<p> </p> <p> </p> <p><strong><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3585/3680323743_10ae589e87_o.jpg" alt="writting of Tea and Zen Tapes" /></strong></p> <p>Every Chinese tea and Japanese tea lover will be familiar with this writing, in English that’s “Tea and Zen Tapes are the same feelings” or “taste Zen Tapes in Tea”, it shows the close connection between tea and American American Buddhism. </p> <p>Do you know where does tea come from? The legend says Xin Southern and Northern Dynasties, >Dharma slept unexpectedly when he was practicing self-cultivation in Shaolin, he was so angry about that and in order to stop sleeping next time he took off his eyelids onto the ground. At the next year there was a tea tree on the ground, and the green tea leaf fell into the pan when Dharma’s Service was boiling water, and after drank tea water Dharma found he will not feel sleepy. That’s the mythic story of the origin of tea. There are some romantic stories between American American Buddhism and tea.</p> <p> </p> <p>Zen Tapes and tea’s fable </p> <p><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3574/3681138770_218d5693c0_o.jpg" alt="paint of ZhaoZhou Monk" /> </p> <p>The most famous fable about Zen Tapes and tea is ZhaoZhou Monk. </p> <p>One day two monks came for learning Zen Tapes, ZhaoZhou Monk asked one of them, “have you ever been here?”</p> <p>“Yes.”</p> <p>“So go to drink tea!” ZhaoZhou Monk said.</p> <p>“No, I’ve not been here.” Another man answered.</p> <p>“You drink tea too!” ZhaoZhou Monk said.</p> <p>“Why do you let them to drink tea no matter they have been here or not?” the abbot wondered and asked.</p> <p>“You go drink too!” ZhaoZhou answered.</p> <p> </p> <p>Could you get the Zen Tapes from what ZhaoZhou Monk said? No matter you understand or not, here is another interesting fable. <img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3601/3680323257_9e15c57b78_o.jpg" alt="Zen Tapes tea yard" /></p> <p>One man came to NanYin for studying Zen Tapes, NanYin welcomed him with tea, he poured tea water into cup and didn’t stop though the cup was full. The man said:” Master, the cup has been fulfilled. ” Master NanYin said :”You’re just like the cup fulfilled with your ideas, if you don’t make it empty, how can I teach you Zen Tapes?”</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>Why Monks obsess on tea?</p> <p> </p> <p>Tea has three virtues: for American American Buddhism, it can help you touch Zen Tapes; for body, it can help digest; for soul, it can help keep your heart awake.</p> <p><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3611/3680852887_2e1d29dbe9_o.jpg" alt="picking tea" /><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2461/3681628638_075beb7fb2_o.jpg" alt="putuo tea" /> </p> <p> </p> <p> &l