The Way of the Heart and Soul

There was a famous tea maker in the Edo period, who worked for a powerful and distinguished master. Japan promotes the tea ceremony as a part of Zen, in which the tea ceremony and meditation are two parts of one whole. 

One day the master decided to go to the capital on business. He could not bear to leave his tea maker behind , so he said to him: 'Come with me, so I can drink your tea everyday.' 

But Japan at that time was very dangerous. Bandits and masterless samurai - ronin - roamed the countryside, terrorizing the inhabitants. The tea maker was afraid. He said to his master: 'I have no skill with weapons, if I do run into trouble on the road, what will I do?'

His master said: 'Carry a sword and dress as a samurai'.

The tea maker had no choice. He changed into a samurai's clothes, and went with his master to the capital. One day, the master had gone out to see his business, so the tea maker went for a walk on his own. At that moment a ronin came up to him, and challenged him, saying: 'You're a warrior too, I see - so let's try your skill against mine.'

The tea maker said: 'I don't know anything about fighting, I'm just a tea maker.' 

The ronin said: 'You are not a samurai, but you're dressed as one.  If you have any shame or self-respect at all, you should die by my blade!'

The tea maker racked his brains, but there was clearly no getting out of it, so he said: 'Spare me for a few hours so I can complete the tasks my master has given me. This afternoon we'll meet again by the pond.'

The ronin thought it over and agreed, adding: 'Be there, or else.'

The tea maker hurried straight to the most famous martial arts school in the capital. He went straight to the chief samurai and said to him: 'I beg you, teach me the most honourable way for a samurai to die!'

The chief samurai was extremely surprised. He said: 'People come here to seek a living, you're the first one to come seeking death. Why are you doing this?'

The tea maker described his meeting with the ronin, and then said: 'Making tea is all I know, but today I must engage in mortal combat with that man. I beg you to teach me how. All I want is to die with a little honour.'

The chief samurai said: 'Very well, you brew me some tea, and then I will tell you what to do.'

The tea maker was deeply distressed and said: 'This may be the last tea I prepare in this world.'

He did it with great concentration, calmly watching the mountain spring water to come to the boil on the little stove, then putting in the tea leaves, washing the tea, filtering it and pouring it out, a little at a time. Then he took a cup in both hands and presented it to the chief samurai. 

The chief samurai had been watching the whole process. He tasted a mouthful and said: 'This is the best tea I have drunk in my entire life. I can tell you right now that there is no need for you to die.'

The tea maker said: 'What will you teach me?'

The chief samurai said: 'There's no need for me to teach you anything. When you face that ronin, all you have to do is remember the state of mind you were in when you made the tea. You don't need anything else.'

After the tea maker had heard this he went to keep his appointment. The ronin was already waiting for him, and as soon as the tea maker arrived he drew his sword, saying: 'Now you're here, let the duel begin!'

The tea maker had been pondering the words of the great samurai all the way, so he faced this ronin in exactly the same state of mind as when he was brewing tea.

He fixed his gaze on his opponent, then unhurriedly removed his hat and placed it squarely beside him. Then he opened his loose outer robe, folded it slowly, and tucked it neatly under the hat, then he produced strips of cloth, and bound the sleeves of his inner garment firmly to his wrists, then he did the same to his cuffs of his trousers. He robed himself for battle from head to foot, remaining calm and unruffled throughout. 

The ronin was getting anxious. The more he watched the more disconcerted he became, because he could not guess how great his opponent's skill with weapons really was. The look in the other man's eyes and his smile was making him increasingly unsure of himself.

When the tea maker has finished dressing himself, his final action was to draw his sword hissing from its scabbard, and brandish it in mid-air... And there he stopped because he did not know what to do next.

At that moment the ronin threw himself to his knees, crying: 'Spare my life, I beg you! I have never seen so skilled a fighter in all my life!'

- by Japanese author Daisetsu Suzuki.

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Was the tea maker's victory really happened because of his fighting skills? No, it was the bravery of his heart, and his relaxed, composed self-confidence. The attitude in which he approached his task.

 

So dear folks, techniques and skills are not what matter most. To fully comprehend those things that go beyond mere skill, we need to use our hearts and soul.

 

This is the story that I shared, during one of MPPUTP's weekly meeting, which I picked from a book entitled 'Confucius From The Heart'. And yes; as MPP, and as a student, I truly believe in the power of our hearts and soul to touch deeply those around us. Even how small the action is. Once we decided to put our effort on something, then automatically our minds and hearts should strive towards it, putting aside all the worries and troubles that could shake us. InsyaAllah :)