Heart Tied with the Tea Ceremony

I was so touched learning about the Japanese tea ceremony that I just couldn't let go without sharing with you all ka.

 

I had an excellent opportunity to learn about it from my Japanese friend (Minako) who is a licensed teacher, with the help of two other great Japanese friends (Akiko and Yu-chan)...all three and I have known one another for 30 years from the Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program ka..and the Japanese Government should feel so gooooood the program works for cementing people-to-people ties.

 

It isn't easy to have a lesson!

Akiko and Yu-chan took me with them to get the 'tools' from a special tea shop just for tea ceremony! We got tea, a bamboo ladle, a whisk, paper to serve desserts, etc. to be followed by desserts at a supermarket, those that were made just for Autumn. Then, behind the scenes, the two had to wash the bowls, kettles, cups, etc. while boiling water and carefully sifting grounded tea (for better aroma and taste) to be ready for the ceremony, performed in a room that was rented for the purpose.

 

In the room, Minako brought a vase to the special corner and watched it carefully. When things were all set, Minako taught me how to go through the small door to the room. The thinking of having a small door was to ask samurais to get in without having their swords with them. Minor details were told too like how to open the door by the left hand and then use the right hand to slide it not all through the way to make it easier to close.

I had the honor to sit at the VIP seat!

 

From there, every step was delicate and without proper training, it'd be so difficult to follow. I tried to follow as much as possible and to think along, from how to appreciate everything we use like the kettle and the bowl, how to measure the right amount of tea and water, how to hold the ladle without using any force, how to 'purify' the tea bowl, how to serve, and how to drink it properly (only how to drink has a few steps to follow laew ka! Wow! Wow!)

 

Minako asked me to make tea after her teaching and I was clumsy but managed to finish it with her close supervision ka. During the ceremony, I learned what it meant and how to do it the right way. My teacher taught me till the end to tell me how to leave the room properly ka!

 

My whole learning was about the Japanese thinking. It is so philosophically cultured-- how they attach themselves to the nature, how they appreciate the art and those who  have produced art pieces, how they realize what they can learn every time they see the same piece of art, how their span of attention is much longer to go through the whole process with focus and inner joy, etc.

 

Honestly, I didn't expect much at first because I wanted to learn to appreciate more of the Japanese cultue from this rare opportunity, that was all. To my own surprise, I was able to go through the ceremony with full concentration and Ieft the place with the very feeling of calmness and deep happiness plus definitely more 'sa-ti'-- mindfulness ka!

 

As I'm writing at the moment, I have inner delight within me.....still!

And as I'm feeling so, my thanks to my three friends go deeper into my heart as well!

Role of Thailand in Unesco

I was happy to moderate a session yesterday morning on, 'Nurturing Thai People to be Efficient Global Citizens'. Prof. Yongyuth Yuthavong and Dr. Teerakiat Jaroensettasin were the guest speakers ka.

Let me share what I learned from them, the floor, including my own observations ka.

 

1. Both speakers are readers and thinkers who have had a chance to be at the top policy level of the country, handling education, social sciences, and science and technology. Both emphasized on humanity, culture, and language proficiency. So it's obvious how interesting their talks were ka.

 

2. Ajarn Yongyuth told the audience not to expect funding support from Unesco. Rather, we need to maximize the wealth of knowledge to identify priority issues of the world that Thailand needs to consider. Working with Unesco is great but without Unesco, Thailand has to move on in any case for us to nurture our people to become global citizens ka.

 

3. Ajarn Teerakiat said we should look at the economics too, which focuses on the demand side. He pointed out that it's impossible to eradicate inequality but it's best for the advantaged/ the have to share with the disadvantaged/ the have not.

 

4. Several participants thought it was challenging for Thais as we lack skills to link what we have, proactive drive, platforms to share and network on Unesco's knowledge, our own weakness in language and communication in international forums.

 

5. We need to understand ideals of the UN and Unesco to see how Thais can contribute, not just gain benefits for our very own sake. Synergy in our own country in terms of strategic thinking, collective actions, and sharing, is needed for us to maximize the rich resources while understanding better on diversity and sustainable development along with the proper balance in our own context.

 

6. Thais don't have much prominent role in Unesco and we need to be more strategic so that we not only play up our visibility, but also make positive impacts in this organization, with over 190 countries as Members.

 

The time was short but I'm glad there were a few questions about how each can do, and do better.

 

It was a small forum but with the two speakers' deep thinking and sharing, it was really worth the time! I have Prof. Yongyuth's presentation on global citizens and if you'd like to learn more, I'll be more than happy to forward it ka.