A Cup of Tea
Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.
Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring.
The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"
"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"
Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring.
The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"
"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"
Implications for Learning and Teaching
The tea metaphor is a rich one. Learning, like tea, can be enjoyed on one's own spare time, individually, reflecting, calming, or enjoyed in the joyful, loving company of family, close companions, dear friends, trusted colleagues, the local community, and globally. Tea can be consumed at home or at work, in restaurants, shops, on the street and in the parks throughout the day. It has a rich philosophical, socio-cultural, linguistic, biological and evolutionary history. Drinking moderate amounts over a long period of time is good for health and well-being. Drinking too much at once may cause one to rush to relieve one's bladder.
As such, tea has traditionally been served in small cups, distributed amongst a group sharing one teapot, so its taste and fragrance can be enjoyed sip by sip over long conversations, exchanging ideas and insights. Without emptying one's cup first, there cannot be room to be served more. The tea server, with due diligence and etiquette, must always be always be alert to an empty cup like a teacher always alert to the unique needs of his or her students. There are many different tea varieties to suit different tastes. Some like to add cream, milk or sugar in their tea. Some prefer their tea decaffeinated. Some may experience adverse effects, such as insomnia, depending on the type of tea, its concentration and preparation methods, and time of day it was taken. Either way, taking time for tea is taking time for learning. You can serve yourself and others, once you learn the art.
As such, tea has traditionally been served in small cups, distributed amongst a group sharing one teapot, so its taste and fragrance can be enjoyed sip by sip over long conversations, exchanging ideas and insights. Without emptying one's cup first, there cannot be room to be served more. The tea server, with due diligence and etiquette, must always be always be alert to an empty cup like a teacher always alert to the unique needs of his or her students. There are many different tea varieties to suit different tastes. Some like to add cream, milk or sugar in their tea. Some prefer their tea decaffeinated. Some may experience adverse effects, such as insomnia, depending on the type of tea, its concentration and preparation methods, and time of day it was taken. Either way, taking time for tea is taking time for learning. You can serve yourself and others, once you learn the art.