Plant Speak #2: Tea

How many cups does it take?

"The first bowl cleanly moistens my lips and throat;
The second banishes my loneliness;
the third chases through all dullness
To clarify every word I've ever read.
The fourth brings on a light sweat
That cleanses away life's troubles.
The fifth purifies my soul
The sixth beckons me to the Immortals.
The seventh is my limit,
A light breeze breaks from my sleeves."
Lu T'ung, the "Teas Doter."

Tea. Oh, what a gift. Such an underestimated plant. Well, maybe not. The Chinese protected it for hundreds of years; No Share!. The Japanese made art and ceremony out of it. Europeans were fiends for it and went to war for it. They dissolved millions of pounds of sugar into it at the expense of African's lives. So, lets not say underestimated, but maybe today it is. Seems to me coffee has a greater hold on our society than this enlightening little plant. A moment of veneration.......ahhhhh.
Tea, you are like a monk with a stick with lessons ever subtle, I thank you. First, for helping me come to terms with our powerhouse friend coffee. Second, I am at your command for all you have taught me about attention to the details. Art. Pose. Quality. You seem to pull attention towards the greater beauty in the world. You are fast. I love you. Not as fast as the black water thankfully.
Anti-oxidants, polyphenols, vitamins, and minerals. You offer all for the upkeep of our bodies and minds and spirits. I will carefully serve your purpose. Share your insights. Bodhidharma sacrificed his eyelids for you. I sacrifice my beverage preference for you. May you help heal our constitutions. Fermented or not, from China or Japan or India, it seems your lot is similar: composed! Spiritual. Elegant. Regal. May I be an initiate. I bow down before your nature. The drink of a thousand and one Buddhas please enlighten me...and my friends.

Correspondence List:

Color: Mountain Green
Shape: circle
Planet: Saturn
God: Pan Gu
Activity: Meditation
Time of Day: Anytime
Music: Oriental
State of Mind: Serenity
Enemy: Coffee
Ally: Monks
Meridian: Lung
Element: Ether
Religion: Taoism
Sport: Mountain Climbing
Tuning: Drop D
Story: Bodhidharma's
Medicine: Qi Gong
Sport: Golf

Tea anyone?