My family will be visiting China and Tibet with a travel group (without
me, alas) for a month, starting later this week. I'm a pu-erh lover on
a college budget (and certainly not a pu-erh expert, I'm mostly stuck
with the middle/lower grade levels of, say, Ten-Ren...).

I'd like my folks to bring some pu-erh back for me... can anyone offer
any suggestions or specifics on what to request? (esp pu-erhs which
would be rare or prohibitively expensive to get in the US, but could be
obtained without too much trouble there)

Any advice/suggestions, much appreciated!

Davidson

On Tue, 08 Nov 2005 03:14:10 GMT, Davidson >
wrote:

....
>Any advice/suggestions, much appreciated!
....

Hi, the Baoyan brand of Mushrooms, Discs, and Bricks is extremely
common in Tibet. While it is not really rare here it will be very
cheap there. This is a specific brand of Xia Guan tea that is marketed
directly to Tibet.

Here is a picture of the "Burning Flame" logo
http://www.pu-erh.net/graphics/Stash/7-1-05%20029.jpg
these are the discs but it is very common in bricks and mushrooms as
well. Here is a photo of the makings of Yak Butter tea which is the
most common form of tea in Tibet.
http://www.pu-erh.net/graphics/yak_tea.jpg What you see is Banyan
brick tea, raw sugar, and yak butter.

There are other bingchas commonly available in Tibet but they wont be
as easy for a tourist to find where the Baoyan certainly will be. It
is available in both black and green versions. Beware of any of them
that are allegedly aged as they really wont be.


Mike Petro
http://www.pu-erh.net

Davidson > wrote:
>My family will be visiting China and Tibet with a travel group (without
>me, alas) for a month, starting later this week. I'm a pu-erh lover on
>a college budget (and certainly not a pu-erh expert, I'm mostly stuck
>with the middle/lower grade levels of, say, Ten-Ren...).

In Tibet, they drink black tea with butter.

But it's not just any butter, it's yak butter.

And it's not just ANY yak butter, it's rancid yak butter.

>I'd like my folks to bring some pu-erh back for me... can anyone offer
>any suggestions or specifics on what to request? (esp pu-erhs which
>would be rare or prohibitively expensive to get in the US, but could be
>obtained without too much trouble there)

My advice regarding the rancid yak butter tea: stay away.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Mike -

Thank you for the fast and thoughtful reply - and for the jpgs which
will be a big help for my parents in identifying the tea. A few quick
follow-up questions: I'm assuming that the quality of Baoyan is good,
despite the easy availability? Are there any other brands you suggest
beyond Baoyan, (just in case)? Finally, the form that the pressed
pu-erh takes - brick, mushroom, disc - makes no difference... is this
correct?

Anyway, I really appreciate your response, and I've been checking out
your great site (which doesn't seem to be firefox compatible, though...?)

Davidson

On Tue, 08 Nov 2005 22:01:05 GMT, Davidson >
wrote:

>Mike -
>
>Thank you for the fast and thoughtful reply - and for the jpgs which
>will be a big help for my parents in identifying the tea. A few quick
>follow-up questions: I'm assuming that the quality of Baoyan is good,
>despite the easy availability? Are there any other brands you suggest
>beyond Baoyan, (just in case)? Finally, the form that the pressed
>pu-erh takes - brick, mushroom, disc - makes no difference... is this
>correct?

Baoyan is good tea but can be an acquired taste. The black variety is
good right away and the green benefits from some age. Sorry, there are
not any other brands that I am aware that tourist is likely to see in
Tibet. Regarding the form, the taste is about the same regardless. The
bricks are the easiest to store and transport, however I am partial to
the mushrooms simply because they look cool.

>Anyway, I really appreciate your response, and I've been checking out
>your great site (which doesn't seem to be firefox compatible, though...?)

Do me a favor and email me offline(mike AT pu-erh.net) with the
details of whatever is not working. I use firefox 1.07 and everything
seems to work fine.

Mike Petro
http://www.pu-erh.net

"Scott Dorsey" > wrote in message
...

> In Tibet, they drink black tea with butter.
>
> But it's not just any butter, it's yak butter.
>
> And it's not just ANY yak butter, it's rancid yak butter.

snip

>
> My advice regarding the rancid yak butter tea: stay away.
> --scott
> --
> "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Do you suppose one could substitute durien for the rancid yak butter?

Melinda

>Do you suppose one could substitute durien for the rancid yak butter?


Na, rancid Yak butter is just rancid; durian is sweet if you can get
past the smell. I had to seriously hold my nose the first time, but
after I got used to it...it was smooth and nice.

You should really try it.

> My advice regarding the rancid yak butter tea: stay away.
> --scott

I couldn't disagree more. How much tea with rancid yak butter tea have
*you* drunk? Don't knock it til you've tried it. (BTW, isn't there a fruit
that would go great with it?)

Why I remember warm nights in a village in North East India...a story for
another day and probably another list.

Best,
Michael

Michael Plant > wrote:
>
>> My advice regarding the rancid yak butter tea: stay away.
>
>I couldn't disagree more. How much tea with rancid yak butter tea have
>*you* drunk? Don't knock it til you've tried it. (BTW, isn't there a fruit
>that would go great with it?)

I tried it only once, and that under duress. I can see why people might
want to do the tea-with-butter thing in very cold weather where your body
needs a lot of fat in the diet to keep warm. But I would rather other ways
to keep warm.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Pu'rh is valuable to the Mongolian diet of cream and meat because of
it's presumed cholesterol lowering qualities. It is part of the
discovery of why such a diet isn't more of a problem. I think working
from sunrise to sundown is a better indicator. I've seen many a
Mongolian documentary but I've never noticed a bag or wrapper of BaoYan
on the shelf. You can't miss it. BTW comparatively it isn't cheap.
The Tibetan shops are a dime a dozen in our mountainous tourist areas
with ethnic owners. I've never notice any for sale. You can buy their
decorative tea stand with candle and Indian tea. Puer is a Silk Road
tea so maybe a selection or just Indian. I like the architecture of my
mushrooms so much I just blend a Xiaguan black and green for not much
difference in taste.

Jim

Scott Dorsey wrote:
> Michael Plant > wrote:
> >
> >> My advice regarding the rancid yak butter tea: stay away.
> >
> >I couldn't disagree more. How much tea with rancid yak butter tea have
> >*you* drunk? Don't knock it til you've tried it. (BTW, isn't there a fruit
> >that would go great with it?)
>
> I tried it only once, and that under duress. I can see why people might
> want to do the tea-with-butter thing in very cold weather where your body
> needs a lot of fat in the diet to keep warm. But I would rather other ways
> to keep warm.
> --scott
>
> --
> "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

--
"I know. You know I know. I know you know I know. We know Henry knows,
and Henry knows we know it."
We're a knowledgeable family." ::smiles:: -Geoffrey, Lion in Winter
"Mydnight" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> >Do you suppose one could substitute durien for the rancid yak butter?
>
>
> Na, rancid Yak butter is just rancid; durian is sweet if you can get
> past the smell. I had to seriously hold my nose the first time, but
> after I got used to it...it was smooth and nice.
>
> You should really try it.
>

Lol, oh I have Mydnight, I have...that's why I ran away. But really..I gave
it a chance but it really is icky to me.



Melinda

Michael Plant wrote:
> I couldn't disagree more. How much tea with rancid yak butter tea
> have *you* drunk? Don't knock it til you've tried it. (BTW, isn't
> there a fruit that would go great with it?)
>
> Why I remember warm nights in a village in North East India...a
> story for another day and probably another list.
> Best,
> Michael

Were you in Nepal, the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama?

Any chance of a yak butter tea report? I've seen conflicting
information on the internet about yak butter tea.

John Q.m4vcf.178$0h5.12@dukeread1011/9/05

> Michael Plant wrote:
>> I couldn't disagree more. How much tea with rancid yak butter tea
>> have *you* drunk? Don't knock it til you've tried it. (BTW, isn't
>> there a fruit that would go great with it?)
>>
>> Why I remember warm nights in a village in North East India...a
>> story for another day and probably another list.
>> Best,
>> Michael
>
> Were you in Nepal, the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama?
>
> Any chance of a yak butter tea report? I've seen conflicting
> information on the internet about yak butter tea.

No, but I was in Varanasi, and did a stint at Vulture Peak, but my
legs got stiff.

Michael

Michael Plant > wrote in
:

> I couldn't disagree more. How much tea with rancid yak butter tea
> have *you* drunk? Don't knock it til you've tried it. (BTW, isn't
> there a fruit that would go great with it?)
>
> Why I remember warm nights in a village in North East India...a
> story for another day and probably another list.
>
> Best,
> Michael

Any chance of a yak butter tea report? I've seen conflicting
information on the internet.

Were you in Nepal, the birthplace of Gautama Siddartha?

John Q.AkWcf.225$0h5.28@dukeread1011/11/05

> Michael Plant > wrote in
> :
>
>> I couldn't disagree more. How much tea with rancid yak butter tea
>> have *you* drunk? Don't knock it til you've tried it. (BTW, isn't
>> there a fruit that would go great with it?)
>>
>> Why I remember warm nights in a village in North East India...a
>> story for another day and probably another list.
>>
>> Best,
>> Michael
>
> Any chance of a yak butter tea report? I've seen conflicting
> information on the internet.
>
> Were you in Nepal, the birthplace of Gautama Siddartha?

No, but I was in Varanasi, and did a stint at Vulture Peak, but my
legs got stiff.

Michael

John Q.AkWcf.225$0h5.28@dukeread1011/11/05

> Michael Plant > wrote in
> :
>
>> I couldn't disagree more. How much tea with rancid yak butter tea
>> have *you* drunk? Don't knock it til you've tried it. (BTW, isn't
>> there a fruit that would go great with it?)
>>
>> Why I remember warm nights in a village in North East India...a
>> story for another day and probably another list.
>>
>> Best,
>> Michael
>
> Any chance of a yak butter tea report? I've seen conflicting
> information on the internet.
>
> Were you in Nepal, the birthplace of Gautama Siddartha?

No, but I was in Varanasi, and did a stint at Vulture Peak, but my
legs got stiff.

Michael

Jim,

Mongolia and Tibet are separated by 6-7 provinces. They are not the same
culturally and while the peoples there drink brick teas, these teas do not
come from the same region as well.

Danny


"Space Cowboy" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Pu'rh is valuable to the Mongolian diet of cream and meat because of
> it's presumed cholesterol lowering qualities. It is part of the
> discovery of why such a diet isn't more of a problem. I think working
> from sunrise to sundown is a better indicator. I've seen many a
> Mongolian documentary but I've never noticed a bag or wrapper of BaoYan
> on the shelf. You can't miss it. BTW comparatively it isn't cheap.
> The Tibetan shops are a dime a dozen in our mountainous tourist areas
> with ethnic owners. I've never notice any for sale. You can buy their
> decorative tea stand with candle and Indian tea. Puer is a Silk Road
> tea so maybe a selection or just Indian. I like the architecture of my
> mushrooms so much I just blend a Xiaguan black and green for not much
> difference in taste.
>
> Jim
>
> Scott Dorsey wrote:
>> Michael Plant > wrote:
>> >
>> >> My advice regarding the rancid yak butter tea: stay away.
>> >
>> >I couldn't disagree more. How much tea with rancid yak butter tea have
>> >*you* drunk? Don't knock it til you've tried it. (BTW, isn't there a
>> >fruit
>> >that would go great with it?)
>>
>> I tried it only once, and that under duress. I can see why people might
>> want to do the tea-with-butter thing in very cold weather where your body
>> needs a lot of fat in the diet to keep warm. But I would rather other
>> ways
>> to keep warm.
>> --scott
>>
>> --
>> "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
>

Buddha was believed to be born in Lumbini, Nepal.

They hardly drink yak milk there. Mostly they drink cow's milk.

Some may believe that tea leaves was a gift from the buddha to the world (in
several legends), but one thing for sure is that if tea was drunk then, it
would not be the same tea as we drink these days.

In the scriptures, tea was never mentioned too.



"Michael Plant" > wrote in message
...
> John Q.m4vcf.178$0h5.12@dukeread1011/9/05
>
>> Michael Plant wrote:
>>> I couldn't disagree more. How much tea with rancid yak butter tea
>>> have *you* drunk? Don't knock it til you've tried it. (BTW, isn't
>>> there a fruit that would go great with it?)
>>>
>>> Why I remember warm nights in a village in North East India...a
>>> story for another day and probably another list.
>>> Best,
>>> Michael
>>
>> Were you in Nepal, the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama?
>>
>> Any chance of a yak butter tea report? I've seen conflicting
>> information on the internet about yak butter tea.
>
> No, but I was in Varanasi, and did a stint at Vulture Peak, but my
> legs got stiff.
>
> Michael
>

Baoyan brand is the export tea from Xiaguan tea factory mainly to Tibet.
They come in brick, squares, and mushroom shapes.

In the early days no much quality was exercised on them as they were meant
for the far flung remote outer lands, and were meant to be cheap, low grade
teas to be mixed with butter, milk, and pounded barley. The quality got
better from 1987, and improved considerably from the turn of this century.

The picture Mike showed you would be the newer production from 2003 onwards,
so if anyone sells you a Baoyan brand with that wrapping and says it is
earlier than 2003, walk away.

Mike, out of curiosity:

Is there a sticker on the little cakes? If there is, what's printed on it?

The wrapper looks funny.

Danny

"Mike Petro" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 08 Nov 2005 03:14:10 GMT, Davidson >
> wrote:
>
> ...
>>Any advice/suggestions, much appreciated!
> ...
>
> Hi, the Baoyan brand of Mushrooms, Discs, and Bricks is extremely
> common in Tibet. While it is not really rare here it will be very
> cheap there. This is a specific brand of Xia Guan tea that is marketed
> directly to Tibet.
>
> Here is a picture of the "Burning Flame" logo
> http://www.pu-erh.net/graphics/Stash/7-1-05%20029.jpg
> these are the discs but it is very common in bricks and mushrooms as
> well. Here is a photo of the makings of Yak Butter tea which is the
> most common form of tea in Tibet.
> http://www.pu-erh.net/graphics/yak_tea.jpg What you see is Banyan
> brick tea, raw sugar, and yak butter.
>
> There are other bingchas commonly available in Tibet but they wont be
> as easy for a tourist to find where the Baoyan certainly will be. It
> is available in both black and green versions. Beware of any of them
> that are allegedly aged as they really wont be.
>
>
> Mike Petro
> http://www.pu-erh.net

On Sun, 13 Nov 2005 11:46:25 +0800, "samarkand" >
wrote:
<snip>
>Mike, out of curiosity:
>
>Is there a sticker on the little cakes? If there is, what's printed on it?
>
>The wrapper looks funny.


Danny, are you talking about the bricks or the round cakes? The photo
of the bricks/sugar/butter was given to me by a vendor in China. The
round cakes are mine, there was no inner wrapper. I don't recall a
sticker on the outer wrapper but I will look next time I open the
trunk that the tea is being stored in.
Mike Petro
http://www.pu-erh.net

The round cakes are late 2004 - 2005. The 2003 production with a sticker -
a small square piece with a series of nos. - on the cake is one worth
keeping.

The wrapper on the round cakes look funny - there is a separation line
between the coals and the base of the flame, something I've not seen on many
of the Baoyan label.


"Mike Petro" > wrote in message
news
> On Sun, 13 Nov 2005 11:46:25 +0800, "samarkand" >
> wrote:
> <snip>
>>Mike, out of curiosity:
>>
>>Is there a sticker on the little cakes? If there is, what's printed on
>>it?
>>
>>The wrapper looks funny.
>
>
> Danny, are you talking about the bricks or the round cakes? The photo
> of the bricks/sugar/butter was given to me by a vendor in China. The
> round cakes are mine, there was no inner wrapper. I don't recall a
> sticker on the outer wrapper but I will look next time I open the
> trunk that the tea is being stored in.
> Mike Petro
> http://www.pu-erh.net

On Sun, 13 Nov 2005 15:55:24 +0800, "samarkand" >
wrote:

>The wrapper on the round cakes look funny - there is a separation line
>between the coals and the base of the flame, something I've not seen on many
>of the Baoyan label.


I assume you are speaking of the gap between the top flames and the
coals. I hadn't really noticed that before in the
http://www.pu-erh.net/graphics/Stash/7-1-05%20029.jpg These cakes were
advertised as being from 2004, they were very inexpensive at just over
$1 each. When compared with an older wrapper of the same style cake I
also notice that there is a "Registered Trademark" symbol as well as
quite a bit more Chinese print along the bottom on this newer wrapper.
The yellow ink also was not registered well during the print job. On
the older wrapper there is also a line of four faded black Chinese
characters just below the flaming logo that is absent from the new
one. Danny, could you translate the 2 bottom legends please? Here is
a larger photo of the wrapper where I scanned it again this morning,
it is quite large so you can see the detail well.
http://www.pu-erh.net/graphics/2004baoyan.jpg

Here is the same Baoyan round cake wrapper from 2003 production. I
believe the year is at least that old because I personally bought it
back in January of 2004. Although I don't recall any small square
sticker, are you talking about the type of inner label you often see
on the mushrooms?
http://www.pu-erh.net/graphics/2003baoyan.jpg

Here is a 2003 Baoyan mushroom
http://www.pu-erh.net/graphics/Stash/DSCN0591.JPG

Both of those have a flame that is touching the coals. Printing being
what it is at these Factories I do not get too worried about such
blemishes, while they can sometimes point to a forgery they can also
just be the nuances of a specific production batch as well. Sometimes
the differences are so slight you never see them unless someone in the
business points them out.

See http://www.teahub.com/pictures/xiaguan3.jpg for a good example of
the finer points that told the difference between a real and a fake
Xia Guan Te Ji tuocha. Linda touched on the topic a little in
http://teatalk101.blogspot.com/2005/...ow-before.html
She also touched on why the big factories are not always a guarantee
of quality.

Mike Petro
http://www.pu-erh.net

Agree. Large tea factories are always a guarantee of quality; but we have
to remember also that compared to the lesser known or unknown ones, they
have a lesser failing rate, and the quality safety control on the production
is better.

The older wrapper that you have is the 2003 production. There should be a
square little pieces of paper on the cake with a green 'G' logo and the
legend 'FT 14456-3'. It was a first production and meant for the Taiwan
market. This is one that is good as it is a special consignment. The rest
would be regular fare from the XG factory.

The 4 characters under the older wrapper say:

Zhu Ce Shang Biao

Registered Trademark

Danny


"Mike Petro" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 13 Nov 2005 15:55:24 +0800, "samarkand" >
> wrote:
>
>>The wrapper on the round cakes look funny - there is a separation line
>>between the coals and the base of the flame, something I've not seen on
>>many
>>of the Baoyan label.
>
>
> I assume you are speaking of the gap between the top flames and the
> coals. I hadn't really noticed that before in the
> http://www.pu-erh.net/graphics/Stash/7-1-05%20029.jpg These cakes were
> advertised as being from 2004, they were very inexpensive at just over
> $1 each. When compared with an older wrapper of the same style cake I
> also notice that there is a "Registered Trademark" symbol as well as
> quite a bit more Chinese print along the bottom on this newer wrapper.
> The yellow ink also was not registered well during the print job. On
> the older wrapper there is also a line of four faded black Chinese
> characters just below the flaming logo that is absent from the new
> one. Danny, could you translate the 2 bottom legends please? Here is
> a larger photo of the wrapper where I scanned it again this morning,
> it is quite large so you can see the detail well.
> http://www.pu-erh.net/graphics/2004baoyan.jpg
>
> Here is the same Baoyan round cake wrapper from 2003 production. I
> believe the year is at least that old because I personally bought it
> back in January of 2004. Although I don't recall any small square
> sticker, are you talking about the type of inner label you often see
> on the mushrooms?
> http://www.pu-erh.net/graphics/2003baoyan.jpg
>
> Here is a 2003 Baoyan mushroom
> http://www.pu-erh.net/graphics/Stash/DSCN0591.JPG
>
> Both of those have a flame that is touching the coals. Printing being
> what it is at these Factories I do not get too worried about such
> blemishes, while they can sometimes point to a forgery they can also
> just be the nuances of a specific production batch as well. Sometimes
> the differences are so slight you never see them unless someone in the
> business points them out.
>
> See http://www.teahub.com/pictures/xiaguan3.jpg for a good example of
> the finer points that told the difference between a real and a fake
> Xia Guan Te Ji tuocha. Linda touched on the topic a little in
> http://teatalk101.blogspot.com/2005/...ow-before.html
> She also touched on why the big factories are not always a guarantee
> of quality.
>
> Mike Petro
> http://www.pu-erh.net

/12/05

> Buddha was believed to be born in Lumbini, Nepal.
>
> They hardly drink yak milk there. Mostly they drink cow's milk.
>
> Some may believe that tea leaves was a gift from the buddha to the world (in
> several legends), but one thing for sure is that if tea was drunk then, it
> would not be the same tea as we drink these days.
>
> In the scriptures, tea was never mentioned too.

You refer to Christian Judaic scriptures, I presume; because in Buddhist
texts tea stains pages here and there. BTW, tea was discovered/invented by
some Buddha or other. I guarantee it.

Anyway, I think the legions don't revolve around Shakyamuni, but rather
around Boddhidharma, if I'm not mistaken.

Michael

> You refer to Christian Judaic scriptures, I presume; because in Buddhist
> texts tea stains pages here and there. BTW, tea was discovered/invented by
> some Buddha or other. I guarantee it.

Haha! If you guarantee by betting on your precious stash of pu'er, I'll
jump right in and garner them all! :")

No, I'm not referring to the Christian Judaic scriptures, I'm referring to
the Chinese versions of Tripitaka which included the diamond, lotus, heart
sutras; the sayings of the 6th grand master, the sutras of the underworld
buddha, and the History of Chinese Buddhism by Jiang Weiqiao. My tea
teacher, who is a staunch buddhist, bade me read them all if I were to learn
the art of Chado. Now I suspect it was a feeble attempt to convert me...
Tea was believed to be a later import to the buddhist faith when the monks
needed to keep awake on the long nights of prayers.

>
> Anyway, I think the legions don't revolve around Shakyamuni, but rather
> around Boddhidharma, if I'm not mistaken.
>
The legend involving Da Mo, or Bodhidharma, was that once during the 9 years
closed door meditation he almost fell asleep. Furious at himself to have
succumbed to such a thing, he tore off his eyelids and threw them on the
ground. The eyelids magically grew into tea plants which he plucked and
ate, and found to get a damn good kick out of it which kept him awake all
the time. Transport him to Christianity and he would be the patron saint of
students burning the night lamp for exams and night shift workers.

There's also a lengend involving Shakyammuni. The one who was formerly
known as prince of a south indian state was also a trained doctor. In
sutras such as the Lotus sutra and the Amitabha sutra, there are passages on
health matters. But in Chinese legends, it was said that Shakyammuni
travelled to China (some said Yunnan) and saw that the people there were
afflicted with epidemic. Full of compassion, he plucked out his ears, threw
them on the ground and out grew tea plants from which he plucked the leaves
and taught the people how to consume them.

Oh dear, I just realized there are some brutal self mutilations in
buddhistic beliefs, even if it for the greater benefit of mankind...

:")

/14/05

>
>> You refer to Christian Judaic scriptures, I presume; because in Buddhist
>> texts tea stains pages here and there. BTW, tea was discovered/invented by
>> some Buddha or other. I guarantee it.
>
> Haha! If you guarantee by betting on your precious stash of pu'er, I'll
> jump right in and garner them all! :")

Dharma combat? You can't win, brother.
>
> No, I'm not referring to the Christian Judaic scriptures, I'm referring to
> the Chinese versions of Tripitaka which included the diamond, lotus, heart
> sutras; the sayings of the 6th grand master, the sutras of the underworld
> buddha, and the History of Chinese Buddhism by Jiang Weiqiao. My tea
> teacher, who is a staunch buddhist, bade me read them all if I were to learn
> the art of Chado. Now I suspect it was a feeble attempt to convert me...
> Tea was believed to be a later import to the buddhist faith when the monks
> needed to keep awake on the long nights of prayers.

The Wisdom sutras. My favorite is the Diamond, but the others are nothing to
sneeze at (unless of course you've caught a cold).

>> Anyway, I think the legions don't revolve around Shakyamuni, but rather
>> around Boddhidharma, if I'm not mistaken.

> The legend involving Da Mo, or Bodhidharma, was that once during the 9 years
> closed door meditation he almost fell asleep. Furious at himself to have
> succumbed to such a thing, he tore off his eyelids and threw them on the
> ground. The eyelids magically grew into tea plants which he plucked and
> ate, and found to get a damn good kick out of it which kept him awake all
> the time. Transport him to Christianity and he would be the patron saint of
> students burning the night lamp for exams and night shift workers.

Who was watching him all those years? HIS wall wasn't that interesting.
Perhaps he just snoozed away, the eybrow thing being a great show for
passersby.
>
> There's also a lengend involving Shakyammuni. The one who was formerly
> known as prince of a south indian state was also a trained doctor. In
> sutras such as the Lotus sutra and the Amitabha sutra, there are passages on
> health matters.

Do you include the "medicine Buddha" chapter among them?

> But in Chinese legends, it was said that Shakyammuni
> travelled to China (some said Yunnan) and saw that the people there were
> afflicted with epidemic. Full of compassion, he plucked out his ears, threw
> them on the ground and out grew tea plants from which he plucked the leaves
> and taught the people how to consume them.

I had never heard that one, so it appears you made it up yourself.
>
> Oh dear, I just realized there are some brutal self mutilations in
> buddhistic beliefs, even if it for the greater benefit of mankind...

Not to mention masochistic episodes as when the BodhiSattva turned himself
into a rabbit to feed a bunch of hungry eaglets.

But from our main purpose, we digress. What was our main purpose, again?
I'm drinking some nice tea.

Michael

>> There's also a lengend involving Shakyammuni. The one who was formerly
>> known as prince of a south indian state was also a trained doctor. In
>> sutras such as the Lotus sutra and the Amitabha sutra, there are passages
>> on
>> health matters.
>
> Do you include the "medicine Buddha" chapter among them?

Ahhh, now I know who I miss out, Yakushi! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I
remember his sutra to be more on the mental health and spiritual wellbeing
rather than the prescription of physical health - a little like the holistic
healing I think.

>
>> But in Chinese legends, it was said that Shakyammuni
>> travelled to China (some said Yunnan) and saw that the people there were
>> afflicted with epidemic. Full of compassion, he plucked out his ears,
>> threw
>> them on the ground and out grew tea plants from which he plucked the
>> leaves
>> and taught the people how to consume them.
>
> I had never heard that one, so it appears you made it up yourself.

Nah, I'm not that maso, it is a well known Chinese legend regarding Yunnan's
Pu'er.

>>
>> Oh dear, I just realized there are some brutal self mutilations in
>> buddhistic beliefs, even if it for the greater benefit of mankind...
>
> Not to mention masochistic episodes as when the BodhiSattva turned himself
> into a rabbit to feed a bunch of hungry eaglets.

I vaguely remember this story...I also remember one where to save a rabbit,
the Bodhisattva cut his own flesh in exchange for the rabbit to feed the
eagle and its young.

>
> But from our main purpose, we digress. What was our main purpose, again?
> I'm drinking some nice tea.
>
Yak milk. Brick tea & butter. Wait. Or is that Milk, Yak Butter, Brick
Tea? Oh, I'm confused.