Zen Master Rongxi and his “Eating Tea for Health”
Eisai (1141 – 1215), the founder of the Rinzai sect in Japan, whose secular surname was Kaya, styled himself Myoan, and was also known as Yeshangfang. He was revered as “Eisai Zen Master” and was also called the originator of the Rinzai sect in Japan – the National Master of Qianguang. He began to study Buddhist scriptures at the age of 11 and entered the Buddhist order at the age of 14. Later, he studied the doctrines of the Tendai sect and Esoteric Buddhism on Mount Hiei. Eisai Zen Master went to China twice to seek Buddhist teachings. In 1168, he entered the Song Dynasty for the first time and studied in places such as Mount Tiantai. In 1187, he entered the Song Dynasty for the second time. Originally intending to go to India, he was not permitted and instead went to Wannian Temple on Mount Tiantai to become a disciple of Xu’an Huaichang, inheriting the orthodox dharma lineage of the Rinzai sect and staying in China for four years. Eisai Zen Master not only introduced the Rinzai sect to Japan but also brought back the seeds of tea trees from China, promoting the cultivation of tea trees in Japan. While actively promoting Buddhism, he continuously promoted the skills of tea planting and tea processing, making tea drinking gradually popular in Japan. The “Record of Drinking Tea for Health Preservation” written by Eisai Zen Master was the first book on tea in Japan and was regarded as the “Tea Classic” of Japan. The book detailed the planting of tea trees, the shape of tea leaves, the methods of tea processing, and the efficacy of tea, starting from the benefits of drinking tea for physical health and the subtleties of meditation and enlightenment. While promoting Buddhism, it spread the tea ceremony. He combined tea with Zen, forming a unique style of Japanese tea ceremony. His works and deeds have had a profound influence on the development of tea culture and Buddhism in Japan.