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Zen and Tea Learning

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The first tea preparation a student learns is usually a simple tray ceremony (ryakubon).

A black tray with an undulating red rim holds a tea bowl with frothy green tea, a tea whisk, a red lacquer tea container, a bamboo tea scoop, a small linen cloth for wiping the tea bowl, and a folded purple silk cloth for purifying utensils.

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Lecture Notes

Basic lessons in the preparation of thin tea (usucha) and thick tea (koicha) follow. After receiving a firm foundation in these procedures and many others related to preparing the tea room and laying the fire, the student may assist his or her teacher in inviting guests to a full tea gathering (chaji).