Presence of mind

Once Lord Yamanouchi, who was a Japanese aristocrat from the nineteenth century, asked his
tea master to accompany him in a visit to Edo city (later known as Tokyo) where he intends to stay
for a while. He wanted to show the people of his class the skills of his tea master in the
tea ceremony, and the tea master knew all about the rituals of the tea ceremony, but knew
little of everything else, he was a man of peace. Yet he put on the samurai costume, as his
high rank requires.


In one evening and as he walked the streets of the big city a samurai cut his path and
challenged him to a duel. The tea master didn't know how to use a sword, and he tried to
explain that to the samurai, but the latter did not listen. To refuse the challenge would
bring great dishonor to the tea master's family and Lord Yamanouchi's as well. Although
it meant certain death, he had to accept. And so he did, but he requested that the duel
be postponed till the next day, and the samurai approved.

The hysterical tea master hastened to the nearest swordsmanship school.
If he was to die, he was at least to die with honor. Meeting the swordsmanship master
required recommendation letters, but the tea master was persistent, with obvious terror
on his face, so they let him meet with the master.

The master sympathized with his unfortunate guest and decided to teach him
the art of death, but requested that he would serve him some tea first.
The tea master started the tea ritual, he was very calm and focused.
The swordsmanship master shouted: There is no need for you to learn the art of death!
The state of mind you are in right now is enough to face any samurai. When you see
your challenger tomorrow, imagine that you are about to serve him tea. Take of your coat
and fold it as you did just now, and place your hand fan on it as you always do. Draw
your sword, and hold it high above your head in the same alert state you are in when
you practice your ritual. Then close your eyes and ready yourself for combat.

The tea master accepted what the master said. And in the next day he went to
meet the samurai, who could not help but notice the presence of a different man
than the one he saw, the calm state of mind, the venerable expressions
on his face, as he takes off his coat. The confused samurai thought he must have
fallen victim to some kind of trick or deception ,and now it was he who feared for his life.
The samurai bowed, asked to be excused for his rude behavior the other night,
and left the place with as much speed and dignity as he could muster.


Is it really possible for someone to be in that state of mind?!
has anyone here had a similar experience where they could stay calm and think right while the adrenaline is pumping hard?

Any feed back would be great.

Is it really possible for someone to be in that state of mind?!
has anyone here had a similar experience where they could stay calm and think right while the adrenaline is pumping hard?

In that state of mind there is no thinking and no adrenaline pumping hard.

Calmness, like the tea master had in serving tea, is what is left.

Originally Posted by Lisa

In that state of mind there is no thinking and no adrenaline pumping hard.

Calmness, like the tea master had in serving tea, is what is left.

Yes, you are right...but it seems rather difficult to achieve.

Serving tea doesn't put me in that state of mind lol, nor anything else that I can
think of, my question is how do I do that?

Have you ever really served tea?

Good place to start.

There are also spiritual practices that can prepare one for serving tea.

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by jiraiyaNOmonogatari

... my question is how do I do that?

Practice, focus and grace.

Originally Posted by Lisa

Have you ever really served tea?

Good place to start.

There are also spiritual practices that can prepare one for serving tea.

yes, I make tea for my parents all the time, its rather annoying actually.
but I'll give it a shot, thanks.

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

Practice, focus and grace.

Thank you Miss Hepburn.

I'd like to know more about this if anyone has something to share or some personal experiences, thanks.

[Gem]

I think it's like when I play guitar and try to utmost to make the perfect sound, the extremity of concentration on every minute nuance is what it takes to get it just right.

Greetings..

Make death your companion.. no one gets our of the physical experience without shedding their physical garments.. make peace with this unavoidable transformation... these physical garments hide the Great Mystery from us, yet we wear them with pride..

If you understand your ancient Japanese folk-lore, the Tea Ceremony, as it is known today, evolved as a response to a tea-server that was put to death for poor service, though proper sensibilities seldom reveal that element of brutality.. hunderds of years prior to the Japanese tea-ceremony the Chinese already had a fairly precise method for preparation and service, though less ritualistic..

The Samurai Life was brutally honest, live hard/die hard, and appreciate what beauty comes your way.. a cup of tea, a Lady's glance, a cherry blossom.. a quick honorable death, rather than drooling away into blackness on the cold linoleum floor of a nursing home..

There is a calm that emerges when it is realized that this physical existence is just a brief interval in the eternal process of existence.. we put-on these physical garments and later discard them, we are not the garments..

Be well..

[athribiristan]

Originally Posted by jiraiyaNOmonogatari

Thank you Miss Hepburn.

I'd like to know more about this if anyone has something to share or some personal experiences, thanks.

It is to put every fiber of your being into a simple act. To dedicate every motion to the highest perfection. The act is fluid, efficient, and beautiful. The tea is always perfect, there is never a mess, never a drop of water that isn't where it should be. One lesson that I have learned is that if you want to be good at something, do it a million times. In my experience when you reach this point your actions will be fairly ritualized. You may even begin to find that elusive state of mind you're looking for. When you get to five million times your actions will almost never vary. What seems like ritual to others is anything but. It is a dedication of oneself to a perfect act.