Saturday, August 27, 2011

Korean Tea Classics Book Club- Dong Cha Song- Hymn In Praise of Korean Tea- 11


"I have a rock spring, so I brew Excellent Blue and A Hundred-Year Life.
How shall I offer some to Old Hae at the foot of Mongmyeok Mountain?"


Feel free to join the online book club at anytime by simply purchasing Korean Tea Classics. Dong Cha Song is 17 stanzas in length, we will go through each stanza week by week. Jump in and join the discussion as you please.

Peace
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4 comments:

  1. LeliaAugust 28, 2011 at 6:45 PM

    I love your article about Korean tea, My best friend brought me the most beautiful celadon tea set from South Korea when she traveled there.

    Thanks for promoting green tea lifestyles!

    ReplyDelete
  2. MattAugust 28, 2011 at 7:46 PM

    Lelia,

    You won't see much Korean celadon here on this blog. :) Thanks for your support though. Keep living that "green tea lifestyle"!

    Peace

    ReplyDelete
  3. MattSeptember 4, 2011 at 5:19 PM

    All,

    Notes on stanza 11:

    "The aged return quickly to childhood like a tree revitalized as if by a miracle,
    the face of an eighty-year-old as pink as a lovely peach."

    These lines again reiterate tea's regenerative properties and describe their properties as miraculous. It also details the cosmetic properties of tea- its makes the old not only feel but also look young.

    "I have a rock spring, so I brew Excellent Blue and Hundred-Year Life.
    How shall I offer some to Old Hae at the foot of Mongmyeok Mountain?"

    These lines speak to the challenges involved with trying to maintain the vibrancy of water while making tea.

    Cho-Ui exclaims, "I have a rock spring". He is speaking of the spring high on top of mount Wolchul where Ilchi Hermitage is located and where he obtained enlightenment. Cho-ui's notes suggest that the water there is "better than cream" thus perfect for making tea.

    Then Cho-Ui presents the dilemma of making tea for distinguished guests in a place with less than ideal water and perhaps in an unfamiliar place- the foot of Mongmyeok Mountain.

    This is a reference on how the source of the water profoundly influences the qi of the water and therefore the final cup of tea. Water directly from the spring and high up a mountain have more vibrant and lighter energy than water that is runoff at the foot of the mountain.

    See here:

    http://mattchasblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/harmonizing-water-and-tea-choosing.html

    Peace

    ReplyDelete
  4. MattSeptember 4, 2011 at 5:31 PM

    All,

    Notes on stanza 11:

    Oops forgot this note...

    "at the foot of Mongmyeok Mountain" is referring to the palace in Seoul.

    Peace

    ReplyDelete