In the how to learn to be empathic? [2] ... "A Chado Approach"

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A brief parenthesis:

Thank you very much to those persons who are following me, you make my motivation for learning even stronger.

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My Sempai of Chadou

Yesterday, I received as a gift a very nice book titled "The Book of Tea" written by Okakura in 1906 [bio]. While reading, to my surprise, I found something related to my last question "How to learn to be empathic?" I intuited that knowledge of Tea Ceremony could lead me to something, but I was not expecting to find something this quick.

It is written that in a Tea Ceremony, also called Chado or Chanoyu, guests pass through a small garden of trees, enter to a quite intimate room, where some Zen words are written and some flowers are arranged in a simple manner. In this tranquil atmosphere is where host and guests RECOLLECT themselves and SEEK to RELATE each other and to all elements of their environment with directness, immediacy and PROFOUND APPRECIATION.

When I read this, I felt my previous conclusion conformed. If we wish to be empathic with others, If we are seeking to relate with others, then PROFOUND APPRECIATION, or looking others through beauty-search lenses - as I posted previously - is a good starting point.

Moreover, Okakura wrote that Teaism, or Philosophy of Tea, is a cult founded on the ADORATION of the BEAUTIFUL AMONG SORDID FACTS of everyday existence. Perhaps, if we apply this same philosophy to people, we could easily find beauty in them. But how to focus in the beauty and overlook the sordid facts?

I am not sure yet whether I can find a straight answer to my question in this book, but let me try to hypothesize something, inspired on the following lines of Okakura:


- He wrote that the development of Teaism in Japan was highly favorable by the long ISOLATION of Japan from the rest of the World. Japanese home, habits, costumes, cuisine, porcelain, lacquer, painting, literature, all have been influenced by this Philosophy (People who are in touch with Japanese culture, I am sure, can agree that Japanese is about making everything beautifully, taking extreme care of the details).

- Then, he wrote "Those who cannot feel the littleness of great things in themselves are apt to overlook the greatness of little things in others"

Then, I thought that If I do not want to "overlook the greatness of little things in others", their beauty, then I shall first "feel the littleness of great things", and in order to do so, the exercise of Teaism may help.

I imagine that If I try to make something really beautifully, caring of the smallest details, I would definitely need some extra efforts. Then, such endeavors would enable me to understand better what the small details worth, and therefore I would be able to appreciate them much better. Thereafter, I may be less prone to overlook the greatness of the little things of our surroundings, things and living creatures including people ...