cup of Humanity", para. 1. I. The Cup of Humanity Tea began as a medicine and grew into a beverage. In China, in
5. "I. The Cup of Humanity", para. 5. The outsider may indeed wonder at this seeming much ado about nothing. What a tempest
6. "I. The Cup of Humanity", para. 7. When will the West understand, or try to understand, the East? We Asiatics are often
7. "I. The Cup of Humanity", para. 9. Such misconceptions are fast vanishing amongst us. Commerce has forced the European t
8. "I. The Cup of Humanity", para. 10. Perhaps I betray my own ignorance of the Tea Cult by being so outspoken. Its very spi
9. "I. The Cup of Humanity", para. 12. Strangely enough humanity has so far met in the tea-cup. It is the only Asiatic cerem
10. "I. The Cup of Humanity", para. 14. Like all good things of the world, the propaganda of Tea met with opposition. Heretic
11. "I. The Cup of Humanity", para. 15. There is a subtle charm in the taste of tea which makes it irresistible and capable o
12. "I. The Cup of Humanity", para. 17. The Taoists relate that at the great beginning of the No-Beginning, Spirit and Matter
13. "II. The Schools of Tea.", para. 1. II. The Schools of Tea. Tea is a work of art and needs a master hand to bring out its
14. "II. The Schools of Tea.", para. 3. Like Art, Tea has its periods and its schools. Its evolution may be roughly divided i
15. "II. The Schools of Tea.", para. 5. By the fourth and fifth centuries Tea became a favourite beverage among the inhabitan
16. "II. The Schools of Tea.", para. 7. The "Chaking" consists of three volumes and ten chapters. In the first chapter Luwuh
17. "II. The Schools of Tea.", para. 9. In the fifth chapter Luwuh describes the method of making tea. He eliminates all ingr
18. "II. The Schools of Tea.", para. 10. The remaining chapters of the "Chaking" treat of the vulgarity of the ordinary method
19. "II. The Schools of Tea.", para. 13. The tea-ideal of the Sungs differed from the Tangs even as their notion of life diffe
20. "II. The Schools of Tea.", para. 14. Unfortunately the sudden outburst of the Mongol tribes in the thirteenth century whic
21. "II. The Schools of Tea.", para. 16. Japan, which followed closely on the footsteps of Chinese civilisation, has known the
22. "II. The Schools of Tea.", para. 17. It is in the Japanese tea ceremony that we see the culmination of tea-ideals. Our suc
23. "III. Taoism and Zennism", para. 1. III. Taoism and Zennism The connection of Zennism with tea is proverbial. We have alr
24. "III. Taoism and Zennism", para. 5. The Tao literally means a Path. It has been severally translated as the Way, the Abso
25. "III. Taoism and Zennism", para. 6. It should be remembered in the first place that Taoism, like its legitimate successor
26. "III. Taoism and Zennism", para. 7. The germ of Taoist speculation may be found long before the advent of Laotse, surname
27. "III. Taoism and Zennism", para. 8. We have said that the Taoist Absolute was the Relative. In ethics the Taoist railed a
28. "III. Taoism and Zennism", para. 9. The virility of the idea lies not less in its power of breaking through contemporary
29. "III. Taoism and Zennism", para. 10. But the chief contribution of Taoism to Asiatic life has been in the realm of aesthet
30. "III. Taoism and Zennism", para. 11. The Taoists claimed that the comedy of life could be made more interesting if everyon
31. "III. Taoism and Zennism", para. 13. He who had made himself master of the art of living was the Real man of the Taoist. A
32. "III. Taoism and Zennism", para. 14. If now we turn our attention to Zennism we shall find that it emphasises the teaching
33. "III. Taoism and Zennism", para. 14. rary one cannot help being impressed by the similarity of Southern Zen to the teachin
34. "III. Taoism and Zennism", para. 16. Zen was often opposed to the precepts of orthodox Buddhism even as Taoism was opposed
35. "III. Taoism and Zennism", para. 17. A special contribution of Zen to Eastern thought was its recognition of the mundane a
36. "IV. The Tea-Room", para. 1. IV. The Tea-Room To European architects brought up on the traditions of stone and bri
37. "IV. The Tea-Room", para. 4. The first independent tea-room was the creation of Senno-Soyeki, commonly known by hi
38. "IV. The Tea-Room", para. 5. The tea-room is not only different from any production of Western architecture, but a
39. "IV. The Tea-Room", para. 6. The simplicity and purism of the tea-room resulted from emulation of the Zen monaster
40. "IV. The Tea-Room", para. 7. All our great tea-masters were students of Zen and attempted to introduce the spirit
41. "IV. The Tea-Room", para. 8. Others, like Kobori-Enshiu, sought for a different effect. Enshiu said the idea of th
42. "IV. The Tea-Room", para. 11. Even in the daytime the light in the room is subdued, for the low eaves of the slanti
43. "IV. The Tea-Room", para. 13. The name, Abode of Fancy, implies a structure created to meet some individual artisti
44. "IV. The Tea-Room", para. 14. With the predominance of Zen individualism in the fifteenth century, however, the old
45. "IV. The Tea-Room", para. 16. The term, Abode of Vacancy, besides conveying the Taoist theory of the all-containing
46. "IV. The Tea-Room", para. 17. The "Abode of the Unsymmetrical" suggests another phase of our decorative scheme. The
47. "IV. The Tea-Room", para. 18. In the tea-room the fear of repetition is a constant presence. The various objects fo
48. "IV. The Tea-Room", para. 20. The simplicity of the tea-room and its freedom from vulgarity make it truly a sanctua
49. "V. Art Appreciation", para. 1. V. Art Appreciation Have you heard the Taoist tale of the Taming of the Harp? Once in
50. "V. Art Appreciation", para. 5. Then Peiwoh changed the key and sang of love. The forest swayed like an ardent swain
51. "V. Art Appreciation", para. 7. The sympathetic communion of minds necessary for art appreciation must be based on mu
52. "V. Art Appreciation", para. 8. To the sympathetic a masterpiece becomes a living reality towards which we feel drawn
53. "V. Art Appreciation", para. 9. The great masters both of the East and the West never forgot the value of suggestion
54. "V. Art Appreciation", para. 11. At the time when Teaism was in the ascendency the Taiko's generals would be better sa
55. "V. Art Appreciation", para. 13. One is reminded in this connection of a story concerning Kobori-Enshiu. Enshiu was co
56. "V. Art Appreciation", para. 15. Another common mistake is that of confusing art with archaeology. The veneration born
57. "V. Art Appreciation", para. 16. The claims of contemporary art cannot be ignored in any vital scheme of life. The art
58. "VI. Flowers", para. 1. VI. Flowers In the trembling grey of a spring dawn, when the birds were whispering in
59. "VI. Flowers", para. 4. Sad as it is, we cannot conceal the fact that in spite of our companionship with flow
60. "VI. Flowers", para. 6. Flowers, if you were in the land of the Mikado, you might some time meet a dread pers
61. "VI. Flowers", para. 8. Why were the flowers born so beautiful and yet so hapless? Insects can sting, and eve
62. "VI. Flowers", para. 9. Much may be said in favor of him who cultivates plants. The man of the pot is far mor
63. "VI. Flowers", para. 10. Great precautions were taken for the preservation of delicate blossoms. Emperor Huens
64. "VI. Flowers", para. 13. However, let us not be too sentimental. Let us be less luxurious but more magnificent
65. "VI. Flowers", para. 15. Anyone acquainted with the ways of our tea- and flower-masters must have noticed the
66. "VI. Flowers", para. 17. The birth of the Art of Flower Arrangement seems to be simultaneous with that of Teai
67. "VI. Flowers", para. 18. The adoration of the flower for its own sake begins with the rise of "Flower-Masters,
68. "VI. Flowers", para. 20. Our personal sympathies are with the flower-arrangements of the tea-master rather tha
69. "VI. Flowers", para. 22. Flower stories are endless. We shall recount but one more. In the sixteenth century t
70. "VII. Tea-Masters", para. 1. VII. Tea-Masters In religion the Future is behind us. In art the present is the etern
71. "VII. Tea-Masters", para. 3. Manifold indeed have been the contributions of the tea-masters to art. They completel
72. "VII. Tea-Masters", para. 4. Great as has been the influence of the tea-masters in the field of art, it is as noth
73. "VII. Tea-Masters", para. 7. Long had been the friendship between Rikiu and the Taiko-Hideyoshi, and high the esti
74. "VII. Tea-Masters", para. 8. On the day destined for his self-immolation, Rikiu invited his chief disciples to a l