Joel 9/10/04


Michael Plant writes:

The simplest aim of the ceremonies is to save reinvention of the wheel
by a brewer who knows less than a master of the ceremony.

That's arguable, I hope.

How so?

I'm going out on a limb here -- far be it from me to tell a good master how
to master -- but I think the ceremony in its simplest aim is to get us out
of ourselves and into the tea. Or maybe I'm all wet here. I don't know.

I was talking more about the essence of a ceremony -- any kind of
ceremony. You don't necessarily need a ceremony if you know what
you're doing, but if you don't know what you're doing, being told what
to do by ceremony helps. Hence what I said above.

OK, so by "ceremony" you mean a bunch of rules, perhaps? Kind of guide
posts? Might I say we are exploring the difference between deductive and
inductive ways of tea?

I see your point, but I still think that in the trial and error you
admit to below, you're choosing not to learn what others have to
offer. You may still come to the same understanding as them, of
course.

I trust there are many roads to an outcome. The outcome might look the same,
but the road counts for more. I'd be dishonest if I said I didn't read,
explore, even put myself under the guidance of those I trust teawise, as
long as we're talking. By the way, those I trust teawise are pretty much
proponents of the "the tea will teach you all you need to know" approach.

I'm surprised they say it will teach you *all* you need to know. I'm
curious -- can you ask them what they think of tea ceremony then?

Would you be happier if I removed the "all"? Consider it dismissed. I have
lingering shadowy Wordsworthian memoires of flowers.

Michael