On October 10th and 11th, 2014, Yunlin Tea Party in the theme of Chan tea and Chinese calligraphy was held in front of the Mahavira Hall of Lingyin Temple. At the tea party, about 600 hundred distinguished guests, tea lovers, venerable masters, lay disciples and Buddhist followers listened to Chinese classical music, tasted Chan tea, admired Chinese calligraphy and pondered upon the wisdom of Chan while inhaling the fragrance of Osmanthus fragrans in the bright moonlight.
With the fragrance of Osmanthus fragrans in the bright moonlight, the heaven is suffused with an exquisite aroma all around; with the flowing mountain stream and Chinese classical music, Chan is found everywhere in ordinary daily life.
At the tea party, monastic masters and lay disciples brought performances of playing Chinese musical instruments and Chinese calligraphy to the audience one after another. The melody “Three Stanzas of Plum Blossoms” played by Master Zhiyi was smooth and beautiful, vividly reproducing plum blossom’s proud and noble character of standing in cold and facing the snow. “Jackdaw Playing in the Water” performed by Master Jingli reproduced a lively picture of jackdaws playing in the water with a light yet fresh melody of a unique style. A lay disciple Ms. Yang Xinyu’s performance of “High Mountain and Flowing Water” expressed the spirit of open-mindedness through the melodious and beautiful music. Master Wenhai, with a composed and leisurely air, took up the writing brush and wrote down vigorous and forceful characters on the paper ---- “Lou Guan Cang Hai Ri, Men Dui Zhe Jiang Chao” (a view of the tide of Qiangtang River).
All noises and troubles faded away with such beautiful Chinese classical music going on at the ancient Lingyin Temple. With tea brewed by monastic masters and tea experts, one eased and relaxed both physically and mentally in the profound and elegant world of Chan.
There were many venerable masters of great achievements in the history of Lingyin Temple, who were very accomplished in the art of tea making and calligraphy, such as the poet Venerable Master Jiaoran and the musician Venerable Master Hongyi. The inheritance of such artistic talents has made tea making and calligraphy a tradition of Lingyin Temple. Life is short and yet Chan tea and calligraphy bring us peace and serenity to stop thinking and worrying. This Yunlin Tea Party in the theme of Chan tea and Chinese calligraphy gathered people together to taste three kinds of tea, including the fresh Kaihua Longding Tea (a green tea grown in Kaihua County of Zhejiang Province), the fragrant Tie Guan Yin Tea, and the vigorous Wuyi Rock Tea. On the two consecutive nights of Yunyin Tea Party, guests immersed themselves in tea, music and calligraphy with monastic masters so much so that they could hear Dharma voices and comprehend the true meaning of life with Dharma joy.
A glance of the warm and harmonious Yunlin Tea Party
Master Zhiyi performing “Three Stanzas of Plum Blossoms”
Ms. Yang Xinyu performing “High Mountain and Flowing Water”
Master Wenhai writing down vigorous and forceful characters on the paper
Fragrance of tea and wisdom of Chan
