禅Sengai Gibon

saying

The Universe in a Cup of Tea

Inscriptions of Sengai

Edo

Traditionally attributed

Text

When you drink tea, drink tea. The whole universe is in this cup. The water came from clouds, the clouds from the sea, the sea from the rivers, the rivers from rain. The heat came from fire, the fire from wood, the wood from earth and sun. Take one sip and you swallow the entire universe. But if you are thinking about the universe while you drink, you have missed the tea entirely.

license: public_domain

Attribution

Lineage: Rinzai

By Sengai Gibon

From Inscriptions of Sengai

Sources

No per-field confidence has been recorded for this teaching yet. Treat individual claims with the caution appropriate to the source list below.

Attribution status: traditional — see editorial policy for what this means.

1 supporting citation on record (see Sources above).

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