At least the Japanese chadao requires Japanese matcha. I think at a
minimum a WuYi chadao should require a WuYi tea. I understand gongfu
is anybodys idea of making tea with little pots and cups. If not then
English tea is the ultimate gongfu. I dont mind arbitrary rules so
long as it is presented upfront so people cant hide behind technique
as a substitute for insight. Over the holidays I witnessed TEAVANA
selling more gongfu sets than tea. The blogs are full of my tea setup
occupies more counter space than yours. I think something is lost in
formality for its own sake. I occasionally go to a Japanese dojo that
serves food. It is part of student training for health and humility.
You have to request a pot of tea. The pot is considered a conspicuous
object that detracts from zazen. A bowl and chopsticks is the formal
service. Over the years Ive reduced my conspicuous tea consumption to
a Pavina with infused leaves. Heating water as in a kettle is part of
nature. All my other tea objects are hidden. Minimalism is beauty,
formalism is clutter. In Japanese zen as soon as I say, it is not so.

Jim

PS A zen practioner of the Japanese tea ceremony once told me it is
the undoing of the doing. He said most schools teach it as the doing
of the undoing which leads nowhere like a Koan.

i think Minimalism is Baroque, what you are talking about i call it
simplicity...

kind regards,
bonifacio barrio hijosa
http://worldoftea.iespana.es/

On Jan 30, 5:49*pm, Space Cowboy > wrote:
> At least the Japanese chadao requires Japanese matcha. *I think at a
> minimum a WuYi chadao should require a WuYi tea. *I understand gongfu
> is anybodys idea of making tea with little pots and cups. *If not then
> English tea is the ultimate gongfu. *I dont mind arbitrary rules so
> long as it is presented upfront so people cant hide behind technique
> as a substitute for insight. *Over the holidays I witnessed TEAVANA
> selling more gongfu sets than tea. *The blogs are full of my tea setup
> occupies more counter space than yours. *I think something is lost in
> formality for its own sake. *I occasionally go to a Japanese dojo that
> serves food. *It is part of student training for health and humility.
> You have to request a pot of tea. *The pot is considered a conspicuous
> object that detracts from zazen. *A bowl and chopsticks is the formal
> service. *Over the years Ive reduced my conspicuous tea consumption to
> a Pavina with infused leaves. *Heating water as in a kettle is part of
> nature. *All my other tea objects are hidden. *Minimalism is beauty,
> formalism is clutter. *In Japanese zen as soon as I say, it is not so.
>
> Jim
>
> PS A zen practioner of the Japanese tea ceremony once told me it is
> the undoing of the doing. *He said most schools teach it as the doing
> of the undoing which leads nowhere like a Koan.

I use minimalism in the European tradition of painting less is more
but it is still art. Nothing is more simple than a coloring book but
it isnt art. The Thai drink from the pot which I call minimalism. I
will give you Americans are pragmatists and not philosophers.

Jim

On Feb 1, 5:07 am, bbh2o > wrote:
> i think Minimalism is Baroque, what you are talking about i call it
> simplicity...
>
> kind regards,
> bonifacio barrio hijosahttp://worldoftea.iespana.es/
>
> On Jan 30, 5:49 pm, Space Cowboy > wrote:
>
> > At least the Japanese chadao requires Japanese matcha. I think at a
> > minimum a WuYi chadao should require a WuYi tea. I understand gongfu
> > is anybodys idea of making tea with little pots and cups. If not then
> > English tea is the ultimate gongfu. I dont mind arbitrary rules so
> > long as it is presented upfront so people cant hide behind technique
> > as a substitute for insight. Over the holidays I witnessed TEAVANA
> > selling more gongfu sets than tea. The blogs are full of my tea setup
> > occupies more counter space than yours. I think something is lost in
> > formality for its own sake. I occasionally go to a Japanese dojo that
> > serves food. It is part of student training for health and humility.
> > You have to request a pot of tea. The pot is considered a conspicuous
> > object that detracts from zazen. A bowl and chopsticks is the formal
> > service. Over the years Ive reduced my conspicuous tea consumption to
> > a Pavina with infused leaves. Heating water as in a kettle is part of
> > nature. All my other tea objects are hidden. Minimalism is beauty,
> > formalism is clutter. In Japanese zen as soon as I say, it is not so.
>
> > Jim
>
> > PS A zen practioner of the Japanese tea ceremony once told me it is
> > the undoing of the doing. He said most schools teach it as the doing
> > of the undoing which leads nowhere like a Koan.

yes i was talking about this Minimalism, as an art movement, so that
begins with capital M. is art and i think is Baroque. the 'less is
more' aforism is previous to Minimalism, that is from sixties, and was
the architect Mies van der Rohe the one that make it popular, refering
also to the material, the honesty of the material, so that less
artifice in decoration and so... and i understand Minimalism, most of
it the sculptural part of it as Baroque... is very close to
conceptual, also developed in the same years, and they have in common
the dematerialization, in forms, materials, etc... all what is
supposed for this artist to be superfluous, unnecessary, etc... in a
way what you have is simplicity, but when you pass a line, it
transforms it in Baroque, and i think Minimalism, as a movement is
Baroque...

kind regards,
bonifacio barrio hijosa
http://worldoftea.iespana.es/

On Feb 2, 1:55*pm, Space Cowboy > wrote:
> I use minimalism in the European tradition of painting less is more
> but it is still art. *Nothing is more simple than a coloring book but
> it isnt art. *The Thai drink from the pot which I call minimalism. *I
> will give you Americans are pragmatists and not philosophers.
>
> Jim
>

That was my formulative period from what I can remember ;-).

Jim

On Feb 3, 5:31 am, bbh2o > wrote:
> the 'less is more' aforism is previous to Minimalism, that is from sixties
>
> On Feb 2, 1:55 pm, Space Cowboy > wrote:
>
> > I use minimalism in the European tradition