品茗无拘　　林钰堂

情有所钟费周章，欣厌得失惹人愁；
不择品类各一撮，融成新味无拘茶。

跋

一般品茗，有种种茶艺上之讲究。依各人口味，又凭添欣厌，而随得失起伏。我有幸常喝好茶，但皆是随缘享用，并非营求所得。学佛修习供养，更常将上好茶叶呈献于火供、烟供及龙王宝瓶之中。近来更超出品类之观念局限，每次皆任取三、四种茶叶，各一小撮，冲成一壶，而得尝无以名之的新风味。饮茶一事，可以惹起欣厌、牵缠，也可藉以修习解脱、开阔。日常生活中之余事，又何尝不是如此？

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 二○○○年七月廿二日
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 养和斋　　　　于加州

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Tasting Boundless Tea　Yutang Lin

Preference limits and causes elaborate endeavors;
Like and dislike, gain and loss, yield endless sorrows.
Not choosing sorts and grades, one pinch of each kind,
Join to brew boundless tea of fragrance and flavor new.

Comment:

The art of tea consists of many refined details. In accordance with each one's preference in taste, there are likes and dislikes leading to the ups and downs of gain and loss. Fortunately I have been enjoying good tea most of the time, thanks to favorable circumstances and others' generosity without my own pursuit and endeavor. As a Buddhist practice in making offerings I frequently present superb tea into fire pujas, smoke pujas and Dragon vases. Recently I even went beyond the conventional way of brewing only one kind of tea in a pot. Each time I arbitrarily chose three or four kinds of tea, and put a pinch of each kind into the pot. Consequently I enjoyed new flavor and fragrance of nameless tea again and again. Tea drinking is a matter of daily life that could lead to likes and dislikes and yield entanglements, but it could also be used to practice letting go of grasping and opening up to a variegated life. Could other matters of daily life be any different?

Written and translated on July 22, 2000
El Cerrito, California

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