Tea Ceremony

It's taken me a little while to actually put together this post because I've been trying to figure out how to properly convey it. I suppose, really, I can't. Tea ceremonies weren't developed to be condensed into a travel blog. But at the same time I don't want to be too holy about it, because, like my man, Master Dogen Zenji wrote,

"There are those who say there is nothing holy in the secular world; I say, there is nothing secular in this holy world."

Perhaps Master Dogen would agree with me, that even beer pong is a form of a tea ceremony seen in the right light, especially when one bashes through the sheet rock during an especially heated volley.

The beauty of this particular tea ceremony, is that Yuka-San is studying not only Cha-do, but Sa-do. (Beyond the way of tea, but really the way of ceremony, or, if you'd care to phrase it, the way of the way) The water was heated, the tea was whisked, we were properly presented, and taught how to receive and return the tea cups (Each with three turns)
I was reminded of the days of Oryoki up at ZMM.

"When there is true intimacy, there is no giver, nor receiver."