AOM Meditations: on Tea by Thich Nhat Hanh 092420

by Jesse Stone

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on Tea by Thich Nhat Hanh

“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves. Slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future. Live the actual moment. Only this moment is life. You must be completely awake in the present to enjoy the tea. Only in the awareness of the present, can your hands feel the pleasant warmth of the cup. Only in the present, can you savor the aroma, taste the sweetness, appreciate the delicacy. If you are ruminating about the past, or worrying about the future, you will completely miss the experience of enjoying the cup of tea. You will look down at the cup, and the tea will be gone.

Life is like that. If you are not fully present, you will look around and it will be gone. You will have missed the feel, the aroma, the delicacy and beauty of life. It will seem to be speeding past you. The past is finished. Learn from it and let it go. The future is not even here yet. Plan for it, but do not waste your time worrying about it. Worrying is worthless. When you stop ruminating about what has already happened, when you stop worrying about what might never happen, then you will be in the present moment. Then you will begin to experience joy in life.”

I don’t think of the past anymore, I don’t think of the future anymore, I’m free from the past, from the future, and there is a real encounter between me and the tea.”

~Thich Nhat Hanh

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“Tea meditation is a time to be with the Sangha in a joyful and serene atmosphere. Just to enjoy our tea together is enough. It is like a “good news” occasion, when we share our joy and happiness in being together.

At times, when we are drinking tea with a friend, we are not aware of the tea or even of our friend sitting there. Practicing tea meditation is to be truly present with our tea and our friends. We recognize that we can dwell happily in the present moment despite all of our sorrows and worries. We sit there relaxed without having to say anything. If we like, we may also share a song, a story or a dance.

You may like to bring a musical instrument or prepare something ahead of time. It is an opportunity for us to water the seeds of happiness and joy, of understanding and love in each one of us.”

~Thich Nhat Hanh

AOM TEA V! TEA FOR YOU!

AOM on Tea

Building a tea collection can be tons of fun. I prefer loose leaf tea far more than tea bags but most grocery stores do not carry loose leaf tea. They only sell tea bags. I do all my loose leaf tea shopping at The Tea Table (LINK). They have a great selection and friendly service. One awesome thing about The Tea Table is that they allow you to select three free samples with every order. This gives you a chance to try teas before you buy them. I've discovered several favorite teas through doing this. I highly recommend shopping with them for your loose leaf teas. 

Since it would be easier for you to start buying tea from your local stores, I thought I'd share my favorite tea bags I buy at my local stores. The image above shows boxes of my favorite tea bags that I buy at Wal-Mart and Kroger. Start with these teas and then as you fall more in love with tea, you can branch out and order your own loose leaf teas. 

I hope this list of my favorites will help you and inspire you to start drinking tea and building up your own tea collection. Tea is one of life's special pleasures that gives us the opportunity to savor life. Tea is a most meditative beverage. Tea warms you up when it is cold outside and cools you down when it is hot outside. It soothes your soul when you are stressed and it energizes your spirit when you are tired. Tea is a blessed miracle.

from my list in the image above:

Earl Grey is a black tea flavored with the oil of bergamot 

which is a citrus fruit similar to oranges and lemons.

Darjeeling is the only pure black tea in this list. It has no added flavors.

The Lipton's is a green tea flavored with purple acai and blueberry.

Tazo Chai is a black tea flavored with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and black pepper. 

Tazo Zen is a green tea flavored with lemongrass and spearmint.

All of these are very yum. Darjeeling ("The Champagne of Tea") and Earl Grey (Captain Picard's favorite) have been my favorites since I was 14-years old when I began my adventures into Tea-dom. The Lipton's is perhaps the healthiest with a lovely fruity taste. The Tazo Chai is the most spicy fun - I'm amazed at how delicious the black pepper makes this tea. The Tazo Zen feels like the most meditative. 

Now if you a looking to order some loose leaf tea online from The Tea Table, here are some of my favorites with the link to the description of each tea on The Tea Table website:

from The Tea Table

Earl Grey Tea

https://www.theteatable.com/product/EG.html

Castleton First Flush Darjeeling Tea

https://www.theteatable.com/product/CST1.html

Formosa Oolong Tea

https://www.theteatable.com/product/FMO.html

Ceylon Lumbini Tea OP1

https://www.theteatable.com/product/LCEY.html

Caramel Black Tea

https://www.theteatable.com/product/CAR.html

Tea has been such a blessing in my life 

that I would love 

for you to experience the blessing in your life.

Parting Thought: 020618