Cha-Dao Book: Table of Contents & Chapter One

The Cha-Dao Research Society established its roots in the hamlet of Gong Guan, Miali County, Taiwan. More than a hamlet beyond the appearance of the village, it was - and to an extent still is - a fortress-stronghold of traditional cultural arts, not the least of which being the art of tea brewing. 
 
Guided by Master Ho Tsai Ping, the 100 tea sessions documented in this book are virtually irreproducible today, and without this little known (in the west) volume, they would certainly have passed into the realm of myth and legend.
 
The basic purpose of the sessions, clearly elucidated in this first instalment of the book, largely deals with the experiential aspects of the subtle, yet monumentally sublime, potential which exists for that tea which becomes a Tao - a passaage to illumination.
 
 
We will first introduce the genesis of this gathering of souls, nothing short of a pageant of tea largess, and some of the cast of characters, their commander in chief as well as some of the teas that were brewed.
 
It is almost an understatement to say that the life of each participant was altered irrevocably through this process. It is my great honour to be considered one among them, an 'Old Tea Friend' and member of the Way of Tea Research Society.
 
 
In Chinese, it is said that under heaven there is no party that does not draw to a close; however this one shall live on eternally for all who come in contact with its teas and its teachings.
 
Erick Smithe