By Kimine Mayuzumi
Ichigo ichie (一期一会 ), the Japanese proverb that translates to “one encounter at a (life) time” – is more than just a saying; it’s a philosophy that teaches us to cherish the uniqueness of each and every moment.
This principle is especially important in the context of Japanese tea ceremonies, where the procedure is rigid and complicated. However, the true essence of the ceremony lies in focusing on the unique quality of each experience.
Sen Soshits XV, one of the great tea masters of the urasenke school, advocated this principle as a core philosophy for tea ceremonies:
It is no exaggeration to say that awareness of the uniqueness of each and every tea gathering is the core of the study of the way of tea and the only way to gain its three elements: the way (spirit), the learning (culture of the way of tea) and the reality (practice through making tea). The pleasure of tea relies on the indescribable charm of a host conveying his or her deepest feeling to the guests, by selecting the tea utensils and tableware, assorting and arranging things according to their due, the season and the theme… If the host and his or her guests can develop a rapport in this atmosphere, therein lies the essence of the way of tea. (Sasaki, 2002, p. i)
Moreover, in the midst of the tea ceremony, it becomes clear that words hold little importance in comparison to the sound of water pouring from the hishaku, a wooden ladle. Each sound carries its own spirit, as Matsunobu (2007) notes, and therefore, all of one’s concentration is fixated on the water. Through this practice, the tea ceremony allows us to engage with the world around us and reflect on how we feel about it through all of our senses. It encourages us to slow down, a concept that still seems foreign for many in today’s neoliberal era, where productivity and efficiency reign supreme.
Under such intense pressure, academics are not immune to the strain of overwork. In fact, they often find themselves bombarded by demands from institutional expectations and struggling to balance their personal lives with their professional obligations (Canaan & Shumar, 2008). The dominant “work ethic” discourse and the resultant workload have bolstered the time pressure on faculty (Vostal, 2015; Shahjahan, 2015), which can take a severe toll on their mental health, resulting in burnout, anxiety, and guilt, among other “hidden injuries” (Gill, 2009).
As the author of “The tea ceremony as a decolonizing epistemology: Healing and Japanese women” and a scholar whose research area has focused on women in higher education, I propose that the spirit of the tea ceremony could provide much-needed solace to busy academics seeking a path to healing.
This journey towards healing involves making peace with oneself and embracing who one really is, as Morrisseau (1998), the author of “Into the daylight: A wholistic approach to healing” notes. Morrisseau further says:
Healing is a matter of the heart and not just the “head.”…What we lack is the confidence and knowledge to recognize what is important in healing. It is this gentle pearl that must be cultivated and brought back to life. (p. 6)
To this end, I believe that the following three interconnected elements of the tea ceremony, added to its nature described above, can serve as a powerful tool for healing. So, let me imagine myself in a tea room as a guest and explore these elements.
1. Wholeness and balance
In the tea ceremony, by going through the details of the moment, I aim to preserve the view of the whole microcosm representing our natural world. I am to acknowledge not only the taste of the tea but also the calligraphy on the wall, the flower-decorated alcove, where the teacup was coming from, what season the cake represented, and so forth. As all these elements come together, the entire space becomes central to the tea ceremony.
Healing, too, is about being whole. It requires acknowledging all aspects of our lives and promoting balance and harmony among them. This means considering questions like work-life balance and whether we are part of our world as a whole. Peter Reason, an author, academic and environmental activist, states that “to heal means to make whole: we can only understand our world as a whole if we are part of it: as soon as we attempt to stand outside: we divide and separate” (as cited in Shilling, 2002, p. 156).
In the same way that the pleasure of tea comes from all the different aspects of the ceremony, healing comes from taking care of all aspects of ourselves. To heal is to make ourselves complete by recognizing and nurturing our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing while they are all interconnected. We need to ask ourselves if our body is well taken care of, and what our emotional status is. By paying attention to all of these aspects, we can move from simply healing from burnout or stress to healing toward a personal aspiration for life.
By incorporating the tea ceremony’s approach to wholeness and balance, we can learn to embrace the wholeness of our lives too and promote healing from within. Whether we are drinking tea or engaging in other activities, we can strive to appreciate the whole microcosm of our experiences and find healing in the process.
2. Relations
The tea ceremony is a beautiful example of how relationships and community can be fostered and celebrated. In this ceremony, the host and guest share a space and communicate not just through words, but through the spirits that they bring with them to the tearoom. The environment of the tearoom reflects the natural environment, and the space becomes a microcosm of unity for a community.
This sense of community and connection is important for all of us, especially those who are going through the stresses of work. Isolation and loneliness can make things worse. We all need support from the communities that we care about, whether that be family, friends, colleagues, or even our ethnic or racial group.
But it’s not just the roles that community members play that are important – it’s how we relate to each other that truly matters. When we share a space and spirits with others, it helps us heal and find hope in the present moment. As Malidoma Somé, the author of “Ritual: Power, healing, and community,” says, “a true community begins in the hearts of the people involved.”(1993, p. 51)
So let’s take inspiration from the tea ceremony and nurture our relationships and communities, both in our personal lives and our professional ones. Let’s create spaces full of respect, harmony, and care, where we can come together and find unity in our shared experiences.
3. Process
The process of making and having tea in a tea ceremony is not just about drinking tea – it’s about being mindful of each step and fostering care and respect for the beings and non-beings that create the space of unity. It’s about slowing down and living in the present moment.
In healing, too, the process is more important than the outcome. If we rush toward the outcome, we may miss out on important opportunities for healing, growth, and self-discovery.
But in today’s world, it can be hard to slow down. We are constantly rushing from one thing to the next, multi-tasking instead of engaging with one thing at a time. Being busy is often seen as a sign of productivity, and we may feel guilty for taking time for ourselves or spending time with our loved ones.
As the Chinese character of being busy (忙) represents a “soul being lost,” one’s soul must be alive to heal. Slowing down is essential if we want to heal and make peace with ourselves. We need to be present in the process, to take the time to know ourselves and our needs. Slowing down is a political act against the acceleration of our lives caused by corporatization (Shahjahan, 2015). It’s about living in a meaningful, pleasurable, and sustainable way, and integrating the concept of ichigo ichie – one encounter at a time – into our lives.
These lessons are not just applicable to the tea ceremony – they are relevant to anyone who feels constantly busy and rushed. By imagining the tea ceremony described above, we can not only learn these lessons intellectually but also feel them in our hearts. This embodied knowledge can inspire us to live more mindfully and humanize the process of healing. So let’s take the time to slow down, to be present in the moment, and to nurture ourselves and our relationships.
Originally published on January 29, 2016 and updated on May 15, 2023.
Featured image by mrhayata