Was Buddha a Buddhist? My understanding and discovery of Taoism...

Tea Tao —

Often it feels as if waking up in medias res on the path to illumination. It also feels as though some backstory might be helpful or informative, but remains unavailable. Perhaps it got lost somewhere, along with the keys to the vamana.

I prefer not to self-identify with a particular brand of religion. That being said, most of the inner work I did was in Asia and all happened to share the common element of Taoism.

Taoism appeals to me because of its decided lack of rules, and general resistance to labeling thing and preconceiving much of anything. The name of this path or Way is a handle tag when dealing with others, outsiders; otherwise it is often simply referred to as “that thing” — or even better not referred to at all.

In the ancient world, to give something a name (or to know the name of a deity for example) is to have power over it, to possess it in some way. This requires a rather disproportionate view of self — at least in the context of the great game.

Considering this for a moment while the kettle boils, I’m reminded of the notion that Buddha wasn’t a Buddhist.

He walked the Way, his way, as opposed to following that of anyone else. It reminds — again — of one of my early instructions of tea, one which I misinterpreted in various ways for many years.

It was a question: ‘Are you a steward or are you a king?’. If the game is total sovereignty of the self, then the path becomes clear; all that remains to do is to walk it.

On that note I’ll have another cup of tea.

Erick from Cloudwalker Tea

Tea as Tai-Chi for the mind

Part 1.

Gentle Path Walker:

I had some Great Mystery for breakfast this morning, the resulting internal shower created space for that balance you speak of with Tai Chi. The spark of life, that thing that sometimes leads to a blaze of creative yang insight or into the depths of the yin.

What is the energy of this and of that? I feel like its this question which lies at the core of Tea & the energetic arts.

My Qigung teacher said "The more relaxed you are the more energy you have." Well, most people know that the simplicity of sitting with Tea in general will often induce some level of relaxation. Turn that into a simple, wild Puerh and combine it with a basic Zhan Zhuang standing posture for example and suddenly the potential for tapping into & harmonizing with the apparent energy is amplified tremendously.

Through our commitment to practice & developing our own unique relationship with our own energy and that of Tea we become a clear channel for Tea & the Tao to flow through.

A lifetime of seasoning our own unique vessel in furthering the wisdom of nature, "the energies of this and that" or in other words the subtle nuances of change in the ebb & flow of life.

Erick:

I never did much Taichi, though often found it easier to say Taichi than take the time to explain the style I did practice. There is also the added benefit, that if you’re in a bar anywhere in Asia and say you do Taichi or Qigung this is relatively safe. Mentioning even casually Kung fu almost guarantees that by the end of the night you’ll have to practice on someone.

Though Taichi can be a venerable and advanced fighting system, it is much more commonly associated with elderly people in parks, valiantly trying to stave off death for another year. I respect Taichi, but my interest is primarily in the goal of Taichi.

This goal is shared with all internal styles of martial art, with meditation, and Yoga. Simply put it is the union with the divine, the Tao, or the Great Ultimate in the case of Taichi. My personal favourite name for this state of being is credited to Zen and translates as ‘that thing’. That thing is what we’re after, it justifies the massive commitment required for the attainment of it.

Tea and the Energy Arts —

Tea and Zen are one flavour is an often heard refrain among the students of Cha Dao — the Way of tea. It can just as easily be said that tea and qigong are of one flavour, or go hand in hand. For many of us that practice qigong, taichi, meditation or similar energy based arts — yoga — the practice of one informs the other. For many of us the practices become inseparable, with one both informing and fueling the other. This blog is intended as something of a dialogue, or document of this these pursuits — in hopes that it inspires others to grasp that which is (perhaps) most ephemeral.

Kevin Hartwell (@gentlepathwalker) is a student of nature. He describes himself as cultivating peace, presence and balance, through the energy arts of tea, qigung and Reiki. Kevin practices in Ucluelet, on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, in. Ucluelet is a wild and lush temperate rainforest of towering ancient trees, cloaked in moss and mist. This ancient rainforest is the center of his spiritual practice. It is also home to eagles, wolves, cougars and bears.

Erick Smithe is the living link to a number of exceedingly rare ancient Chinese disciplines. Like all good “monks” his disciplines are equally divided between martial and the healing arts — in addition to aesthetic pursuits. Upon the completion of many years of study in language and culture in Taiwan, and with the publication of the translation of Chao Dao —From Tea to Tao for the Cha Dao Research Society of Taiwan, Erick returned to the West. A classical wildman in the old Taoist way, he is currently in exile in Victoria on Vancouver Island. Fate facilitated the introduction (via Portland) to the eminent Kevin Hartwell, with whom he shares this dialogue on Tea and the Energetic Arts.