The Leaf – Issue 8 is out
Those of you who have been following this blog for a while will know about my involvement with the free online tea publication The Leaf. I’m happy to announce that the latest issue, number 8, has just been published. As usual, it is filled with in-depth articles on tea and tea culture and I want to point out a few articles that I found especially fascinating. But you should really read through all of the articles (and the back issues if you haven’t yet), since I can guarantee you that you will learn a lot about tea culture. Since it is free, all you need is time…
The article Turn all your dust into gold by The Leaf’s founder and chief editor Wu De (Aaron Fisher) uses the recipe to one of the most pursued goals of the Alchemists of old – the production of gold – as an analogy to create a fulfilling life. You’ll find a lot of wisdom in this article and although this analogy came as a real surprise to me, I couldn’t think of an analogy that describes the process of personal ‘enlightenment’ in a better suited way.
The section Gong Fu Tea Tips has a long tradition in The Leaf. In every issue, the authors share a few tips, recommendations or incentives to experiment, which ultimately lead to brewing better tea. In the past, these have mostly focused on improving the taste and smell of your tea. This issue’s Tea Tips relate to another aspect of tea – ‘mouthfeel’. The article explains what ‘mouthfeel’ is and how it can be used to judge a tea’s quality more objectively.
Frederick R. Dannaway’s scholarly article Steeped in Solitude is a treatise of the role of eremiticism in ancient cultures and the connection to tea.
One of the very special features of The Leaf is the mixture of articles from very experienced people/tea masters and relative novices. One prime example for this is the co-authored article In the Zendo by Thomas Leons and Wu De (Aaron Fisher). It combines the views of an experienced voice and that of a novice on the subject of Tea and Zen. It is very interesting to read these two accounts in one article and I think the following paragraph (taken from the article) perfectly describes why:
It is important in Zen to learn, develop and strengthen while at the same time we need to occasionally rinse off all that we’ve learned and start over again. The beginner’s mind is full of possibilities. It is open and willing to learn. The beginner listens. And ultimately, every situation we encounter—every person we meet is our master.
Another regular section that I have grown to look forward to is Wu De’s fictional writing. This issue’s Fallen Leaves recounts the story of tea’s origin as being grown from Bodhidharma’s eyelids which he ripped off on his path to enlightenment.
New this time is a section called Questions & Answers, where the authors give answers to questions that have been asked frequently in the past. This issue’s Q & A are about the subject of kettles.
Well, I hope you will enjoy reading through all the articles in issue 8 of The Leaf. Please feel free to leave comments or ask questions. Wu De and the rest of the editorial team will be more than happy to answer them.