Today, the phrase “Tea and Chan are of one taste” is sometimes used so broadly that it can lose its original depth.
A quiet room, wooden furniture, incense, bamboo, and soft music may create a peaceful atmosphere, but these things alone do not necessarily make something “Chan.”
The deeper connection lies elsewhere.
Chan emphasizes qualities such as awareness, immediacy, non-duality, and freedom from unnecessary discrimination.
When drinking tea, one might simply notice the color of the liquor, the fragrance rising from the cup, the warmth of the vessel, the sensation of swallowing, and the thoughts appearing in the mind.
Instead of immediately asking:
Is this tea expensive?
Is it high quality?
Is it better than the one I drank last time?
Is this the correct flavor?
one can simply experience the tea as it is.
When judgment quiets down, even temporarily, drinking tea can become an act of observation.
In this sense, it is not that tea itself contains Chan.
Rather, one drinks tea with a Chan mind.